Yearly Archives: 2018
The Dumping Ground
The Dumping Ground
The BAFTA award winning CBBC series the Dumping Ground has been going for several years as a follow up show to the incredibly successful Tracy Beaker program. I have been asked over the course of three series to provide a variety of action props from the realistic to the bizarre. Props include a controllable robovac, a marble run to papier mache frogs! Below are some images of action props made for the show.
Latex/polystyrene rocks made for ‘Alice in Wonderland’ Christmas special.
Sand sculpture, one of four identical sculptures used.
Safe and ‘safe cracker’. I fitted the safe with electronic lights and built the ‘safe cracker’ to look like one of the children had designed it with the ability to manipulate the dial and crack the code displayed on an electronic screen.
Miniature background locusts to pin onto cast members.
Wolf Blood
Wolfblood
Wolfblood is into its 4th series, currently airing on CBBC. I have been fortunate to have been involved in this series since it began. The first series I was involved with creating fog effects for the special effects department and also helping the makeup department with their transformations makeups that were scaled down to claws, wolf teeth and eyes. My role was to take finger casts of our actors and under the direction of makeup designer Michael Birtley, whom I had previously worked with on Ghost Street, I assisted in building the false nails/claws to be worn by our young cast.
More recently it has been the art department who have called upon my skills to create various action props and set pieces to be used during filming.
Latex rocks for a cave in sequence.
Fracking model for school display.
Engraved ‘Wolfblood’ goblet.
Segolia laser pens, first generation.
WHY HIDE?
Why Hide is an exciting new horror comedy from talented young film makers, Director James Cook and Karen Taylor.
I came on board to create some scary finger extensions for the ‘demon’ character. Due to the tight time constraints my role expanded to take on the makeup effect duties to create one of the haunted visions, a character called Kwaku Anansi.
James sent me across some concept art and mood boards that were invaluable to help me create this wonderful creature!
I began by doing my own drawings to make the earlier concept art work as a makeup. I also created the articulated finger extensions and will post videos of the hands in the near future.
Concept design sketch drawn by M Danbury
Mould Making
Various moulds and lifecast
The mask
Performer Jez Hunt getting into make up
Finished Character with articulated fingers just requiring a few finishing touches.
Bruce Forsyth study
I decided to do some sculpting practice, what better than portrait sculpture.
So I printed off some reference photo’s of genius entertainer Sir Bruce Forsyth. The sculpture has been moulded and I hope to cast out the finished head in the near future.
FX FREELANCING
FX FREELANCING:
I’ve spent the last couple of years busy freelancing for the Rowley workshop. They are a Leeds based SFX company who are currently working providing practical special effects for a whole host of television drama and feature films that include Peaky Blinders, Dads Army movie and Jonathon Strange meet Mr Norrel.
Recently we have completed providing special effects elements for ITV’s recent fantasy drama BEOWULF!
Some pictures of the extraordinary set are below:
Horror from the mind of Paul Gerrard
I have been collaborating again with visionary artist Paul Gerrard. Below are some images of a dark twisted demon.
Paul Gerrard is an incredible artist known primarily as a concept artist for film, television and the computer games industries. Check out his website at www.gerrardart.com to see his fantastic work.
This project is in development and is a more traditional horror with a terrible body shock twist. Below are a few pictures of a prototype demon creature that I made for the proof of concept.
Concept art by Paul Gerrard used to base makeup design on.
The finished prosthetic makeup on set.
Work in progress shots, helped by makeup assistant Claire Golding.
