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Battles With Bits of Rubber

This podcast is a joint venture with Stuart Bray and Todd Debreceni. It's all about the making of stuff for makeup effects and prosthetics. Todd is author of 'Special Makeup Effects For Stage And Screen', what many consider to be the modern makeup FX bible. Stuart Bray is a working makeup FX artist with many years experienc. Credits include 'Saving Private Ryan', 'Shaun of the Dead', 'Dr Who' and more recently 'Game of Thrones'. If you have any FX questions you would like to see made into a featured blog post, then get in touch: stuartandtodd@gmail.com
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Now displaying: August, 2016
Aug 25, 2016

Brick In The Yard isn't the most obvious name to give to a successful FX material supplier.

There is a good reason for it though, as you will hear in this podcast.

Mitch Rogers is the evil genius behind Brick In The Yard (BITY), one of the largest suppliers of FX materials in Texas and from the store, they ship out all kinds of materials worldwide.

Mitch took some time to show me around the shop and hang out so we could talk Gorezone magazine, silicone babies, the craft of making moulds and the perils of homemade explosives.

And why they are not a good idea.

Mitch has a great sense of humour, and the workshop is peppered with motivational posters and ironic stories, many of which stem from insane phone calls from - erm - dare we call them customers? (One demanded Mitch know that "This is create!!!" and became a T-Shirt).

That's how Mitch deals with insane phone calls. He either turns them into T-Shirts or posters, or (if you are a telemarketer with a moral compass as twisted as a barbed wire pretzel) maybe even on YouTube. After all, if they have ruthless sales angles, Mitch (or more often his alter-ego Leroy Thompson) will take that call and wring as much out of it as he can.

Anyhow, enjoy this almost two-hour chat we had at BITY!

As always, email us at stuartandtodd@gmail.com

 

Aug 17, 2016

Rob wants you to work hard and be good!Rob Burman is a damned nice fella and kindly took some time to share some of his wisdom, and we are all grateful he did. Thanks, Rob!

 

 

If you don't know the name 'Burman' then you must be pretty new to the FX world, because frankly the name is as synonymous with makeup and practical effects as The Rolling Stones is to music.

(The blog post to accompany this podcast is at http://www.learnmakeupeffects.com/rob-burman/)

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Rob is a third generation Burman, and the name is found in the credits of some of the most well-known horror and Sci-Fi movies ever shot. Being from the Burman legacy doesn't get you a free ride though - this guy has forgotten more than many will know and has a hefty list of credits to prove it.

I mean, he worked on The Thing for crying out loud…

…and T2…

…and Tremors…

…if this doesn't mean anything to you, then we can't be friends. Just sayin'….

Even more, he regularly teaches as a guest tutor, demonstrates at trade shows like IMATs where he regularly blows everyone away with his larger-than-life characters (check out the 'Carl' makeup based on the Pixar movie 'UP') and has some excellent lessons on the Stan Winston School for Character Arts.

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Known as a great sculptor and teacher, he also has extensive experience with foam latex, which is what we focus mostly on in our podcast. Silicone has been the poster boy material for prosthetics for a while now, and it is an excellent material for prosthetics. 

However, foam is not such a squeaky wheel, and as such doesn't get the oil. It never went away, and because of the skill and equipment involved in it's manufacture, many makeup schools don't cover it nearly as much as they should.

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Rob has taught the manufacture and use of foam latex extensively, and his new laboratory workshops are certainly worth checking out if you are serious about FX! Check it out at Rob Burman's Laboratory!

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Also, if you need pieces (but aren't in a position to make them' then check out Rubberwear, an extensive catalogue of ready-made appliances.

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Rob is always busy working on something, so we were incredibly fortunate to have Todd grab him for an interview where he drops wisdom bombs like they were going out of style.

Seriously, grab a coffee, download and listen to this guy because it's worth every minute!

As always, we like it when people say nice things about us, so if you enjoy the podcast then please share it with a friend, like us on Facebook and if you can, leave a short review on iTunes. Doesn't need to be a lengthy paragraph, just a few words to show your support, let us know who is listening and it tells iTunes that we have an active community.

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We are also on Souncloud, Google Play Music, Stitcher and iHeartRadio to name but a few - you can listen online or download to listen on a drive to work or walking the dog. Or whatever animal you may need to walk around the block. Also you can email us directly on stuartandtodd@gmail.com!

Thanks for stopping by!

Stuart & Todd

Aug 5, 2016

The last time we talked about making foam latex, the craft and materials involved in actually producing the foam. This time around, we figured it would be a good call to look at painting and art finishing.

Painting foam latex is different from painting skin or translucent appliances like silicone or gelatine, as naturally you have to create the appearance of translucency on something which is opaque.

Thomas Surprenant is long serving makeup artist with a hefty list of credits, from Deep Space 9, Donnie Darko, The Grinch, X-Men The Last Stand… but not only is he a working makeup artist, he also has developed his line of prosthetic paints and brushes which are  well regarded by industry figureheads.

You know when Rick Baker calls you up to order some that you're doing something right.

As you'll hear, his exposure to painting skills and a pragmatic approach combined with creativity produce amazing results, but more importantly than that you'll come to see the depth of understanding required. It makes it attainable, and allows you to see what it is you need to be doing in order to get there yourself.

We think you'll enjoy this as much as we did, it was an education!

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Thomas lists a fair few artists as inspiration, and although there are inevitably sinful omissions (we'd appreciate it if you think of some to add them as comments or email us to let us know!), this is a good starting point to grow an awareness of skilled artists whose work has helped set the bar.

 

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