The Importance of Practical Effects

Some people call me a grandpa. I like to fish, I like classic rock, and I'm pretty much ready to retire. My old school ways carry over into my production tastes; I prefer to do things practically, not relying on all this new-fangled digital nonsense that the kids are using these days. We've all heard the age-old adage "fix it in post." I hate that. For me, whether it is lighting, special effects, makeup, or sound design there is no better way to accurately depict it than to actually create it. Don't get me wrong. CGI and the like have the potential to create some  truly amazing things that would be entirely impossible to recreate practically, but I don't the current trend that seems to be relying on digital effects almost exclusively. 

One show that has received a lot of praise for its use of special effects is The Walking Dead. Executive-producer and special-effects expert Greg Nicotero is the man behind the terrifying zombies, all created almost exclusively with practical effects. Nicotero has worked as a makeup artist on many films, including the third installment of the holy grail of zombie movies,  George Romero's Day of the Dead.  The zombies of TWD are given an immense amount of individual attention; to even appear on the show all of the actors must graduate from "Zombie School" which teaches them the correct way to move, gesture, and interact within the narrative world.  Each zombie is hand crafted, with makeup applied that accents and hyperbolizes the individual features of the actor, making each zombie unique. The zombies have evolved as the show has progressed, becoming more decayed and grotesque with the passage of time in the story world. Here are some examples: 

The results of this individual attention is incredible.  Most of the effects on TWD are practical; there's nothing a hate more than CGI blood-splatter or animated gore. I want the real stuff. 

This is actually Greg Nicotero as an extra on TWD. He has made several cameo appearances.

Nicotero doing his thing

 This show isn't filmed with a bunch of extras wearing chroma-key green suits with motion tracking dots all over their face. The Walking Dead has real zombies. Well, as close to real as you can physically get.  The results are terrifying and certainly take the show to the next level. TWD does use some digital effects for exotic backdrops and more involved zombie kills; in fact I read an article that revealed that season six of the show will use more digital effects than any previous season. Call me old school, but I just love the use of practical makeup and other effects. Digital effects certainly have their place, but there are just some things that can only be created, not recreated on a screen. 

Lie to Me

I like this show, courtesy to my guy Barry for putting me on to the show. After my latest addiction, The Walking Dead, I was searching for a new show when my friend pointed me to the show Lie to Me. The show is about a team of people who are specialized in identifying facial and body language to know if someone is lying or not. The idea seems simple but the shows is actually very creative and captures my attention. The creative aspect of the show comes from the writers writing such exciting episodes. Unlike The Walking Dead, Lie to Me doesn't have any things worth noting on how it was shot or the make-up that was used in the show. The shots are normal, and there is no crazy make-up or graphics being used. Whereas in The Walking Dead, the zombies looked beyond realistic. It was very believable and made the concept and idea of zombies realistic. The only concern I have with this show, Lie to Me, is that I will get bored of it because it may get repetitive. In The Walking Dead, the characters were constantly on the run, looking for shelter, food, and constantly fighting for survival  There was always something to look forward to in The Walking Dead and it was interesting to see if they will ever find a safe haven or a cure for the zombies. In Lie to Me, the biggest mystery is how they will figure out who is lying. I still like the show and hope that they do spice things up in later episodes. Oh, and Monica Raymund, she plays Ria Torres in the show, is kind of cute! I may have to tweet her.

The Walking Dead

I am currently obsessed with this show! I have watched the first two seasons within like a week. I can't wait to start season 3, so no spoilers please!!
This show is awesome. Great actors, amazing make up for the zombies, great locations (especially the farm), amazing camera work, and lighting. The score for the show is perfect for it.  The amount of extras that they get in full costume and make up is also incredible. There are sometimes hundreds of extras running around in any given episode. This show has a high production value.

Halloween=The Walking Dead

About this time last year, I started watching a new television series on AMC called The Walking Dead. With Halloween around the corner, this new show is packed with guns, violence, and you guessed it, zombies. The second season just started up this past Sunday, and left the audience in shock with a surprise ending. Compared to the other zombie movies and shows, this one definitely has the most realistic looking zombies and a practical plot that every other zombie movie is missing. After a virus breaks out, a group of survivors are forced to leave their home in attempt to find a secure location that hasn't been infected yet. There is no vaccine and they are getting by day to day with what they can find. The streets are blocked due to all the traffic that tried to escape, so the use of vehicles is almost imposs
ible. This is what a zombie apocalypse would be if one

were to happen in the US.

The presentation of the zombies is awesome. Each one is unique and acts differently to the one standing next to him/her. The makeup artist and costume designers both won awards for last years season at the Saturn Awards Ceremony for TV shows. Below you can see a before an after picture with the makeup and effects. Picture

Last, I wanted to comment on the music and sfx in the show. Almost every dramatic scene is silent on this show. At first, I didn't like how they were setting the tone, but later I realized that with no music, you could never tell when something was gonna happen or pop up. You can't guess, which sometimes pisses me off, but makes for great TV. The Walking Dead is a mini series and I seriously suggest you catch up on the episodes if you want a good scare and plot. You can find all the episodes at amctv.com or 1channel.tv. Any questions or comments, please ask. I love discussing this show.