| |
| Grave
Matter Doug Jones as the resurrected Barnabas |
When
Dark Shadows returned for a new pilot in 2004, its
ranks were bolstered with a host of weird and wonderful monsters
courtesy of Creative Character Engineering.
Makeup expert Andrew Clement gives us the
lowdown on making things in Collinsport go bump in the night...
How
did you get into your line of work? What other shows have
you worked on?
I’ve really always been interested in visual effects,
production design, and zoology. It’s really a perfect
job for me. I studied Fine Art and Theatre Design in college,
but it’s really been mostly about the school of hard
knocks. The most high-profile things that I’ve worked
on are, E.R., Hercules, Xena: Warrior Princess, Blade,
Army of Darkness, The Princess Bride, Dinosaurs, Saturday
Night Live and others.
What
do you think makes a good prosphetic makeup design?
A good prosthetic make-up depends on the purpose. A good
old age or character should be invisible, and the contours
of the weight and wrinkles need to be just right. A horror
or fantasy makeup should have a focus and clarity of design,
as well as being believably organic. Appliances should be
as thin as possible while still arriving at the desired
contours of the face.
| |
| A
concept sketch for the demon seen on the train |
How
did you come to work on the Dark Shadows project?
I had been working for [pilot producer] John Wells for about
10 years on E.R., and when this came around, I
happened to be in the right place at the right time. We
did submit quite a bit of concept art to show our interest
before we were awarded the job.
Were
you aware of the original Dark Shadows
before getting the job?
Dark Shadows scared the hell out of me
as a kid. I remember being in my grandmother's house with
all my cousins watching the show, and I was around the corner
where I couldn’t see the TV. Of course, I was drawing
monsters at the same time. I was never quite as scared of
the monsters I drew or sculpted. When the job was offered
to me, I was very aware of the importance it held with the
horror and makeup community, so I was determined that we
give it everything we had.
Dick
Smith's work ageing Barnabas on the original Dark
Shadows was groundbreaking for its time, I'm told…
Dick
Smith is one of those artists, that no matter what the future
holds, or what material or technique is invented, his work
will hold up. His work is always so right, that it is beyond
question. You look at it, and you accept it as real.
| |
| Model
Citizen The dummy Barnabas used in the crypt
scenes |
Director
P.J. Hogan seemed to concentrate heavily on the visual side
of the pilot. How did you find working with him?
P.J.
was great. He was enthusiastic and very pleased with the
work we did. I did wish that we had a little more latitude
with the design, especially having seen how bold the design
of the whole show was. There was one beautiful demon design
that I was very excited to realize, but it wasn’t
accepted. P.J. had more of a classic sense than I do.
The
pilot script for Dark Shadows seemed pretty
sketchy about its demons and monsters. How did everyone
approach fleshing those ideas out?
After reading the script, we submitted a number of sketches,
done by myself, Jordu Schell, and John Wheaton. When we
all sat down, though, P.J. pulled out a bunch of photos
of Mexican mummies and said “I want that - I want
exactly that.” So it really became a matter of trying
to translate those photos onto our actors. Even on the non-Barnabas
makeups, P.J. wanted more of the Mexican mummy elements
brought in.
Several
of the makeup team worked on another WB undead drama, Buffy
the Vampire Slayer. Did any influences from Sunndydale
trickle through?
I actually never worked on Buffy. I did hire a
number of people who had. I knew we would need people who
had that kind of experience. A few had been working with
me for a while, and they knew how my design sense differed
from what had been done on Buffy.
| |
| Femme
Fatal A nasty new look for Angelique takes
form in clay |
So
what was the process for creating these creatures?
Just about every character followed the same methodology.
We took life-casts of each actor, sculpted each make-up
in clay, made moulds, and ultimately wound up with foam
latex appliances that we gave to Todd McIntosh’s team
to apply. Additionally, there was one silicone dummy head
of Barnabas’s first victim [Kelly Greer].
How
did the actors and crew on the set respond to your creations?
Everyone was very excited about each makeup as they were
brought on to set. People wanted their picture taken with
them. Lots of oohing and aahing. As far as the overall atmosphere,
it was a tough shoot, there was a lot riding on it, but
everyone was great.
Alec
Newman's stunning aged Barnabas makeup never made it in
front of the cameras. What happened there?
I
actually didn’t know that it never got filmed. I was
aware that it didn’t make the final cut. It’s
a shame; it’s a pretty important piece, continuity
wise. You know, a film shoot is rough. A director has to
make some tough decisions about time, and sometimes beautiful
work is left unfilmed. I’m just glad photos exist,
and we had good work ready for the camera.
| |
|
Mummy Dearest The withered remains of Barnabas |
What
was your take on the pilot itelf?
I did see a cut of the pilot. It wasn’t finished,
but I got a good sense of what it was going to be. I thought
it was very faithful to the original. I know a lot of people
are backseat directing after the fact, but P.J. tried something
brave, and in time it might have found its audience.
Looking back, how would you sum up
the Dark Shadows experience?
I’m
proud of everything we did on the pilot. Especially the
volume of work in the timeframe we had. I have to say that
I wish that there hadn’t been so much strong primary-coloured
light used. It was a stylistic choice, and fine for sets
and atmosphere, but it’s brutal on a makeup. And of
course, I’m pretty unhappy that it looks like the
pilot might never get seen.
Photographs:
Click on the thumbnails to see the full-size
images
| |
A
Concept Sketch for Barnabas in his second stage of
transformation |
 |
The
aged Barnabas is sculpted in clay over a lifecast
of actor Doug Jones |
 |
The
completed sculpture for Alec Newman's second stage
Barnabas prosphetics |
 |
Doug
Jones is prepared for the cameras as the first stage
of Barnabas' resurrection |
 |
This
gruesome bust stood in for Alexis Thorpe, playing
Barnabas' victim Kelly Greer |
 |
Work
begins on sculpting appliances for the rotted apparition
of Angelique |
 |
Doug
Jones as the demon that taunts Victoria during her
train journey to Collinsport |
|
|
Notes: Doug
Jones stood in for Alec Newman as Barnabas when the character
is first resurrected from his grave. The plan was that Newman
would then take over, wearing less extreme prosphetics,
in an intermediate sequence to bridge Barnabas' rejuvination
to his youthful appearance. However, due to studio overruns,
while Alec donned the aged make-up, this sequence was abandoned
at the last minute and never filmed.
Images
© Andrew Clement/Creative Character Engineering. Reproduced
with permission
Visit
Andrew's official website at www.creativecharacter.com
Back
