I just wanted to take a moment to wish everyone here, a belated “Happy Halloween”, and share a picture or two of the outfit my lovely wife, Erin Haggerty, wore to work for the day!
This year, instead of a zombie or some other generic subject, Erin decided to go as a specific character. For those of you under 25 who might not recognize it, she is portraying a nurse from the classic “Twilight Zone” episode, “Eye of the Beholder”. Here is a clip from the episode featuring the make-ups.
Erin had been wanting to do this for the past two years. We talked about it on and off, but never really decided to pull the trigger on it. That was until we were passing by a second hand shop in September and found the perfect Nurse’s outfit. Now the pressure was on. To make matters worse, Erin’s boss had high expectations as well. Time to get to work!
Working for Don Post Studios for the past several years, there has been no call for me to create appliance make-ups. Erin’s make-ups for the previous Halloween seasons were accomplished using generic store bought appliances and materials. I decided it was time to suck it up and get back to my Make-up Effects roots.
I bought Ultracal-30.
I bought a kit of Foam Latex.
I bought clay!
I bought a FOAM OVEN!
Long story short, it was great to get back “into harness”. I had almost forgotten how much I enjoyed the art of doing make-ups like this. It was also interesting re-learning some of the technical steps of the process. In the end, there were some rough spots. Still, for not having done a real make-up in some years, I am actually quite happy with the result.
It also worked out well for Erin too. During her many years at NBC/Universal Studios, Erin was one of the very few people who did anything for Halloween. So, there wasn’t a whole lot of competition. This year, however, she went to work for the “G4” Television Network. They share a building with both the “Style” and “E-Entertainment” networks. These three companies take Halloween VERY seriously. Lots of folks dress up. There is a pumpkin carving exhibition and, of course, a costume contest. With big prizes at stake and the whole building watching, I am proud to say I helped Erin tie for third place. I was given to understand competition was fierce. Both “E” and “Style” who usually sweep the awards, had some heavy hitters. Erin held her own though. I am very satisfied. Next year, we go for FIRST!
Must start planning now…
So, how was YOUR Halloween?
