Please describe your role on the film.
I guess my official title is Creature and Make Up Effects Designer but I also get to play the various creatures as and when needed including the Jr Beast, Mama Beast, Teen Beast and Papa Beasts arms.
What were the biggest challenges for you on Feast?
The biggest challenges were budget and time, which is always the problem on films. No matter how much money or time you get, there is never enough of either and we always like to whine and moan about that. I cant wait for the day that I finish a project and go 'You know we just had TOO MUCH money on that show and prep time, good lord I thought it would never end!' I don't think that day will ever dawn...and even if it did we'd still probably find something to moan about. Human nature, I guess.
The only other real problem was input. Early on, I would get one set of notes from Dimension and another set of notes from Neo (Joel and Mike) and then whatever input we could SQUEEEZE out of John. Often times John, Joel and Mike would be happy but then Dimension wouldn't be, or vice versa. It was rather like trying to decorate a house for eight different people all with very different styles. It can be a bit frustrating, especially when you are trying to guide people knowing what can be done for the budget and what (you know from experience) will work best....but it all seemed to turn out okay in the end. And no one died. We just spilt a little blood along the way.
How long have you been working with Special Effects/Creatures?
Officially for about 16 years - that's making a living - but making home movies, freaking the neighbours out, applying make up to my friends and family and terrorizing the neighbourhood at Halloween since I was about 12.
When did you know that this is what you wanted to do? What was the path you took to get where you are?
I was five or six years old when I saw my first horror movie, Taste the Blood of Dracula with Christopher Lee. My mother said I could watch it as long as I didn't have dreams and keep everyone awake. The next morning she ventured into my bedroom and praised me for a 'quiet night' and then she opened the curtains to find that I had tied the windows shut and drawn crosses all over the windows. It was that experience that set things in motion. I always loved film - originally I wanted to be an actor - but I come from a pretty blue-collar family and working class town north of Birmingham in England, and dreams of acting aren't really tolerated. My Dad suggested that I could work with him and 'act like an electrician' but it wasn't really what I had in mind.
Then when I was about 12 or 13 I read an American magazine called Fangoria. It was a magazine focused totally on horror films and also heavily on the craft of the make-up effects artists involved in those films. I saw these people sculpting monsters, molding creatures and applying prosthetics and almost immediately I decided that's what I would do. Initially I figured it would create a kind of "backdoor" introduction to filmmaking that one day might lead to acting, but also the craft, the technique and the subject matter just entranced me.
I started applying make-ups to friends and family, and taking photos to build into a portfolio. Eventually that led to me getting my first job in London. From those humble beginnings I was able to make my way to where I am today with my own company based in Los Angeles. (Truth is I just had to get away from the rain in England.and the girls are much cuter here.)
Can you list some other projects you've worked on? Do you have a favorite project? Why?
Exorcist : The Beginning, Dracula 2000 , Blade , Northfork , Sleepy Hollow, Hellraiser III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, Hansel & Gretel, Mimic II & Mimic : Sentinel, Twin Falls Idaho, Candyman I & III, Halloween: The Curse Of Michael Myers & Resurrection, Dracula: Ascension & Dracula: Legacy.
I really enjoy all the films I work on, and I always consider myself fortunate to be in that position. They all have 'favorite' moments.
Any film with Joel Soisson is cool. Neo is a very supportive group of people, and you are made to feel truly valued. That makes it all worthwhile.
Blade was good fun because Stephen Norrington, the director, is an old friend, and we knew that he was going deliver something really, really cool.
The Dracula movies for Patrick Lussier were awesome because of Line Producer Ron Schmidt, and because of Patrick's excellent understanding of the filmmaking process and his vision - not to mention the fact that he gives me cameo performances!
Sleepy Hollow was fun because of Kevin Yagher's (the effects designer) work ethic, and because Johnny Depp was such a great guy. Exorcist: The Beginning was very cool because of the opportunity to work with Renny Harlin, spend months in Rome and create a make up that paid homage to Dick Smith's classic make up on Linda Blair.
Hansel and Gretel was great because I wrote and directed the project, and the kids were awesome - Taylor Momsen from The Grinch and the excellent Dakota Fanning - not to mention my adult cast, Howie Mandel and Lynne Redgrave, etc.
But like I said before I have really cool memories of all of the projects I have worked on, and Feast certainly has its fair share: from being followed around by camera crews and wearing a microphone all the time, to trying understand where John was going with the film, to performing as the creature...to spraying gallons of blood and killing off actors.
What advice would you give to those interested in working in your field?
Stay out of my field...it's my field and we're full, thank you very much!!
No...truthfully, if you want to do this, best of luck and give it all you've got. Whether you want to act, direct, write or wear rubber monsters....just go for it!
Watch movies, learn from them. And if you want to do special make up effects: sculpt, sculpt and sculpt. It's the greatest foundation you can have.
