INTO THE FX SHOP:
By DR. GOREHOUND
Interview: fx artist - tERESA fAHS / gORIFY
- 05.15.09
kay today the Doctor Gorehound will interview a lovley lady in the make up FX industry named Teresa Fahs and is the owner of www.gorify.com that makes impressive looking zombies and sells some of the best make up FX kits and props.
Dr. Gorehound: WHEN DID YOU FIRST GET INTO THE MAKE UP FX INDUSTRY AND WHAT FASCINATES YOU THE MOST ABOUT IT?
Teresa Fahs: I started figure sculpting in 2001 and soon began building strange props for theater productions in Wilmington, DE. Yes Delaware, and strange props like a human head pies and severed limbs. I have always found human anatomy fascinating, but never had the stomach for medicine. To this day, I am still amazed at all the wonderful new sculpting and mold making materials on the market. I was intimidated by silicone at first, but I LOVE it now. Product and film technology develops so fast, I am constantly learning new things. My world is always expanding.
Dr. Gorehound: HOW DID YOU COME TO CREATE YOUR MAKE UP FX COMPANY GORIFY.COM
Teresa Fahs: Gorify.com started as a side service for no-budget indie and student filmmakers that wanted great looking zombies but didn't have the money to hire an SFX artist. I realized that I was answering the same questions over and over to people all over the world. I also realized that no one was selling the right color liquid latex for an FX death pallet, the colors are too intense and bright. So I starting mixing latex for people and posting answers on-line on gorify.com, the store followed shortly after.
Dr. Gorehound: WHAT TYPES OF MAKE UP FX KITS AND PROSTHETIC APPLIANCES DOES YOUR COMPANY GORIFY OFFER CLIENTS TO USE FOR THEIR FILMS OR FOR HALLOWEEN?
Teresa Fahs: Our bread and butter is The Complete Zombie makeup kit and we developed The Exposed Brain makeup kit for those who want more of a challenge. We also developed The Clown Silicone Scar Kit and The Half Burned makeup kit to satisfy client requests. We have a lot of professional impersonators that come to us with custom requests, especially here in Vegas.
Dr. Gorehound: WHATS THE BEST SELLING MAKE UP FX KIT ON GORIFY.COM
Teresa Fahs: That depends on the time of year. Last Halloween “The Clown” was the best selling kit. All year round The Complete Zombie Kit and our Zombie Latex are our best sellers.
Dr. Gorehound: HAVE YOU DONE FX FOR ANY FILMS OR SHORT FILMS?
Teresa Fahs: Yes, several, well at least I'm listed on IMDB. LOL. I normally do films during the Gorify.com off season (December-May). Strangely enough, I have done mostly cop drama and war documentaries. I guess that's a compliment to my realism. Many of the documentary & education films I have done don't make it onto IMDB. I did a lot of shorts last year, all sci-fi and horror.
Dr. Gorehound: HOW DO YOU CREATE THOSE IMPRESSIVE LOOKING ZOMBIES ON GORIFY.COM
Teresa Fahs: The secret is layering the right color of liquid latex with theatrical cream makeup. It also helps to be sloppy, you know, more organic and not symmetrically precise. I'm always impressed at how great our clients look. I love it when they send pictures of themselves as zombies.
Dr. Gorehound: YOU OFFER STEPS IN CREATING YOUR OWN ZOMBIE OR SCARS/CUTS OR WOUNDS FOR FANS TO CREATE ON THE SITE. WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO DO THIS?
Teresa Fahs: I realized that some SFX artists may not appreciate me giving away the secrets to our magic tricks, but the demand for quality FX makeup is so high. Many horror fans have been going crazy at Halloween and really want to take their creations to the next level. More and more people are making their own films on a shoestring budget. And I have a special place in my heart for zombie walkers. All these people want to look great and all they need is a few inexpensive products and a little knowledge on how to use them. I take a lot of things I do for film projects and adapt them for the do-it-yourself SFX artist. If they love it, we turn it into a kit for others. We are committed to education and intend to keep providing free information to those who want it.
Dr. Gorehound: HOW WAS IT LIKE WORKING WITH HORROR MODEL CARILYNN CARNAGE SINCE YOU MADE HER INTO A BURNT ZOMBIE CREATURE?
Teresa Fahs: Carilynn is so much fun to work with, and she is a great friend. We met at Monster Bash in Atlanta over a year ago. The first time I did her zombie makeup we were sitting in a hot drive-in parking lot during a Georgia summer afternoon. Naturally, we drew an audience. The second time I did her zombie makeup, I spent more time showing her some special techniques, and battling power outages from severe storms. We accidentally splattered blood all over the side of her house and shot her photos outside between thunderstorms. She loves bloody messes and just has a blast in front of the camera. I know she has used our products to do her own zombie makeup for events and films. I am so happy to be in Las Vegas now, but I sincerely miss Carilynn.
Dr. Gorehound: IS THERE ANY FX MASTER YOU ADMIRE AND RESPECT THAT MADE YOU WANT TO PURSUE MAKE UP FX??
Teresa Fahs: Stan Winston had an amazing impact on me. I'm so sad that he's gone and that I never had the chance to meet him. I don't know what I can say about Stan that hasn't already been said, except that his films changed me as a person.
Dr. Gorehound: HOW DID YOU CREATE THE DARK KIGHT "JOKER" AND TWO/FACE REPLICA FX? DID YOU LIKE THE MOVIE VERSION'S EFFECTS?
