Aug
30
2012

We were recently given an interesting challenge: Create a rat prop that has basic articulation, can be ripped apart at the midline, and would look realistic on a dimly lit set while being devoured by a hungry zombie. Normally this would be an easy task: Sculpt the rat, make some molds, cast the rat, build an armature, articulate it, and add the finishing touches (hair, teeth, claws, etc). The challenge was that we had less than 3 days, working only 2-3 hours a night due to our existing workload. We love a good challenge!
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The clay we used For this project was Chavant NSP soft. This softer clay does not hold a lot of detail, but allows for quick sculpting of a basic form. Because time would not allow for great detail, we went for speed. The body and head were sculpted first, and the ears, feet, and tail were added later.

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no comments | tags: clay, latex, prop, rat, sculpt, zombie | posted in Behind The Scenes
Jul
2
2012
As some of you may know, we are in the process of creating a zombie animatronic for an upcoming zombie film. This weekend we kicked off construction by sculpting a zombie tongue in Chavant NSP clay and pouring up a basic plaster box mold. This week we should run the first casting of the tongue in a special blend of latex. Once the latex tongue has been cast, it will be servo articulated and ready for installment in the final animatronic. Here are some photos of the initial sculpt.

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1 comment | tags: animatronic, latex, mold, plaster, servo, tongue, zombie | posted in Behind The Scenes
Jun
28
2012

We were recently on the set of a zombie film doing special effects makeup on several characters. This post will show some behind the scenes photos we took while on set, and briefly cover the makeup application for one character.

Here is a quick look at our makeup kit all laid out at the start of day 1. Things will not be this organized again until the start of day 2. If you have any questions about anything you see in this kit, please feel free to ask them in the comments below.
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1 comment | tags: airbrush, blood, latex, makeup, silicoe, special effects, zombie | posted in Behind The Scenes