58
votes
Accepted
How do they make tattoos in movies?
They're actually just glorified 'lick & stick' - thin 'not quite plastic' decals adhered to paper backings, which are wetted with a mixture of water and alcohol and applied to the skin.
I imagine ...
- 45k
27
votes
Accepted
Did Kevin Spacey use to look...different?
Kevin Spacey had a cyst that was removed after it grew to painful proportions. This is outlined in the book by Robin Tamblyn, "Looking Closer" which is a biography of him.
Here is the quote from the ...
- 8,654
21
votes
Accepted
How are Star Trek medical devices attached to the neck?
Double-sided tape, already applied to the face of the prop, sticks to the actor long enough to get the shot; then if they need more resilience for subsequent shots, props/make-up can stick it more ...
- 45k
20
votes
How do they make tattoos in movies?
Tattoos are a key plot element of the NBC series Blindspot.
The application process takes anywhere from 45 minutes (for just the hands and neck) to multiple1 hours (and three artists) for the full-...
- 2,156
19
votes
Total Recall (1990) nail color change effect
CGI was actually fairly common practice by the 1990s, a watershed period for digital visual effects. Most prominently rendered in wireframe in the 1970s (Star Wars IV, 1977; Superman, 1978), by the ...
- 1,909
15
votes
Accepted
Total Recall (1990) nail color change effect
According to Den Of Geek - Top SFX shots:
The nails are rotoscoped to provide an area for an animated colour transition to take place, and that's all there is to it.
Rotoscoping
refers to the ...
- 49.9k
14
votes
Accepted
How did they film Patsey being whipped?
(Not saying this is how it was really done - my background is in stage, not screen).
There are three effects going on there - the spray of blood from the whip, the (very brief) scene where you see ...
- 206
10
votes
Accepted
How are Michonnes Zombies made?
Extensive CGI isn't necessary. For the arms, it's simple enough to have them wear green/blue socks.
Here is a picture of Lt. Dan from Forrest Gump:
Basically, they shoot this scene twice, once with ...
- 1,832
9
votes
Total Recall (1990) nail color change effect
I couldn't tell you the exact technique they would have used, but I assume they just had an effect artist colour it in post-production.
For the record, CGI was being used in film to varying degrees ...
- 1,102
9
votes
Accepted
How was the three-breast effect done for the prostitute?
It was a large chest plate
An interview with Lycia Naff describes the process:
All three mammary glands are fake. In fact, the prosthetic is a large chest plate that starts at the neck and goes down ...
- 5,837
9
votes
Accepted
Did male actors in post-war black and white films wear green make-up?
Was this purely a television phenomenon
Apparently, yes.
This was due to the way lower resolution of TV cameras compared to movie film...
Commercial television came to America during the 1940s ...
- 129k
8
votes
Accepted
What is the most time-consuming makeup to apply to a single actor in film or television?
TL;DR
According to Guinness, the record is 20 hours for the temporary tattoos on Rod Steiger's entire body in the film The Illustrated Man, but there are many honorable mentions that came close.
...
- 99k
8
votes
Accepted
Was he wearing a nose prosthetic in Multiverse of Madness?
If the image on the right is accurate [I haven't seen the movie yet to know if this is a true screengrab from Dr Strange] then I'd say no.
I've always thought he has a rather 'intriguing' nose shape ...
- 45k
7
votes
Accepted
How did they do the Andorians' skin effects in Star Trek: Enterprise?
All practical effects. The actor's skin was layered with blue latex paint. Dried Latex, unlike powdered or liquid based makeup will not smudge or run with sweat. Latex paint dries into a flexible ...
- 67k
7
votes
Accepted
What was used to create the metal effect makeup in the Terminator robots?
Usually for something like this, they use Silicone appliances, that are painted.
(Rarely) hard plastic pieces, that are placed on an actors body, are used.
Some ways to get that chrome looks are:
...
- 1,257
7
votes
Accepted
How do they accomplish the "zombie walking with a broken ankle" effect?
The easiest way to achieve that is to use an amputee. And yes, zombie-type movies use a lot of amputees as extras. It's just easier and cheaper than green-screening something like that. Attach a ...
- 57.4k
6
votes
What are Walker guts made of?
It's usually a combination of liquid latex, fake blood and some other materials. Special Effects guru Tom Savini once used real pig intestines, but apparently the stench was so offensive he had to re-...
- 57.4k
5
votes
How did they create The Shadow's disguise?
I'm not sure how capable or widely used CGI was for such stuff back then.
Here is a compiled list of movies around and before 90s' using FX and CGI.
This list does not have The Shadow so definitely ...
- 11.1k
5
votes
Accepted
How was the dwarf character in Apporva sagothargal Appu depicted?
A number of techniques were involved for the portrayal of a normal man as a dwarf on the screen. For some shots the actor folded hi legs from feet to knees. For some static scenes his legs were hidden ...
- 22.1k
5
votes
How do they make tattoos in movies?
The trivia section of IMDB's entry for Cape Fear states that for his role in that movie Robert De Niro was tattooed with vegetable dyes, which fade after a few months.
- 961
4
votes
Who is driving Thomas Jane's hair and wardrobe on the Expanse?
My guess is that Jane himself is driving his character's look, possibly as a fan of the artists I mentioned, facilitated by wardrobe and makeup people with an appreciation of that aesthetic.
As far ...
- 25.3k
4
votes
What did they do to David Schwimmer to simulate the tan?
Most probably makeup, for how to achieve it refer, Wikihow :
There are plenty of makeup tricks to give you the gorgeous tan you've been looking for, many of which are easy to do. Using makeup is ...
- 71
3
votes
What is the most time-consuming makeup to apply to a single actor in film or television?
Robocop
8+ hours every day for a month, ~230 hours.
"It was so intense, that experience, of putting on that suit—particularly doing the face, which took six and a half hours," Weller said. &...
- 1,955
3
votes
What is the most time-consuming makeup to apply to a single actor in film or television?
Rebecca Romijn as Mystique - Nine Hours (X-Men Movies)
In an interview with Fox News Rebecca Romijn says:
"Not that Jennifer Lawrence didn't do a great job, she's phenomenal. I love sharing that ...
- 4,937
3
votes
How do they make bloodshot eyes in movies?
Sclera contact lenses are contact lenses used for full eye effects. They are significantly larger than standard contact lenses which tend to be the size of the average iris. They are used for any ...
- 67k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible