After conducting research in to my first three genre options (fantasy, horror and high fashion) I came to the conclusion that a theme under the horror genre would be best sited for my intentions of this assessment. I had previously decided I would like to use this assessment to showcase some of the SFX skills I have learnt through this unit, as well as bald cap application, and feel this genre allows me to create the best potential design. I chose to work with the theme The un-dead, initially creating face plans for three characters ; a demon, a vampire, and a zombie. Below I have attached images of each initial design, explaining and evaluated each.
Demon
As previously described above, when thinking of the horror theme, my initial thought goes to the un-dead. Therefore, for my initial design for under this genre I created a demon character. For this look I would firstly create a pale red base, stripping away any natural human appearance. Next, I would use intricate detailing to create bold lines of contour across the face, and above the eyebrows to create a menacing look. I would create a blocky, back smokey eye and lip to really help build the evil connotations of this character. Finally, I would use scar wax to create an inverted cross on the forehead, adding blood in to this wound, around the eyes, nose, mouth and neck. Although this design represents this genre well, I would like to push myself further by creating a design that represents this theme yet is slightly out of the norm.
Vampire
Next, I created a vampire inspired makeup design. For this look, I would firstly use a white foundation to strip the skin of it’s natural rosy color. Next, I would combine a grey and light red shade to contour the face, adding depth and dimension. Unlike the usual beauty make-ups, I would not blend this contour out, I would leave it bold and defined to help emphasize the menacing intentions of this character. Then, I would apply soft putty on the neck to create a vampire bite. Finally, I would add blood to the wound as well as around the mouth, nose, and under the eyes. I believe this design would look really effective as a bald cap makeup, however I still feel my options to incorporate further SFX techniques are more limited.
Zombie
For my initial zombie face plan, I created a typical, green, blood covered creature. For this design I would firstly create a green base, using darker greens and greys to create the illusion of sunken cheekbones and eye sockets. Next, I would apply a prosthetic laceration across the face, as well as blood, bruising and scars. Finally, to show the cannibalistic nature of the character I would add blood around the mouth. Out of all my designs, I feel creating a zombie character is the perfect opportunity for me to showcase the skills I have learned throughout this unit, as there are endless possibilities of specialist effects I may add in to my design. Furthermore, I feel I have achieved my goal of creating a character that is slightly out of the norm as I believe not many people immediately think of zombies when they think of the horror genre, as they unusually picture ghosts, ghouls and demons.
Megan Hoff 