How to Make a Melting Face Visual Effect on a Budget
If you are in your early thirties, you remember the amazement and wonderment of going to the movies to see Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. The film centered around the Ark of the Covenant--a mystical box that contained the original 10 Commandments and thusly great power. At the end of the movie there was a special effect deemed "the face melt," an extremely cool effect that seems like it cost a fortune to make. This article will show you how you can achieve the same effect on a rather low budget.
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Things You'll Need
- Fake Life-Size Skull
- Hair Dryer or Heat Gun
- Mannequin Body
- 2.5-lb.Block of AMACO Flexwax
- White Crayons
- Red Crayons
- Flesh Tone Crayons
- Markers
- Play Dough
- 2 White Gumballs
- Double Broiler
- Large Painters Brush
- Scissors
- Oval Plastic Change Purse
- Crepe Hair
- Makeup
Instructions
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1
Using your play dough, fill in the temple, eye sockets and jaw with a very thin layer.
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2
Fill your double boiler with water, bring to just steaming and add your second pot. Put your flexwax into the pot and allow to melt (see Resources below). Add a chunk of flexwax with your red crayon to tint your flexwax.
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3
Building your face by painting on layers of red tinted flexwax once it has melted.
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4
Build up the underside of the skull around the jaw and cheeks.
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5
Create a tongue by putting wax inside the change purse and once dry remove.
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6
When the layers have become flush with the eye socket add your gumballs inside the socket.
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7
Melt more flexwax in your double boiler with white crayons. Paint on the white tinted flexwax as you did with the red until the depth of the eye ball is like your real eye.
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8
Smooth out the wax as best you can to get an even look and begin sculpting out the ears and nose.
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9
Melt clear flexwax and make definitions to your face by kneading the clear flexwax to make brow ridges and lips.
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10
Melt flexwax with flesh tone crayons and begin painting on your flesh tone to your skull when you are happy with your final shape of your skull.
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11
Add makeup and crepe hair to your skull to make it look realistic including drawing in eye ball detail.
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12
Place your head onto the mannequin body and use your heat gun or hair dryer to melt the wax on the face.
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Tips & Warnings
Go slow. Rushing only causes you to make mistakes.
Use green screen to film your face melting and speed up the frames in post production.
If your skull has missing teeth use plumbers epoxy to replace them.
When working with any hot substance always observe proper handling.
