Science Fiction Filme) Dear Mister Elizalde. Your life for the film is unique. Who can claim to make themselves immortal by creating many iconic creatures in film history: part of Sil from SPECIES (1995), Yoshi from SUPER MARIO BORS. (1992 and yes, I love this one) or even the world of HELLBOY I and II  (2005/09). Can you briefly tell us a little about your life? Could you please tell us how you got into makeup in general? What did you do before you entered the film industry?

 

M.E.) My fascination with monsters and science fiction began very early- that strange feeling of wonder and connection was among my earliest memories. I never saw movie monsters as scary. They always held me spellbound and as I got older, the methods by which the characters were created became incredibly important to me. Having come from very humble beginnings, I did not have access to materials or education on the proper methods for creating special makeup effects, so I improvised with whatever I could find. Paint from school, flour and water from the kitchen. Even mud! I was a messy kid.

 

SFF.) If this question is too personal, please forgive me. Your family came to the United States when you were four years old. You went to a school in California (Compton as far as I know). Later you went to Orange County and were in the US Navy for almost eight years. How did you end up becoming a make-up expert?

 

M.E.) I joined the Navy in 1979 right out of high school, mostly to escape a bad home life. Even though my true passions were creature and makeup effects, and magic, the Navy offered a way to get out on my own right away. During my second term I began discovering books that described, in detail, the processes for creating makeup effects. I devoured those books and learned the basics while my Navy term was running out. I made a plan to create a few makeup effects and use them to show around Hollywood in hopes of landing my first professional FX gig. I was incredibly fortunate as my plan came to full fruition shortly after I left the service. In 1987, while driving around North Hollywood, where I lived, I happened upon an effects studio. It was John Beuchler’s MMI.

 

I waled in, showed them my pictures, and was hired on the spot. My timing couldn’t have been better- they were bringing a very large crew for a very ambitious sci-fi movie called ARENA (1989).  It was my first job, and I’ve been working in the business now for nearly forty years.

 

SFF.) I have already spoken to some artists from your field. Everyone has their role models or has learnt a lot from books. Unlike today, you had to search a lot to find something about make-up (especially in the film business). What was that like for you? What did you read? Dick Smith? Lee Baygan?

 

M.E.) Yes, both Dick Smith, and Lee Baygan. Baygan’s “Techniques of Three-Dimensional Makeup was my first book. It literally launched my career. Dick Smith was an inspiration to me for many years prior to that though. I was aware of his book “Dick Smith’s Monster Makeup Handbook”, which was first published when I was five-years old, but I could never afford it as a kid, so of course, once I could afford to start building my reference library, it was at the top of my acquisitions list.

 

SFF.) At the beginning of your career, you worked for movies like WATCHERS (1988) or ARENA. What did you take away from that time that influenced your future work?

 

M.E.) Among the strongest impressions that those early experiences made on me was the warmth, receptiveness, and generosity that the artists and technicians working in the community shared. I immediately felt at home on my first job, and made many lasting friendships that I am still fortunate to enjoy today. Steve Wang taught me how to make fabricated textured monster scales out of mattress foam and watching his painting techniques made me a better artist from the beginning. Every time I see Steve now, it is like seeing a dear family member. I love my community for everything they have shared not just with me, but with all who came after me into this amazing industry.

 

SFF.) You were starting your career in the glorious decade of the 80s and 90s. What do you think about that time? Why do people love this period of movies?

 

M.E.) Those were the days! My son Erik and I just had lunch with Tom Holland (director of FRIGHT NIGHT, PSYCHO 2) and we were actually reminiscing about how great those practical effects laden movies of the era were, and still are. There is soul, and artistry and tactile beauty that can’t be simulated with computers. There is something very special about a practical effect- one that was created by human hands, that made those days, as you said, “glorious”.

 

SFF.)  What is your opinion about education to become an expert in make-up? Is there any requirement or talent you need to have next to enthusiasm?

 

M.E.) Well, I can speak from my own experience; I learned my art and trade by working in effects labs. It was a great way to hone the craft by watching experts working on actual film projects. On-the-job training worked out very well for me, but that is just my subjective reality. There are schools that teach the techniques of effects work which I think are valuable. It is the modern version of me learning from Baygan’s book, but the experience of working in an actual effects shop taught me almost every aspect of the work, including sculpting, painting, mold-making, and even animatronic design. It was a sink or swim kind of classroom sometimes and I am grateful for that experience.

 

SFF.) You've done a lot in your career: animatronic designer, mechanical designer, special effects technician, creature effects designer and much more. You have an incredible range of skills. But can you please briefly explain the differences between these four job titles?

 

M.E.) I see them all as part of a whole. I believe that one informs the other. It’s a holistic thing for me. Understanding sculpture makes you a better animatronics designer, and vice-versa. Knowing the plethora of available materials informs the whole process. The more you know and continue to learn throughout your career, the better a proponent of the holistic process you become.

 

SFF.) You have worked with many wonderful experts such as John Buechler, Steve Wang, Steve Johnson, Rick Baker and David Miller. Who have you learnt the most from, or is it impossible to say because everyone is special in their own way?

