The Third instalment of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy – The Return of the King – picked up a whopping 11 Academy Awards at the 2004 Oscars. As well as the much coveted “Best Picture” and “Best Director” awards, the film also received Oscars for “Visual Effects” and “Best Makeup”. And if you’ve seen the film, you won’t be surprised! Tolkien’s world of weird and wonderful creatures and locations were brought to the screen with a combination of cutting-edge computer animation, model making and materials.
Have you ever wondered how make up artists create realistic effects?
You might like to …
• investigate what sort of make up is used for special effects; for example, what is used to mimic blood? What materials are used to make cuts and scars, or facial deformities?
• make your own special effects make up; conduct tests to find out if it is durable (will it last for a days’ filming? Think about how the heat from the lights might affect the make up, for example)
• find out about Motion Capture and Motion Tracking; use computer animation to create your own character; try to make a computer ‘sprite’ based on real human movements.