At the request of my dear friend William G. "Bill" Barto (a.k.a. FXMan), I am submitting this article in the hope that it will encourage a free exchange of information among make-up artists and make-up enthusiasts, regarding the materials, techniques, technology, knowledge and ideas of our craft. This article will concentrate on the subject of gelatine (a.k.a., gelatin) and its historical, contemporary and future use as a medium in molded make-up appliances. The article will be presented in three installments. The first will provide some historical and background information regarding the use of gelatine in three-dimesional make-up. The second will address specific gelatine formulations, a discussion of formula components and molding techniques. The final installment will focus on utilizing molded gelatine prosthetics, adhesives, blending, sealing, etc., and the future of gelatine in three-dimensional make-up. It is by no means the most complete treatise on the use of gelatine for molded prosthetics. Rather, it is intended to provide information to make-up artists and enthusiasts interested in experimenting with the medium of gelatine. I hope that it will create an interest in a few readers who will take the information and "run with it," exploring and sharing the full potential of this medium within our craft.

Like many of my generation, my initial experience with, and interest in, gelatine as a make-up medium, came through the writing of the legendary master of special effects make-up, Dick Smith. Beyond describing a method for molding gelatine in his Do-It-Yourself Monster Make-Up Handbook (Dick Smith's Do-It-Yourself Monster Make-Up Handbook. Pittsburgh:Imagine, Inc., 1985.), Dick provides a brief overview of the historical use of gelatine for make-up, including: 1937 – oriental eyelids in The Good Earth, 1945 – a gelatine stomach for the actor Roger Livesay in Colonel Blimp, 1946 – Caesar’s (Claude Rains) bald pate in Caesar and Cleopatra (Stuart Freeborn, make-up artist), 1975 – Dick’s use of gelatine in the hand-cut-by-wire effect (Roy Scheider’s character) in the Marathon Man, and a gouged-eye and cut-nose effect in The Sentinel, the following year. Dick also employed gelatine in The Hunger (a cutable stomach effect), and a rotting skull sequence at the end of Ghost Story, to name just a few examples.

There are, of course, other examples of the use of gelatine in special effects make-up. Stan Winston created gelatine appliances for Bernadette Peters and the late Andy Kaufman, for the 1981 motion picture Heartbeeps. More recently, Matthew Mungle rekindled an interest in the viable, and very successful, uses of gelatine make-up prosthetics – the age make-ups for the Ghosts of Mississippi. Readers, who attended the "First Annual Make-Up and Effects Products Trade Show" (August 3, 1997), in North Hollywood, California, may have had the pleasure of witnessing Matthew Mungle’s use, and admirable application, of gelatine prosthetics during his seminar on the Main Stage. Additionally, readers of Make-Up Artist Magazine were recently enticed with an article, (Make-Up Artist Magazine, Issue #9, October/November, 1997. "Translucency Breakthrough: Foamed Gelatine," pp.52-55, by Michael and Lynn Key.), describing the progress of Michael Pearce and Dave DuPuis (of Steve Johnson’s XFX) in the continuing development of foamed gelatine – possibly the "next generation" of gelatine appliance technology.

Why are make-up artists interested in gelatine as a medium for creating appliances? Why not rely solely upon foam latex? Compelled by the desire to reproduce lifelike characteristics in three-dimensional make-up, make-up artists continue to search for alternatives to foam latex. Not that anyone is necessarily opposed to foam latex, mind you. On the contrary, as the opportunity and need arises, I savor venturing into the studio and working with foam latex (both production and application). It is truly a phenomenal material. I am, however, also guided by the principle that "emphasis should not lead to exclusion." Therefore, any material, technology or technique, that enables make-up artists to potentially create the "ultimate in realism," should be explored in its entirety. That is, after all, the science as well as the art behind special effects make-up.

Before the advent of foam latex, make-up artists used gelatine in the creation of three-dimensional make-up and effects. But, gelatine, by itself, is an unstable medium for make-up prosthetics. In traditional formulas, gelatine tends to "breakdown" when it encounters perspiration. In other words, it melts and has the potential to become a terrible (and for the make-up artist – embarrassing) mess. Obviously, this is a "bad thing" owing to the close proximity of gelatine prosthetic make-ups to human sweat glands. Furthermore, gelatine appliances can be heavy – and heaviness in a make-up renders an unnatural look for any prosthetic. After the 1929 development of foam latex, and its eventual entry into the field of make-up, professional make-up artists adopted it as "the standard" (for lack of a better word) medium for prosthetic make-ups.

By its very nature, however, gelatine has certain inherent advantages not found in foam latex:

• The first is that it is economical – gelatine is inexpensive, making it ideal for experimentation.
• The second advantage is time. After foam latex is molded, it must be baked, usually for several hours. In contrast, gelatine has a relatively fast "working time" – here, I refer to the time period between material preparation and the finished product. After it is melted, it can be poured into the mold(s) and set aside to cool. Moreover, the setting time for gelatine can be shortened by placing the mold(s) in a freezer.
• The third advantage is blending – making the prosthetic appear as a natural extension of the surrounding, living-tissue. Make-up artists have adopted numerous ways for dealing with the occasional difficult edge of foam and slush latex prosthetics. But, with gelatine, the edges are blended away (dissolved actually) with a moderate use of witch hazel astringent.
• The fourth advantage is translucency. Gelatine is not opaque (while foam latex is), so it allows some underlying flesh tones to remain visible to the viewer. In an ideal situation, this would require less extrinsic coloring (make-up pigments) on the surface of the prosthetic, resulting in a more natural appearance.
• The fifth advantage is found in gelatine’s ability to move well (if properly prepared through sculpting, molding and application) on the actor or actress. It seems that the radiation of body heat into the gelatine prosthetic, allows it to move naturally with surrounding tissue and assume lifelike characteristics.
• Finally, the sixth advantage is safety (when cool). Most, if not all, of the ingredients used in gelatine formulas are either food or medical grade quality. After all, gelatine is obtained from protein collagen, which is widely found in nature and is a major constituent of skin, bones and connective tissues. Furthermore, because gelatine is derived from a protein, it is essentially composed of amino acids. This is an absolute blessing for make-up artists, considering the potentially dangerous chemical compounds (hence the industrial rated precautions) found within the components of foam latex, urethanes, silicones and similar prosthetic materials.

For those who are interested, there are many excellent resources available in both textural and video formats, including the following:

• Smith, Dick. The Advanced Professional Make-Up Course. Connecticut: The Smith Family Trust, 1985-1996 (including Updates).
• Baygan. Lee. The Techniques of Three-Dimensional Makeup. New York: Watson-Guptill Publications, 1988.
• Corson, Richard. Stage Makeup. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1990.
• Burnett, Michael. The Art of Special Make-Up Effects (Volume Two): Basic Foam Rubber Appliance (Video). California: Michael Burnett Productions, 1989.
• Burman, Rob and Daniel Hobbit. The Videoguide to Special Make-Up Effects (Volume 1, Number 2): Techniques of Life Casting. California: VIDEFX.
• Burman, Rob and Daniel Hobitt, The Videoguide to Special Make-Up Effects (Volume 1, Number 3): Sculpting & Molding a Prosthetic. California: VIDEFX.
• Burman, Rob and Daniel Hobitt. The Videoguide to Special Make-Up Effects (Volume 1, Number 4): Foam Latex and Prosthetic Application. California: VIDEFX.