 |
 |
 |
|
| BELOW (top to bottom): Director David Yates sets up a shot with Michael Gambon as Prof. Dumbledore; Dave Legeno as Fenrir Greyback.
All photos courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures. Radcliffe and Gambon photos by Jaap Buitendijk.
|
|
Nick Dudman talks about Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince |
Posted: Thursday 23 July, 2009
Joe Nazzaro
|
Entering the Harry Potter creature effects workshop at Leavesden Studios is a bit like entering Hogwarts itself: You never know what you’re going to find around each corner. Over the past decade, Nick Dudman and his team of artists and technicians have built every imaginable character from house elf to hippogriff.
As a visitor soon discovers, the latest film, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, is no exception to that wide range of work. On this particular morning, one member of Dudman’s department is working on a double for Filch’s cat, Mrs. Norris, while another is testing fur for the werewolf character, Fenrir Greyback. Next door, several artists are painting a pair of zombie-like creatures called Inferi, which will ultimately get cyber-scanned and turned into digital creatures. (continued below)
In terms of actual make-up, Greyback is the film’s biggest creation, which Dudman and his team have designed as a seven-piece silicone prosthetic. “He’s a character with a great deal of fine hair all over him,” Dudman explained. “In the old days, if you were doing a werewolf, you would just lay loose hair on an actor, but nowadays the camera would pick that up, plus it’s such a coarse technique, it would be different every day.
 “What we’ve done is punch fine goat hair into the pieces and pre-paint them, so when we apply the make-up, it won’t take as long. Because the hair has been punched, there’s no glue, so the movement will be freer. The reason we use fur is because it’s tapered and very fine. If you use human hair, yak or any other hair, because it’s been cut, it’s the same length at both ends and has a coarser flavor, whereas fur sits nicely close to the skin.
“The reason we’ve designed the make-up in seven pieces, including the ears, is that if it was just two pieces, maneuvering the silicone into position and gluing it accurately would become very difficult, so you choose sizes that you can manipulate and to allow a time frame that makes the make-up practical.”
With so much work going into Greyback, Dudman is justifiably pleased with the way the character has turned out. “I think he’s the prosthetic showcase for us on this film,” he said. “Plus it will give us some practice for the next one!”
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince opened July 15. For more on Dudman’s Potter work, see Issues 35 and 67, which can be viewed in the back issues section of our online store at www.makeupmag.com.
Rupert Grint, Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe. Photo by Jaap Buitendijk.
Alan Rickman, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Daniel Radcliffe and Maggie Smith. Photo by Jaap Buitendijk.
|
|
|
Joe Nazzaro |
| |
 |
|
| |
Recent Featured Articles |
| Issue 83 Now Available - Tuesday 09 March, 2010 |
Go behind the scenes of Alice in Wonderland, The Wolfman (with exclusive photos) and Clash of the Titans and get familiar with the artistry of Illamasqua cofounder Alex Box.
|
 |
| 82nd Academy Awards® Oscar® Nominees for Make-up - Tuesday 02 February, 2010 |
| The nominees for the 82nd Annual Academy Awards® have been announced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Creators of looks for an Italian prime minister, aliens, and the queen of England all vie for the Oscar®. |
|
| Make-up World Meets in London for IMATS - Monday 11 January, 2010 |
| London swings again when the International Make-Up Artist Trade Show returns to Alexandra Palace Jan. 30-31, 2010. Pre-sale ticket orders for the make-up world’s biggest gathering have far exceeded those of 2009, and excitement is building. |
|
| Issue 82 Now in Mailboxes and on Newsstands - Thursday 31 December, 2009 |
| Issue 82 of Make-Up Artist magazine goes behind the scenes of the highly-anticipated remake of The Wolfman and talks to Rick Baker about revisiting the iconic character. |
|
| Tales from the Set with Bill Corso - Monday 21 December, 2009 |
| Make-Up Artist magazine's new, exciting and ongoing Web feature "Tales from the Set" features candid videos of award-winning make-up artists telling the good, the bad and the ugly details of working behind the scenes. |
|
| Tales from the Set with Rae Morris - Friday 04 December, 2009 |
Make-Up Artist magazine's new, exciting and ongoing Web feature "Tales from the Set" features candid videos of award-winning make-up artists telling the good, the bad and the ugly details of working behind the scenes.
|
|
| IMATS Toronto 2009 Photo Showcase - Wednesday 25 November, 2009 |
| The first-ever International Make-Up Artist Trade Show (IMATS) in Toronto was a success, and you can see images from the show by following this link. |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
IMATS U.K. Bigger, Better |
|
|
Tim Burton's 'Wonderland' |
|
|
Moving Fashion Forward |
|
|
Gods and Monsters |
|
|
Box Set |
|
|
Where Wolf? There Wolf. |
|
|
Bronze Age |
|
|
|
| |
| About Make-Up Artist Magazine |
| Order IMATS Tickets |
| Make-Up Artist Store |
| Where to Find Make-Up Artist Magazine |
| Suggested Links |
|
|
