Special Effects & Props – Page 11

If You Can See a Fantastic Creature in Your Head, Trust its Creation to Tim Peirson

The werewolf in the background image of this site is actually me, wearing a mask I commissioned from the inimitable Tim Peirson in 2004. A few months ago I sent the mask back to Tim to be “retired” into a display piece– it was too fragile to be worn anymore, and it needed some paint touch-ups and repairs to areas where the latex skin had ripped. Tim offered to put fake eyes in the sockets and I gladly accepted– the price was very reasonable and he had done such an excellent job building “Wolfy” that I was sure whatever work he did now would be well worth it. Suffice it to say, I was not expecting this. Holy shit. He didn’t just restore the piece, he turned it into a thing far finer than the original (amazingly crafted in its own right). The original mask was just that: a mask, with the same rough coverage as a football helmet. Now it’s a head & shoulders bust that looks more detailed and lifelike than ever. Like the title says: if you can see a fantastic creature in your head, trust its creation to Tim Peirson– he’s a spectacular artisan and one of the most generous people I’ve ever met.

Angela Quinton Mar. 25th 2010

“William” by Mathieu Aerni

Canadian artist Mathieu Aerni is coming at you like a northern bullet with this killer image of William (who you might remember from such films as Underworld: Rise of the Lycans and When Harry Met Sally). Mathieu posted this on his CGPortfolio back in November 2009 and it’s been my desktop background ever since. William was sculpted and textured in ZBrush and given some fur in Photoshop. Check out some more renders on Mathieu’s site, and while you’re at it have a look at some of his other work– chances are good you’ve seen his work in a feature film in the past year.

Angela Quinton Mar. 23rd 2010

Jim Bycznski’s Work in Progress: a Life-Sized “Wolfman” Display Figure

In December I got an email and some photos from Jim Bycznski, founder of what might be the coolest program to ever grace the curriculum of a high school. Jim was inspired by the (then) imminent release of The Wolfman and he and his crew began working on a life-sized display figure of the titular beast. This weekend I got a few more photos of their progress– “Legs have been molded and casted, teeth made, and the body will be fabricated soon,” Jim writes. Here are seven shots of the process. Look on this, and wonder why your high school wasn’t this cool.

If I’d had access to a program like this when I was in high school, my career path would have been very different. You can see a gallery of more BHSFX work here– there are some more werewolves, if you look closely! Thanks for sharing, Jim.

Angela Quinton Feb. 20th 2010

“The Wolfman” News Digest, Part 1

With the premiere of “The Wolfman” only days away (remember when it was supposed to come out in 2008?) the web is sprouting Wolfman stories like so many tufts of fur from the collar of Benicio del Toro’s vest. Rather than spamming the site with a new post every time something interesting comes up, I thought I’d collect them all here. Enjoy!

As part of a big press push last week, there were a lot of cast / crew interviews. Dread Central’s got interviews with Benicio Del Toro and Anthony Hopkins, and ShockTillYouDrop.com had a nice chat with director Joe Johnston.
Namco has released a Wolfman side-scrolling game for mobile devices. If you have a supported phone, you can “play through 10 thrilling stages as both Lawrence Talbot and The Wolfman and experience the brute strength and insatiable bloodlust that launched a legacy of horror!” My carrier isn’t supported, so, uh, if it’s good, let me know. It certainly looks cool!
Bloody-Disgusting was one of several horror media web sites to get their paws on a recording of the vaunted Wolfman howl. Effective, and much better (in my opinion) than the shrill American Werewolf in London howl!
Way back in November, Universal released a short “behind the scene” featurette. There are some comments from Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt, and producer Scott Stuber, and some trailer-style footage.
As long as we’re talking about stuff from November, here are two rambling but worthwhile interviews from Ain’t It Cool News: one between Joe Johnston and Harry Knowles and another longer, rambley, spoilerific but fascinating conversation between some of the AICN guys and Rick Baker.
Internet-to-TV providers Boxee have developed a Wolfman app as part of their public beta.
Early reviews are starting to arrive. Here’s one from the New York Observer [warning: spoilers!].
A fifth TV spot has surfaced, but it’s nothing we haven’t already seen: a silhouette of a claw, Del Toro getting dunked in ice water, and Rick Baker’s old-gypsy-guy-getting-killed cameo.

If all of this isn’t enough to keep you busy, stay tuned for more as we get closer to Friday!

Angela Quinton Feb. 9th 2010

Four More Great Photos of Being Human Werewolves George & Nina

These lovely photos of George (edit: and in the white pressure tank George’s girlfriend Nina) are from episode four of Being Human‘s second series. Thanks to @SheenFanSite for bringing them to my attention! It looks like the official Being Human Facebook group is posting stills from each episode as it airs, so expect more photos of these excellent werewolf costumes as they become available.

