Which actor did Dick Smith transform into a 121-year-old man using
Chapter 1

From theater paint to foam latex

Chapter 2

The chemistry of illusion

Chapter 3

The multi-step transformation

Chapter 4

Global workshops and monster makers

YOUR GOAL

Master of How movie magic makes monsters with modern prosthetics

Ch 1 · From theater paint to foam latex
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007skaty Makeup artist Dick Smith transformed special effects with his split-mold technique

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007skaty Dick Smith's Split-Mold Breakthrough

Split the mold, split the mold, let the feelings break through.

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True transformation works with our natural expression, not against it.

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007skaty Foam latex revolutionized special effects makeup in the movie industry

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Lon Chaney's painful pioneers

007skaty The silent film star altered his face using wire, fishglue, and dental plaster to pioneer new makeup techniques.

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Jack Pierce and the Universal monsters

007skaty Jack Pierce's monster designs standardized character makeup during Hollywood's golden age.

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Foam Face Magic
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007skaty Drag and blend foam latex pieces to discover how Hollywood transforms actors into monsters.

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Fun Fact

Frankenstein's head: Boris Karloff's iconic flat-headed monster look was actually patented by Universal Pictures to protect their design.

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Glossary
foam latex (noun)
A lightweight, flexible rubber material produced by whipping liquid latex and baking it in a mold. In 1939, makeup artist Jack Dawn pioneered this material to create character appliances for The Wizard of Oz.

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Gossip

Which classic movie monster has the absolute coolest look?

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Quiz

What did actor Lon Chaney use to create the illusion of a broken nose in his early character makeups?

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007skaty Jack Pierce created the legendary makeup designs for Universal movie monsters.

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Quiz

Which 1925 silent film featured Lon Chaney using painful wire clamps to pull his nose up for his monstrous look?

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007skaty Silent film star Lon Chaney created his own painful makeup techniques.

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Quiz

Why did makeup artist Jack Pierce paint Boris Karloff's face green for the 1931 film Frankenstein?

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Quiz

Which material did Jack Pierce use to build up the forehead of Frankenstein's monster?

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Quiz

Which classic 1939 film was the first major production to extensively use the newly invented foam latex for its characters?

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Quiz

What is the main chemical process used to turn liquid latex into foam latex for prosthetics?

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Quiz

Which actor did Dick Smith transform into a 121-year-old man using overlapping foam latex pieces in 1970?

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Quiz

Why was Dick Smith's multi-piece prosthetic system better than a single-piece mask?

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