 

M.E.) I have learned so much from the entire community. It is not possible to single anyone out as being the person from whom I learned the most. The on possible exception to that would be David Miller. He taught me to think on my feet, and threw me into unfamiliar waters right away. His shop was not a “specialty” shop in that the departments were not populated by experts in those areas. If he gave you an assignment, you sculpted it, you molded it, you cast it you painted it, and you animated, and puppeteered it. It was a soup-to-nuts kind of situation.

 

SFF.) After working for many companies, you founded Spectral Motion together with your wife Mary. Was there a particular reason? Did you want to be independent? Do you have more freedom or was it more challenging to gain a foothold in this tough business with your own company?

 

M.E.) During the “model kit” craze in the late 90s, I sculpted and produced a few kits in my garage. Model kits are collectible sculptures that are either original designs or fashioned after famous film characters. They are cast in resin and sold as kits that collectors assemble and paint themselves in the spirit of the Aurora kits of the 60s and 70s. My kits became popular enough that we needed a vehicle to continue producing and selling them, so Spectral Motion was born in 1994 partly for that reason.

 

The other reason is that in the back of our minds, Mary and I always knew that we would one day own our very own effects studio. We always believed firmly in the power of visualization and of attracting what you wish to become manifest. Spectral Motion was the magic carpet that we would later learn to fly.

 

SFF) You have been nominated several times for the Saturn Award and once for the Academy Award. What do you think about awards in general? Are they important? Are they necessary to be recognized outside the make-up community?

 

M.E.) I think awards are nice. It is pleasant to have your work recognized, but I don’t think it should ever really be the objective. It represents an acknowledgement by one’s peers that the work we’ve done deserves merit. In that regard, it can be very gratifying.

 

SFF.) With all due respect to Mr. Greg Cannom. But in 2009 you were nominated for an Oscar for best make-up together with Thomas Floutz for HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY. The award went to Mr. Cannom for BENJAMIN BUTTON. I know that everyone always puts their heart and soul into it, but when you create such a fantastic world as that of HELLBOY, with so much imagination, doesn't it hurt not to have won?

 

M.E.) I sincerely believe that the nomination itself is a win. I know that in our largely binary society that doesn’t always resonate. People want a winner, and by default, the creates “losers”. I think that is pretty harsh, and I don’t see it that way. I was deeply grateful to be among the nominees that year- to have received recognition from the Academy, and also from the Saturn Awards organization. Awards can be funny things.

 

They can be polarizing and they can bring out the best and the worst in people. My focus continues to be on my own team’s excellent and stalwart pursuit of doing the very best work we can achieve. That is the ultimate award for me.  

 

SFF.) How exactly did you go about planning the make-ups? To what extent does the make-up support the individual characters?

 

M.E.) We always rely on source material on projects like HELLBOY. When the source material is not enough, we engage design mode and start doing drawings. Sometimes the  production company provides artwork which we adapt to a practical application.

 

SFF.) Did your background in the Navy help you in the mechanical field?

 

M.E.) Only in the sense that I learned to respect schedules and responsibility. The Navy taught me to adopt a sound work ethic.

 

SFF.) What is the difference between working on films for cinema and television?

 

M.E.) There’s not that much difference on the fabrication side, but obviously on a film the shooting schedule is finite. On TV productions, we never know if we’ll do one season, or twenty.

 

SFF.) One of my absolute favorite series is TALES FROM THE CRYPT, on which you worked on two episodes. Which were they and what did you do there?

 

M.E.) I worked on three episodes that I remember: THE RELUCTANT VAMPIRE, with Malcolm McDowell, STRUNG ALONG with Donald O’Connor, and DEAD WAIT starring Whoopie Goldberg. I made a set of extending fangs for Malcolm on the vampire episode. It was the first time I made prosthetic teeth professionally, and the added challenge of making the fangs extend on camera was fun, and a little scary. Kevin Yagher put a lot of trust in me and I did not want to let him down.

 

When I got to the set, I gave the teeth to Malcolm to try out. He inserted them onto his teeth and actuated the growing fang feature by pushing a small lever with his tongue. It worked perfectly and that made my day. He was a lovely, kind man. In fact, everyone on the show was awesome! Donald O’Conner was particularly gregarious and sweet.

 

For Donald’s episode, I made an animatronic marionette that could move its head and stab with a knife. One late night while Working at Kevin’s, I had the puppet propped up while I was machining some parts across the room. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the thing MOVE! As I turned to look at it scared out of my mind, I realized it was tipping over and was about to go crashing to the ground with all of the delicate mechanisms I hade created and installed. I ran as fast as I could and did a perfect horizontal Superman dive to catch it just before it hit the deck! Disaster averted!

 

For the Whoopi Goldberg episode I made and animatronic rooster that thrashes about. All fun projects, and all enormously valuable learning experiences. Those were fun and exciting early days of my career.

 

SFF.) How was the work compared to STRANGER THINGS apart from the fact that the budget was bigger?

