Latex and Cornflakes: Confessions of a Special FX Artist

Interview by David Feltman

An art degree might give you the ability to discuss Monet and Toulouse-Lautrec, and it may give you an affinity for doodling with charcoal, but how often does it offer job security? Art, English, and music majors, any holder of a liberal arts degree for that matter, can tell you that passion doesn’t always translate to employment. Or, at least, it doesn’t always translate in the way one imagined. Sometimes it leads to something unexpected, but just as good.

Hell, just ask Jonathan Thornton of Disturbing Images Effects (or D.I.E. for short). His major in Broadcast Communications has led to a professional career spent elbow deep in liquid rubber. As a special effects wizard, Thornton’s job is a cross-media extravaganza that combines drawing, painting, sculpting, and anatomy, with some light chemistry and carpentry. It’s a job that demands artistic prowess and analytical thought. So to all those frustrated art majors out there with a head full of brush strokes and no outlet, take note.  There’s more than one way to see your name in lights.

How did you get started in this line of work?

Well I have always been a creative individual, even as a child I was always fascinated with monsters and make-up effects.  In elementary school I would do my own make-up for Halloween parties and contests using basic items you could find at the local department stores, trying to imitate the monsters I would see on TV like the Wolfman, or some hideously scarred person, or even the Exorcist!

This continued up through to my high school and college years. While acting in plays I found myself having a knack for being able to create various characters using only pancake make-up. From then on that was my job in drama class. On one assignment we were supposed to create a make-up of a character in history. My class mates would do something like Abe Lincoln (just add a cheap store bought wig and beard and suddenly you’re Abe Lincoln), or Babe Ruth (add a baseball cap….well you get the picture). I couldn’t be satisfied with that, no, no, no…..I had to do something spectacular, something that would challenge me but still be historical. The Elephant Man was a popular movie at the time, so what better historical figure was there?

I set about creating my first prosthetic make-up, not knowing what in the world I was doing. I did a crude sculpt on a wig form, made an even cruder mold, ran some slip cast pieces in basic liquid latex, and there it was. You have to remember this was way before the days of the internet, DVDs, or even video for that matter. Information, at the time, wasn’t all that available. The only information I could find came from magazines like Fangoria or Famous Monsters Of Filmland. It worked…sort of. Got me an A+, and really wasn’t too shabby for my first attempt.

You said you started out teaching yourself before the days of the internet, but are there any online resources you would recommend now? Where do you go to keep up to date with new techniques?

Well, the Internet has plenty of information out there; you just have to look for it. One of the best sites that I frequent often is The Effects Lab. It’s members range anywhere from the beginner to the accomplished, professional make-up effects artist. Even Rick Baker has popped in a time or two to discuss FX work.

Did you have an interest in painting and sculpting before you started doing special FX or was it something you had to develop after the fact?

I have always been artistically inclined. I grew up drawing monsters and death scenes, corpses, and mummies, Frankenstein’s monster, those sorts of things (which made my guidance counselor sit up and take notice quite a few times). I would sculpt, build models of monsters, paint, whatever I could. It was my release.

As I got into the business, I quickly realized how important sculpting and painting realistically was. There always has to be some basis in reality and human anatomy, whether it’s a dead corpse, or an alien from space, or a monster. It has to look believable, meaning that we as humans relate to what we know…muscles move bone and skin. Same applies to fictitious monsters and characters: if it doesn’t look right or if it couldn’t actually function, the audience will pick up on that. Form must always follow function. Never stop sculpting and painting, never stop perfecting your craft.

Was anatomy something you found necessary to study as a part of sculpting, drawing, and painting?

That is basically the first rule of sculpting…ANATOMY. If the anatomy isn’t right the audience will pick up on it, whether they realize it or not. All they will know is that something is off, which will bring attention to the fact that it is an illusion and will blow the “reality” of the illusion. Study books on anatomy (Gray’s Anatomy is a must – and I’m not talking about the show). Books on aging are also good to see how gravity affects skin and the human body in general, how wrinkles flow with the underlying muscle tissue, etc.

There are so many different mediums to deal with: paint, latex, cornflakes…where does one focus first? What advice would you give to someone just starting out?

Be creative but learn the basics, sculpting and painting, drawing. On top of that, and this is a must, perfect your technical skills, such as mold-making (the different ways to make molds, the many different materials to use, what is best for the job), foam running (what are the variables, how does temperature and humidity affect what you are doing), silicone (what are the different types, which one is best for the job, what are the inherent properties of each) and always be prepared. Learn to think on your feet.

What is foam running?

Many appliances today are made of a lightweight material known as foam latex. It has been an industry standard for decades due to the fact that it is light weight, is porous (so it breathes with the skin), and is very soft and pliable yet sturdy.

To make an appliance you must first run a batch (foam running) as it comes in many liquid components. There is the foam latex base, the curing agent, the foaming agent, and the gelling agent. You mix all four components in a mixer bowl, with an electric mixer. The components are added at various times, with the mixer running at different speeds during the process.