Teresa Fahs: “The Clown” makeup evolved a lot over the last year. I've sculpted those scars so many times that I have lost count. We started out selling latex slip cast scars with prosaide at Halloween. We retired the product in December figuring the demand had past. We were wrong. Impersonators, some who turned pro after being offered jobs while wearing our makeup, wanted silicone scars so they could really go crazy with lip smacking expressions and prop knives. Several wanted the same application process that was used in TDK. I spent 6 weeks developing the process. Now we sell the flexi-molds and rigid molds depending on what clients want. They all want molds because they go through scars like there's no tomorrow and need to make their own.
Teresa Fahs: The Half Burned Face Kit is the result of a challenge from a Fangoria staff member that was disappointed with the CGI Two Face in TDK and wanted to see what my interpretation would have been. Many people really appreciate realism in their gore. I know I do. I remember the night after I saw TDK for the first time, I dreamed about Two Face. In my dream, I deconstructed his CGI image and rebuilt it my way. I knew if he had as much muscle damage as the film showed, that he'd have no eyeball left. It would have been burned out. And while I appreciated the perfect choreography of the anamatronic FX artist in TDK, my brain couldn't accept the fact that Two Face's eye moved so easily with no optic muscles. I study a lot of real trauma and autopsy photos. The Half Burned Face Kit, as you see it on gorify.com is the solution that I came up for a less severely burned face. I have another vision for film that would involve a green screen eyepatch and more advanced gore, but it doesn't work for live action role play.
Dr. Gorehound: WHATS YOUR FAVORITE HORROR MOVIE?
Teresa Fahs: Nightmare on Elm Street. Freddy Krueger is one scary bastard.
Dr. Gorehound: WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE HORROR DIRECTOR?
Teresa Fahs: Wes Craven.
Dr. Gorehound: WAS THERE A DIFFICULT MAKE FX THAT WAS SO HARD TO PULL OFF CORRECTLY THAT YOU HAD TO DO IT OVER MORE THEN ONCE?
Teresa Fahs: Yes, converting “The Clown” from latex to silicone took many attempts. That's the blessing & curse of being self taught-- I really do learn more from my failures.
Dr. Gorehound: HOW DID YOU CREATE THE LIMITED EDITION LIFE-SIZED HEART AND CONJOINED BABY TWIN FOR GORIFY.COM?
Teresa Fahs: Both those items were are original sculptures. Once, I'm satisfies with the piece, I make a mold and paint silicone skin into the mold. That's a tricky process because I'm painting backwards. What I mean is that the image is in its negative in the mold, so I have to image the positive result. Then unlike regular painting, I have to paint from the outermost area first and mover toward the background. Once the silicone “skin” has set, I put the two-part mold together and pour a two-part flexible foam into the mold. Once the foam sets, I pop the piece out, trim the seam, and do any touch up painting that's necessary.
Dr. Gorehound: WOULD YOU LIKE TO DIRECT A DREAM PROJECT HORROR MOVIE AND ALSO DO THE FX FOR IT?
Teresa Fahs: I did a short a few weeks ago as the Art Director and really loved it. I get so excited about creating the “look” of a film, and I love working with writer/directors. Many times, I'm asked to help write kill scenes. After Halloween this year, I hope to produce my first feature, a horror of course. I used to think I'd give my left leg to do SFX makeup for World War Z, which is still in pre-production, but now I'm more interested in my own horror projects. I bet in a few years I'll be dying to direct.
Dr. Gorehound: FAVORITE SCREAM QUEEN?
Teresa Fahs: Rachel Grubb worked with her in April when she was in Vegas for a con appearance and would love to do more with her.
Dr. Gorehound: WHATS THE LAST BEST ZOMBIE MOVIE YOU SAW WITH IMPRESSIVE GORY KILLS?
Teresa Fahs: Zack Snyder's Dawn of the Dead. Every kill is fantastic. I LOVE the chainsaw kill and keep looking for a project where I could build a similar rig. Just awesome.
Dr. Gorehound: WHAT SPECIAL FX DID YOU HANDLE IN THE UPCOMING HORROR MOVIE DIRTY MARTINI?
Teresa Fahs: I wouldn't call Dirty Martini a horror movie. It's more of a crime drama. I did all of the special fx in the movie and really enjoyed working with director, James Carver III. The film has the normal fist fight scraps & bruises, bullet holes, bashing, rope burns and so on. The opening scene happens in an abandoned warehouse where a federal agent has been beaten and interrogated for several days. I did a split ear, cracked forehead and lots of blood & bruising. Later in the film another federal agent meets a similar fate, and I got to split his face open across his nose. The character had been hit with a crowbar, so I blackened both his eyes, broke his nose, and gave him a big open facial gash. Both actors loved the makeup and really played it well.
Dr. Gorehound: ANY UPCOMING PROJECTS YOUD LIKE TO TALK ABOUT?
Teresa Fahs: I am talking with two writers about horror concepts that are currently in development. I am co-writing one script now. I hope to co-produce at least one of these projects with Polly Staffle Films and start filming in December.
Dr. Gorehound: ANY LAST WORDS FOR THE READERS OF HORRORNEWS.NET?
Teresa Fahs: Look for “The Machine” Makeup Kit coming to gorify.com in June 2009.
Dr. Gorehound: THANKS FOR SPENDING THIS GORY TIME WITH ME TERESA! :)
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