Face off and mask on!

I am a big sci-fi and fantasy film fan. Give me superheroes, wizards and dragons any day. I think it's that insertion into another world, completely different to my own and devoid of all real-world problems that makes me love them so much. But one aspect of all these films that is very rarely applauded by audiences, unless you are a proper nerd like me, is the make-up and costume departments. I mean, even during the Oscars, when it's time for these awards to be handed out, most people are off to make popcorn or go to the loo. And it's not fair. My belief is that credit ought to be given where credit is due. Can you imagine what The Lord of the Rings would be like if the make-ups sucked and Gollum was just a man in a suit? Or if Chris Nolan's Batman still had nipples?

Seriously?

So I've been watching this show. It's a reality game show and although I am not a fan of those, unless I want to burn a couple of million brain cells, I have to admit that this is by far the best competition/elimination series ever. It's called Face Off and it first aired on the SyFy cable network in 2011. It is already in its 7th season. The competitors are special-effects make-up artists and they compete every week for the chance to not only win the prizes but to also establish themselves and earn a spot among the elite of Hollywood's special effects geniuses.

The judges are Glenn Hetrick (Buffy The Vampite Slayer, Babylon 5), Ve Neil (Ed Wood, Beetlejuice, Mrs. Doubtfire) and Neville Page (Watchmen, Cloverfield, Avatar). In the first two seasons Patrick Tatopoulos (I Am Legend, Resident Evil: Extinction, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans) was the third judge and currently Lois Burwell (Braveheart, War of the Worlds, Lincoln) is filling in for Ve Neil who is working on The Hunger Games: Mockingjay.

I'd say Glenn Hetrick is realistic enough and movie-ready...

What I have come to realise after having watched all seven seasons (one was enough to realise, the rest have been tremendous fun) is that these people are truly geniuses. They combine imagination, skill, talent, time management, professionalism and a genuine love of the art. They are given challenges that would have other people dumbfounded for days and yet they pull it off spectacularly. 

Dumbfounded...

From Nosferatu to Night of the Living Dead, from Star Wars to Guardians of the Galaxy, from The Wizard of Oz to The Lord of the Rings, from King Kong (1933) to King Kong (2005), from Batman: The Movie to Batman vs Superman, it is these artists that have made these worlds come to life. That have given form to creatures we could only imagine. Or not even imagine. The costumes, the creature concepts and designs and the make-up are all arts in their own right. Tremendously underrated and more than often ignored, these artists should be appreciated for their contribution to cinema and for the creation of worlds we would all want to visit or live in.