(intense organ music) - [Narrator] Those of you with queasy stomachs should turn away now.

(intense organ music) (scary music) - Look, these things are great.

I mean, they're awesome.

(scary music) The artistry that goes into special makeup effects is it runs the gamut from sculpting, from painting from mold making, from design.

I mean it's just, it's all over the place.

It really encompasses kind of everything.

And I think that's kind of what drew me to it at such a young age.

(intense music) Anything that I could get my hands on I would watch, and then, after a while of watching enough horror films I kind of realized that somebody was making this stuff.

You know, somebody was making like the monsters, the zombies and all that stuff.

And I mean, I remember watching the making of "Thriller".

I mean that was, that for me was a big turning point.

Seeing Rick Baker, you know, he was doing a lifecast in that.

They were doing, they were in the makeup trailer applying all the makeups.

I mean, that was a, that was a big one.

You know, I was probably like way too young to be watching horror films, but by the time I was around like seven or eight, I mean, that's when I started getting you know, I got a hold of latex and Dermawax or nose putty or whatever, blood, you know, just messing with that kind of stuff.

And then, slowly kind of working up towards making like a mold or doing like a lifecast of somebody.

So are you cool with doing the life, you think you wanna do the lifecast?

- [Matt] Yeah.

- Okay, let's do it, okay.

(intense music) - This is exciting.

- So the lifecast is the basis for all special makeup effects in terms of prosthetics.

If at any point too, you wanna take it off, just let me know.

We'll just take it, we just won't air this.

(men laughing) We'll do something else.

But trust me, it's really quick.

- I'm gonna say, this is gonna be a cool makeup.

- You'll get like a nice cool little- - I won't regret this.

- Yeah, yeah, no, you get a nice cool little throw, takeaway gift, you know.

- Give it to my mom.

- Exactly.

(men laughing) The materials have changed a little bit, so, I'm gonna use the more old school materials which is alginate, but now nowadays, we use silicone 'cause it's a little bit more durable.

We can, you know, it lasts forever.

(upbeat music) So this is alginate.

Basically, you want to get it to like a pretty creamy consistency.

You don't want it too thick.

This is, you don't want it too runny.

All right, close your eyes.

(intense organ music) Ooh, it's a little cool.

It'll bring up more details and stuff.

Right outta high school, I just started working on any independent film I can get my hands into.

I didn't start out doing straight special effects.

I started doing some sound and special effects, just anything else, NPA stuff, anything to kind of get me onto like, anything.

So I would start, you know, doing some short films.

I did a couple features starting out, and then, you know, as I was able to build up a little bit of a resume, I took pictures of stuff more and, you know, people could see more of what I was doing.

Then it was kind of strictly more just special effects and kind of was able to weed out doing all the other gigs that I didn't really, I didn't have an interest in.

It just kind of snowballs from there, 'cause once you get known for doing the special effects other filmmakers will recommend you for stuff.

Other actors that like really enjoyed working with you will recommend you for projects.

(upbeat music) You look great, man.

So then the plaster bands go on.

(upbeat music) How you doing?

You doing okay?

- Mm-hm.

- Good.

(upbeat music) And then, that all comes off.

So, what I'm gonna have you do, lemme see your hands here.

So you're not gonna pull, but you're just gonna, you're gonna hold, kind of just put your hands.

No, no, no.

Take your hands, put them right, there you go.

Okay, now I want you to lean forward just a little bit.

Okay, and then basically, all I'm gonna have you do is just kind of make scrunchie faces, frowny faces, you know, stuff like that.

And just kind of slowly, there you go.

There you go.

Good, all right, cool.

(upbeat music) And there's, the negative impression of his face.

And then once that comes off, I will fill it with probably, plaster, but you can fill it with a couple different materials.

(intense music) (men laughing) We're gonna clean those up, but- - [Matt] That's freaky.

(scary organ music) - [PJ] Yeah, and that's where everything kind of starts from there.

(scary organ music) I just wanna keep making like cool, creature stuff.

I'd love to work on more.

I'd love to work on something like "The Thing", that to me is like the ultimate, you know, project, dream project.

That'd be so cool.

(scary laughing)