The resulting compound is a fluffy, almost whipped cream appearing rubber that you load your molds with. Once the molds are loaded, you put them in a low heat oven for a period of time (the length of time all depends on how big your molds are) and bake them to vulcanize the foam rubber (or cure it) by baking all of the moisture out of the foam latex. When you are done, you remove the molds from the oven, let cool, and de-mold the appliance(s).

You’ve said the FX are normally one of the first things to get cut from a budget during a production, has that sort of constraint ever proved to be beneficial to you from a creative standpoint?

The only benefit that an FX artist can gain in that situation is learning how to be more creative. You have to execute the effect so as to not draw attention as to what it obviously is….a cheap effect. It’s a great learning experience. Also with less money for the production, less people get involved. You don’t have a committee of producers that you have to answer to, therefore freeing you up to be more creative. It allows you to have more artistic freedom, less hoops to jump through.

You’re tasked with doing a lot of scary/gory effects; does it help to be a horror movie fan?

Yes, but it has its drawbacks. When I’m asked to kill someone in a movie, for example, or make a dead body, I try to make it as anatomically correct as possible. But sometimes a producer or director may want something ridiculous, like  50 gallons of blood to pour from a person (which is impossible) and the person live (which is even more preposterous). Or have their head be cut off by one swipe of a machete (Not gonna happen. I don’t care if it is the sharpest machete in the world with a samurai warrior wielding it, it just isn’t gonna happen. It’s physically impossible). But it all looks good on camera, so we have to put aside reality for a while and please the higher ups. After all, in the end it’s just a job. A fun job, but a job. We as artists tend to get too close to our art and sometimes we need to step back and realize that we are craftsmen being paid to do a service no matter how crazy it looks.

What is the creative process for creating a given effect? When a director says “I need to be able to do this now” how do you approach the problem?

Usually, I begin by drawing out basic ideas, getting feedback from the director and whoever else is involved in the decision making, and from there I translate that into numerous sculpts (a basic 3D rendering). Always give them options. Then they will say, “Yes I like this part, but can you change this or add this to that…” Then after I make all of the changes and everything is approved, I commit it to the actual product: whether a sculpt for an appliance, make-up for a character, monster, injury simulation, etc. I try to get them to lock in a decision so that I can begin as soon as possible.

What does an average day at the office look like for you? Are there any typical obstacles you have to face on a daily basis?

The only obstacle I face on a daily basis is that there is not enough time in the day, which results in long days. Interruptions, such as having to run errands, interrupt the creative flow and sometimes it takes a while to get that mindset back on track. Every day is different. Sometimes during the slow periods, I may spend the better part of the day making contacts and drumming up work. This means that I may be on the computer for long stretches of time, or I may be on the phone doing the same thing. Some days I start by answering emails and returning calls. That is on the days that I am not working on a particular project.

If I’m not bogged down with a project, I usually spend the day catching up on old personal projects that I have fallen behind on. At any given time, I have at least three or more sculpts going. Practice all the time. Sometimes I just spend the day practicing painting techniques. Believe me it pays off in the long run. It is time well spent. Some days I spend the time researching new materials and techniques for future projects, or I design and make props, make-ups, masks, and sets for my Halloween show that I do at my house every year. I also make masks and props for haunted attractions, which keeps me busy.  Or I make things to go in my portfolio just to keep it updated. There is always something to do at the shop.

How do CG effects impact your work? Do you find yourself more in competition with it or more so working with/around it?

More so working with it. As a matter of fact there has been so much bad CG in films as of late that a lot of directors are going back to the old school way of doing things, and that is with practical make-up effects.

What is the future of practical FX in film? Do you think there will always be a demand or will technology take it over?

There will always be a need and demand for practical FX. Actors, for one, do a better job when there is actually something there in front of then to react to. Also, CG isn’t cheap. When it is, it’s usually in some bad, made for the SY-FY channel movie.

Of all the projects you’ve worked on, which one were you the most proud of?

That is a tricky one. I like certain aspects of certain films that I have worked on. I like the reptilian alien suit that I made for very little money for the film Interplanetary. There are a number of gags and effects I did for the movie Kill Theory: fireplace poker through the eye, shovel to the head, hand cut off, face pounded by shovel…the chest skinning, creature make-up, and foot slicing from Home Sick. There are so many to choose from. I really had a blast working for all of the productions, but I must say that I really enjoyed my time on Kill Theory. I mean, they put me up in The French Quarter in New Orleans! What’s not to like?

Have you ever had a project that made you dread going into work?

There are a few, but out of respect for the people involved, I will not mention the names of the productions. There were a number of technical problems that plagued these film projects that resulted in certain make-ups and effects not being up to par with the rest of my work. But the people I worked with were just wonderful, great friendships were forged and, despite many things not working right, they were all great learning experiences that taught me humility and how to roll with the punches. Always take something positive from your bad experiences.