FROM HEAD TO FOOT: EPIC PROSTHETICS On the logistical marvel of bringing fresh, tactile fantasy makeup to the screen
“Y ou use a pair of ears, you throw them away. You use an Orc face, you throw it away. You use it one time and then it’s in the bin,” explains Prosthetics Off-Set Supervisor Dan Perry who, along with Prosthetics Production Manager Jamie Wilson, headed the prosthetic and makeup department for The Rings of Power . Turning a cast of hundreds into fantasy creatures that look impressive on 4K cameras—so powerful that you can see foundation on an actor’s face—required a daily pipeline of new production orders. The department used silicone prosthetics sourced from Wellington-based special effects and prop company, Wētā Workshop, for everything from Elf ears to Harfoot feet to the many gory layers of an Orc’s face. Refrigerated trucks full of creaturely body parts were constantly arriving on set. “They have to stay at a cooler temperature because it makes them last,” says Perry, with Wilson adding, “It’s not like you can just pop it in a courier box and send it up.” The duo offer illuminating insider knowledge on the different durabilities of ears and feet. “We’d get multiple uses out of the feet, but the ears were definitely one time only,” says Perry. For the duration of the shoot, their lives were colored by staying ahead of the foot and ear production cycle. “An ear you can make in a couple of days. A pair of feet you need three weeks to make,” says Wilson. “There are boundaries as to what can be achieved in time and how long they last. It was a constant juggle to make sure we had everything that was needed.”
Inevitably, they had the most fun crafting the villains of the story. “They’re the cool creatures of this show,” says Perry of the Orcs whose screen presence immediately brings a feeling of tension and foreboding. These Second Age Orcs predate later Third Age Orcs and Uruk-hai by thousands of years, leading to a different aesthetic. “They’re not so used to the sun, therefore that’s where the low tones came from, the lightest base skin,” says Wilson. Creating an Orc on top of a patient actor took from two to seven hours with the earliest call time being 1:45 am. The process began with cleansing the face, slicking back hair, and gluing on a bald cap. Then came the “interlocking- appliances” stage, which meant assembling “little pieces that go together like a jigsaw puzzle,” says Perry. Final touches were a wig, dentures, and contact lenses. While it might have been easier to rely on CG for eye color instead of practical tactics, there is no comparison. Says Perry, “As painful as the lens can be to apply, there’s nothing like having them there on the day to finish the makeup off and give it some life.”
“An ear you can make in a couple of days. A pair of feet you need three weeks to make.”
— Jamie Wilson, Prosthetics Production Manager
The series prioritized the use of practical effects as exemplified by the silicone prosthetics used for the Harfoot feet (Above Top) and Elven ears (Above Bottom).
Above: Jamie Wilson and Dan Perry’s prosthetics work, as seen on the ultra-detailed face of a scowling Orc.
28
29
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator