For 20 minutes, skater Elli Müller Osborne must sit still. The entire head and neck are covered with silicone and then plaster. Specialist in practical make-up, Jim Udenberg, has been given the task of creating the tangible werewolf make-up for the “Viking floor”. When the baffle has dried, Udenberg splits it in two at the ear with a small saw. First he peels off the plaster from the back of the head and then the face. – Eye, ear, and everything except the nostrils were covered for what felt like a very long time. I got a bit of a headache, says Müller Osborne. MECHANICAL: Special effects supervisor Rick Marr designed and built the mechanical parts of the wolf’s head.news / JAVIER ERNESTO AURIS CHAVEZ She plays what is probably Norway’s first werewolf, in the premiere-ready “Viking wolf”. For Jim Udenberg, this was his dream job. – When I was asked about working with “The Viking Floor”, I just thought: “Wow!” Should I be allowed to make a werewolf? It’s on the bucket list of pretty much everyone who works in my industry. Defying the digital revolution After the plastering of Müller Osborne’s face has been taken, there is a lot of work in several stages before the werewolf is ready for filming. Digital effects have largely taken over for rubber monsters on film. In recent decades, fewer and fewer people use practical make-up, and there are no longer as many as Udenberg, who are still active in this profession. But orders still come to his garage in Lier, both from Norwegian and international films, for real rubber trolls and werewolves. He recently sent off guard practical effects for the upcoming Avengers film “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania”, with, among others, Paul Rudd and Michelle Pfeiffer in the roles. NIFS GJENG: A collection of rubber prostheses from a long career is on display in Jim Udenberg’s garage. Photo: Javier Ernesto Auris Chavez / news – There are definitely fewer such jobs in the industry today. I should have done this in the practical effects’ heyday. Udenberg is referring to the 1970s and 80s, when practical film effects dominated in films such as “Planet of the Apes” and “Star Wars”. The big upheaval came in 1993, the same year Udenberg sat at school in his home state of Minnesota in the USA to train as a special effects makeup artist. Steven Spielberg’s “Jurassic Park”, which premiered that year, was a revolution when it came to the use of digital effects in film. And the way the practical effects seamlessly merge with the digital. MILESTONE: Jurassic Park marked a turning point in the use of digital effects in film. Photo: Universal Udenberg, who wanted to learn the art of making prosthetic make-up, was worried about the future of practical effects, but chose to follow the dream he had had since he was 13. 20 years after love lured Udenberg to Norway, he is one of few in the country can call themselves a special effects makeup artist. With constant questions, he still believes in his profession for the next ten years. – But when the generation, which is now growing up with completely digital effects, starts making films, then the passion for the practical will disappear more and more, believes Udenberg. – More realistic The director of Viking Wolf had a great desire to use practical effects as far as possible. The entire transformation from teenage girl to werewolf, in three different stages, is thus done with practical make-up. – Make-up takes time, and on set time is our biggest enemy. But the hope is that it feels more real and that the audience experiences it more strongly when they see the film, says director Stig Svendsen. A WEREWOLF BECOMES: After Jim Udenberg has digitally played with the face of Elli Müller Osborne and designed himself how the werewolf should look, he begins to shape the cast of Osborne’s face with so-called monster clay. Photo: Jim Udenberg / iMAGiNARiUM FX TEAMWORK: Special effects makeup artist Ragnhild Prestholt was part of the team and has created stage two of the transformation into a werewolf. Udenberg also collaborated with the make-up department, headed by Siv Järbyn. Photo: Jim Udenberg / iMAGiNARiUM FX COMPLETED PROSTHESIS: When the werewolf prosthetics are finally finished, they fit Elli Müller Osborne’s face perfectly. Photo: JAVIER ERNESTO AURIS CHAVEZ / news LAST WOLF STAGE: Third and final stage of the transformation in which Elli Müller Osborne becomes a full-fledged werewolf. Photo: Jim Udenberg / iMAGiNARiUM FX news’s film critic Birger Vestmo also believes that “old-fashioned” practical effects have certain qualities that are still difficult to reproduce digitally. – There is something about the texture and the tangible that makes it more realistic. It makes me happy to see when films use practical effects where it produces the best results. Despite a claustrophobic face mask, hours in the make-up chair, and intense days on set with heavy werewolf prosthetics over the entire upper body, the main actor is also satisfied. – It was a very cool experience. It feels more real when you play with make-up. I never thought I would get to experience it in the digital age we live in, says Elli Müller Osborne. DIGITAL: After Elli Müller Osborne’s character Thale has been transformed into a werewolf, it is 100 percent digital. Photo: SF Studios If you are interested in more reading material about film effects, check out the cases below:
ttn-69
Norway’s first werewolf was created the “old fashioned way” – news Kultur og entertainment