Angela Quinton Feb. 5th 2010

Del Toro Enjoyed Getting His Wolfman On

Despite having to rely on crew to remove his fangs so he could speak and his claws so he could use his hands, Benicio Del Toro enjoyed his time as a werewolf while on the set of The Wolfman. He recently spoke to The Daily Record about the experience, which involved scaring the hell out of unsuspecting crew and the occasional walk through London at 5 AM while still made up.

For more on The Wolfman‘s makeup and effects, check out last week’s issue of Make-Up Magazine (issue 82), which is dedicated to Rick Baker’s work on the film.

Angela Quinton Jan. 19th 2010

Six Photos of Being Human’s George in Werewolf Form

George fans rejoice! Here are some new photos of your favourite Being Human werewolf, taken from episodes 1 and 4 of Series 2. Click for larger versions.

Angela Quinton Jan. 16th 2010

Fangoria Correspondant Traumatized (Delighted?) By Face-to-Face With Wolfman

For those of you who aren’t already climbing the walls (Underworld Lycan-style) with excitement over the approaching release of The Wolfman, here’s a tidbit from Fangoria’s January 2010 issue (which features on its cover a great new photo of the eponymous beast).

Midway through our chat, the lights go out, plunging the room into total darkness. “Stay calm,” instructs the film’s unit publicist, “it’s just a problem with the fuse.” But something is afoot. Suddenly, there’s movement at a door, and a large shape enters the room. As our eyes become accustomed to the gloom, Fango can make out the silhouette of a 7-foot-plus Wolfman, chowing down on a severed arm. As the lights come back up, this growling, slavering, hirsute beast bounds over and puts his snarling, fanged-filled face within inches of our own. And roars…

I don’t know who I’d rather be– the guy in the makeup or an unsuspecting bystander in the room! Visit Fangoria to read an expanded teaser of the article. Issue 290 of Fangoria hits stores January 19th. Why do I not have a subscription already?

Angela Quinton Dec. 29th 2009

Werewolf Bust by “Being Human” & “Wolfman” Effects Artist Darren Nevin

I just received an email from Darren Nevin. “I recently sculpted & cast a silicone Werewolf display bust”, Darren writes, and he wonders if I might like to share some of the photos with the people who read Werewolf News. Darren, sharing stuff like this is the reason I started Werewolf News in the first place! (more…)

Angela Quinton Nov. 22nd 2009

The Last Werewolves of October

Here’s an assortment of items that have hit my inbox over the course of October, but that I’ve been too busy or distracted to post.

The Yorkshire Post has an interview with Jenny Agutter, who played nurse Alex Price in An American Werewolf in London. She discusses her role in AWIL and talks about how the audience reacted to the initial screening of the film.
The Grosse Pointe Farms Department of Public Works in Michigan is home to a boulder that bears the footprint of Le Loup Garou, the werewolf of Grosse Pointe. Hooray for urban legends!
Here’s a printable 3D werewolf paper craft, in case you’re locked in a room with a colour printer and 15 minutes to kill. I may have crafted one of these for my office desk.
pjstar.com has an interview with Professor Leslie Sconduto, author of “Metamorphoses of the Werewolf: A Literary Study from Antiquity through the Renaissance”. Choice quote: “There’s a werewolf for everyone. Each to its own. One to suit each taste.”
Champions Online is running a game event called “Blood Moon“, wherein the game’s world is overrun with werewolves, vampires and other monstrous creatures. Players can battle (and become) these monsters, and of course there’s a number of werewolf-related items to be had. There’s a free trial available for anyone who wants to try the game out, but it expires at 10 AM Pacific on November 2nd. That’s in, like, 10 hours. Hurry! HURRY!
The BSC Beat has an interview with Mark Chadbourn, author of the recently-released Hellboy novel Hellboy: The Ice Wolves. You can read a preview of The Ice Wolves at the Dark Horse web site.
Scribblenauts is an interesting game that’s just come out for the Nintendo DS. The idea is to solve puzzles by typing in the name of virtually any object you can think of that might help. That object then appears in the game and does its thing, whether it’s a ball, a chainsaw or a platypus. You can probably guess where I’m going with this… yes, you can summon werewolves. Here’s a Youtube video of two garlic and stake-infused werewolves scaring a vampire to death. I want this game just so I can do that, over and over.
Cinematical explains why it’s worth it to replace your DVD copy of An American Werewolf in London with the recently released Full Moon Edition on Blu-ray. Apparently the new bonus content alone is worth the cost! I wish I had a Blu-ray player.
I also wish I had an Xbox 360. The LIVE Marketplace has got werewolf costumes for your Xbox 360 Avatar.

Many thanks to people who submitted these items!

Angela Quinton Nov. 2nd 2009