Description:
For as long as they've been in existence, horror and sci-fi movies have relied on special effects and makeup to make the unreal seem real. In Men, Makeup, and Monsters: Hollywood's Masters of Illusion and FX, Fangoria editor Anthony Timpone presents profiles a dozen of today's most brilliant practitioners of the art and science of effects. Artists such as Stan Winston, Rick Baker, and Dick Smith have made everything from aliens to dinosaurs to zombies come alive on the screen, employing a staggering variety of techniques. In their conversations with Timpone, Winston and company explain how they accomplished dozens of their most notable effects, which involve the use of makeup, appliances, puppetry, robotics, CGI, animatronics, and more. Abundant photos (including a color section) show both finished products and works in progress. Men, Makeup, and Monsters is aimed not just at curious movie fans, but also at prospective practitioners of the trade. Timpone's introduction includes straightforward explanations of basic industry terminology and procedures, and gives a realistic picture of what it takes to break into this increasingly competitive business. Appendices include a glossary and a directory of makeup schools. Movie fans who routinely leave the theater asking, "How did they do that?" will find this detailed look behind the illusions absorbing, and will come away with as much admiration for the artists as for the effects they create. --Mary V. Burke
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