Local 706 - The Artisan

Fall 2015

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51 needed magnets inside the ankle to enable the joint to be dislocated and reset. In total, we produced eight sets of full- body prosthetics not including the sets we made for our own many make-up tests. A copious amount of make-up blood was needed for film- ing, Fleet Street Fresh and Robert Smith blood was used and for the darker, more healed blood, we used Fleet Street Dark and Maekup Very Very Dark. To create the scabs on Leo, a combination of LSA, linseed, sunflower and crushed almonds was mixed with drying bloods. Most film bloods have some alcohol as a preservative in them, which can strip make-up off prosthetics, coupled with the need for the wounds to be rubbed with rags in filming, and the abrasion from Leo's costume, we found in tests that the colour on the appliances was likely to be removed. Therefore, we soon realised that all the appliances used needed to be painted with artist's oil paint and sili- cone caulking to prevent the colour loss. We also found that the wounds had to be painted a darker colour than usual in order for them to stand out when covered with blood. On the days of shooting the after- math of the bear attack, we had a two-hour drive into the wilderness and a 4 1 /2-hour make-up applica- tion, further to this it was below freezing and often raining. Our loca- tion was next to a stream in a small gully in the middle of a forest and we had a limited amount of daylight. Our actor was lying in freezing mud connected to dozens of blood lines and covered in cold blood for hours; trying to keep him warm until the last minute but still have time for touchups before the camera rolled was imperative. The loca- tion was so remote and the weather so bad that the road was often washed away and we were evacuated on several occasions. Even the animals got in on the action. One day, Duncan opened up a box with an unused, fully haired and painted chest appliance to find a mouse had eaten through it! Getting into our cold weather gear became an art in itself. The weather got so cold at one point that make-up bags would freeze to the floor inside the trailer. I lost count of the amount of pots of Pros-Aide that froze solid. The entirety of the film is set outdoors. Due to the unpre- dictability of the weather, we learned to be very prepared. We ensured we had appliances ready in advance as scenes that were scheduled for weeks away would suddenly be moved forward to the next day. As Glass moves through the wilderness, the weather changes, conditions get colder and snow falls. I had not created a frosting make-up effect since working on Titanic. I tried many materials including Elmer's Glue and Epsom salts for ice effects. Eventually, I decided on old faithful icing sugar in the eyelashes and paraffin wax in the beard. Kathy found that paraffin wax was extremely hard to remove from Leo's hair, so instead she used Ultra Ice and ice crystals along with some fake snow when it was needed. Glass' skin eventually succumbs to the harsh weather. What starts as frost nip on his cheeks and lips becomes large areas of heav- ily cracked and split skin by the end of the film. This was created using bondo transfers with Maekup Psoriasis Paste and Maekup Pus on Leo's lips. Throughout filming, we produced many more prosthetics for Leo's top half of his body for the infection, healing and scarring process of the initial wounds. Several appliances including some large one-piece silicone chest and back pieces were created. As a lot of the wounds were stitched together, all the appliances had sutures pre-attached with the appro- priate scabbing and pus. Just for Leo's neck alone, there were six different prosthetic looks. It proved difficult to establish a timeline during filming for the wounds' healing process so I invented my own. I undertook the making of bandages on set and further used these to ascertain the passing of time in the film. I set up a production line in the make-up trailer for bandages for doubles, dummies and stunt doubles and had to keep a very comprehensive continuity folder because of the amount of daily changes. All in all, The Revenant has proven be the most technically challenging film Kathy, Duncan and I have ever worked on. There is a worry that a lot of the work done will not be seen due to the way the scenes were shot with nominal cuts and no inserts, but from the dailies I have viewed, it is definitely a necessary sacrifice. • Ben Nye Ad 4C, Full Page Art includes 1/8" bleed all sides Artisan Fall 2015 11/5/15 SEE CROP PAGE 2

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