 

M.E.) Well, the difference is huge when you are a designer working for a shop owner, and when you are the boss. The end result is the same as we all share the goal of delivering excellent work to help the narrative of the project we’re working on.

 

SFF) Your Portfolio is a wonderful compilation of fantastic work. Do you have some favorite works of yours and is there a project that, unfortunately, never came to fruition, even though you had already designed a lot for it?

 

M.E.) I have reasons to love every project I’ve worked on so trying to pick a favorite is like trying to decide which of your kids is your favorite- not possible for me. But, of course, HELLBOY is the project that launched Spectral Motion on its maiden voyage, so I have a special place in my heart for that project in particular, and for Guillermo del Toro, who facilitated the creation of our company. Speaking of Guillermo, the one project that I lament to this day that did not happen (yet!) is AT THE MOUNTAIN OF MADNESS based on H.P. Lovecraft’s short story. We did a ton of development work with Guillermo on that project, and it looked like it was at the precipice of being green-lit. At the last moment, the project did not move forward. It was devastating.

 

SFF.) Instead of being in the fantastic realm, how do you create "human" make-up like scars or injuries.  To what extent is the difficulty with such make-up? What are the one or more challenges at such shows?

 

M.E.) Well, we read lot of creepy books that have pictures of injuries and diseases in them. It is necessary research and that is typically how we reference those types of effects. Interestingly enough, we sometimes make adjustments because the real versions are so difficult to visually and mentally process, that they actually look fake. I would say that these types of effects pose the lowest challenge due to the fact that the techniques frequently used are tried and true, so we are not reinventing something that already works exceptionally well.

 

SFF.) For example, if you need to prepare to show aging processes of a character, how do you go about it?

 

M.E.) This usually starts with a picture of the actor and a thorough knowledge of Photoshop. We do gradual aging this way. Sometimes we’ll use a 3D scan of the actor and create the looks three-dimensionally. This has become the standard these days.

 

SFF.) Is there any work you are particularly proud of or any that you would do better with today's opportunities and if so which and why?

 

M.E.) I can honestly say that I am proud of the entire body of work that I created as an artist working in other studios, and of the work that my team at Spectral Motion has brought to life over the years. We don’t play “favorites” at good ol’ Spectral!

 

SFF) CGI nowadays could be a curse or a blessing. What do you think about it comparing to “old school”- films back in the days? Does it make the progress easier?

 

M.E.) You know, it’s a tool. Every tool has its purpose. I think we’ve beaten this dead horse to a pulp, but I do love the look of old school practical effects. I think we covered that earlier in the interview.

 

SFF) If we look back to the movies you have done, we see that you did a lot of genre-movies. I am really into science fiction (or fantasymovies in general) because I think, that those kind of movies are the best way to show actual political and social events. For example, SOYLENT GREEN or SILENT RUNNING. Do you believe that these genres can transfer something to the people?

 

M.E.) Of course. I believe that one of the principal effects of art in general is that is evocative in some way. We use art to create a narrative that is perhaps not as obvious on first viewing. Art speaks to us on a different level and imparts subconscious messages that may come to us later, even if we can’t readily identify the source of the discovered knowledge. Film is a great medium to make statements about social and cultural issues. Sometime quite obviously, and sometimes not so much “on the nose”.

 

SFF.) Do you take some (personal) fears into your make-up? Where did you take your inspiration from for any design of yours?

 

M.E.) No, not fears. It was all driven by excitement and passion. I LOVED monsters and ghosts and ghoulies as a kid. I still do as an overgrown kid.

 

SFF.) Imagine you meet an extraterrestrial one day. He wants to know why you were stuck into movies with just one movie to explain, which will it be and why?

 

M.E.) FRANKENSTEIN, James Whale 1931. This movie taught me empathy for the misunderstood in the world. It told me about the randomness of existence and the importance of making the choices of compassion and love, over judgement, rancor, and hate. This is the film that taught me that a person’s appearance could be altered to tell a powerful story, and that is where the fascination for makeup effects was born in me. I would then ask the alien: “THAT’S what you came all this way to ask me??”

 

SFF.) I held up with one of the most important question to the end: What was the most difficult effect you were working on and why?

 

M.E.) Hmmm, well- I don’t really recall the most difficult effect we ever created, there have been many tremendous challenges. Sometimes I think that the most challenging thing sometimes can be changing minds to adopt the most effective approach, not only in the realm of what we create professionally, but also in life in general. I’m happy to say that I have seen many minds changed by a story, which becomes a personal experience for a viewer.

 

The internal narrative is challenged in a compelling way that makes us question whether our subjective truth is truly the objective truth. With the element of special effects within the context of a story, the effects themselves can be the tipping point for shifting that perspective. If our work has in any way swayed the ideas of someone to become more understanding, more connected, or has evoked some emotional response that has helped them somehow, then all of it has been so much more than just “worth it”.

 

SFF.) Dear Mister Elizalde.  I thank you immensely for taking time doing this interview and wish you all the best for your future movie making.