In a new interview on Blazing Minds, I got a chance to ask special effects and makeup artist Tracey Jane a few questions about how she got into the industry and some of the recent film projects which she has been working on, including The House That Zombies Built and The Video Shop Tales of Terror
Q. Can you tell me about how you first got into special effects makeup and explain a bit about what you do?
A. I’m a makeup artist in horror movies. As a young girl, I first became interested in the makeup worn by music groups such as Adam and the Ants and Duran Duran. My parents bought me an Adam and the Ants makeup set and my interest spiralled from there. As a young adult, I ran a childcare nursery face painting the children at Halloween and other times of the year such as Christmas and various fetes. That led me into hair and beauty, and ultimately special effects.
Q. Working on low budget films always comes with time restrictions and a limited budget. What are some of the biggest issues you have had to overcome?
A. The biggest issue to overcome is budget restraints. Creating the desired effects while remaining within the specified budget can sometimes be very difficult, as silicone prosthetics are prohibitively expensive, and we need to use sculpting gel or as a last resort latex.
Q. Can you tell me about some of your favourite films you’ve worked on and some of your favourite effects which you have created?
A. I’ve no real favourite film I’ve worked on. They were all great fun and I’ve had the pleasure of working with many fantastic film crews and teams.
Q. You must get a variety of requests when it comes to make-up and special effects, especially when trying to create an original death scene. Can you tell me about any unusual effects that you have been asked to create?
A. Being a special effects makeup artist anything I’m asked to work on will involve horrific death and mutilation obviously. I can’t mention any current work as this involves spoilers, but I can talk about my own work. At Halloween, I created a human head with an exposed edible brain, the video has received 30,000 views in around 2 weeks.
Q. You have been working again recently with Silent Studios for their latest feature The House that Zombies Built. Can you tell me a little bit about some of the work you have done with them?
A. My work on The House That Zombies Built was a fantastic opportunity as I got to work with actors such as Laurence R Harvey and Scream Queen Dani Thompson. I also got to showcase my work on exposed silicone brains. I had made one previously and decided to use this opportunity to showcase my work.
Q. Another interesting project you have been working on recently is The Witches of the Sands, which seems to cross over into various projects and looks to be a lot of fun. Can you tell me a bit about the work you have done on the film?
A. As for The Witches of The Sands I’ve created some great effects, but I can’t talk about it as it involves spoilers, so you’ll just have to go and see the film!
Q. Are there any particular sub-genres of movies you would like to work on or different types of effects which you would like the opportunity to create on screen?
A. A Game of Thrones style production would be a dream to work on or basically any production along those lines.
Q. Do you have any other projects you are working on?
A. As for other projects; I’ve just finished work on another film called The Wurrm which premiers next year and I’m currently working on props for the up-and-coming movie The Video Shop Tales of Terror.
Q. What advice would you give to someone who wants to get into makeup effects themselves?
A. The work is hard, but fun and includes long hours. This industry is a way of life, it’s more than a job, it’s a lifestyle so it’s not a profession to enter into lightly.
You can find out more about Tracey Jane on the following
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tracey.jane.77
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/traceyjayne_hb/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/studio7337
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFhccZMM5xYPWAcsHdpfeCA?app=desktop
Published in various websites, Philip is a reviewer who is best known for his interviews and media coverage of independent projects including; films, books, theatre and live events. Always on the lookout for something different to cover!
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