3 minute read
Under the skin of prosthetics
from The FUSE 2021
Q. How does an aspiring artist get a footing in the small
world of special makeup effects?
A. I watched the end credits of BBC shows and wrote to the people that came up on the screen! I’d just write to whichever name came up, "Care of the BBC". And you could actually get things to people like that back in the 1980s!
I received a letter back and the response encouraged me to continue honing my craft and to create a portfolio of work. By the age of 15, I had enough work to take to studios in London.
Two years later, I got my break. Established British makeup artist Christopher Tucker (Elephant Man, Phantom of the Opera) was impressed by my portfolio and gave me two weeks of work experience. After I’d done the work with him, I just thought, I can’t go back to college now! I have to keep doing this.
UNDER THE SKIN OF PROSTHETIC EFFECTS WITH ARTIST NEILL GORTON
With more than 35 years of experience in the film industry, prosthetic effects artist Neill Gorton has enjoyed a career that's included working on blockbuster projects such as Saving Private Ryan and Doctor Who as well as running the Prosthetic Effects MA at Falmouth.
While back home in Liverpool, I was at a famous comic bookstore called Forbidden Planet when I saw a guy I recognised: Bob Keen (Hell Raiser, Candyman). I accosted him outside the shop and he agreed to view my portfolio at his studio. The following Monday, he took a look at what I’d done and hired me on the spot to work on Waxwork a horror-comedy film.
Q. What led to more work in a profession where jobs
were scarce?
A. I took every opportunity I could. I scrabbled about doing physical effects – wetting down streets to make it look like it’d rained, generating wind effects by operating huge fans, that kind of thing. I actually got hired to operate the wind machines purely because my van had a tow bar on the back – the special effects supervisors knew they wouldn’t have to go out and hire a van!
I knew that these experiences, however obscure, would aid me in the future. This proved to be the case. One of my physical effects co-workers was Steve Begg (Batman Begins, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Casino Royale), who went on to strike up a strong working relationship with Gerry Anderson. It wasn’t long before Steve recommended me for the special effects position on Gerry’s new series Space Precinct.
Q. Your career really took off, from there. What have been
some of your highlights?
A. At 26, I found myself heading the corpse and animal effects department for Steven Spielberg’s epic war movie Saving Private Ryan. People say never meet your heroes, which is nonsense. To be able to watch the way he got his shots, the way he communicated with people – he was the real deal.
Q. And what about some of your favourite moments from
working in television?
A. Getting to redesign the iconic Cybermen on Doctor Who was a real highlight, especially as I have been obsessed with the progreamme since I was a child. I had a really great relationship with writer Russell T Davies (Queer as Folk, Casanova, It’s a Sin). It would be 1am and we’d be banging doodles back and forth over email – it was a genuine creative process.
Q. With such a wealth of industry experience and a thriving
prosthetic effects industry, you must be busier than ever. What made you decide to teach as well?
A. When I was young, I’d write those letters to the BBC and someone, somewhere, took the time out of their day to write back to a 14-year-old kid. Now with the courses at Gorton studios in collaboration with Falmouth University, I’ve got the chance to nurture creative talent. There’s nothing better than seeing someone with talent, then seeing that talent grow.
