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He is one of the most innovative artists in Korea. He has for years applied 3D digital technology to special effects makeup which eventually resulted in a totally digitalized Korean-style animatronics (a character with a robotic device that is animated by electric and electronic power) with its own independent process in Collective Invention. We met with him to take a brief look into the world of special effects makeup. 

Three years ago, director KWON Oh-kwang came to me with his script. He related his concerns about the low production costs and his uncertainty about creating a fish man for the film. Although the script was interesting, I guess he was having difficulties to finance the film due to the fact that it was an extremely challenging subject matter. We finally went into production after our third meeting, but I still had my doubts about whether Korean special effects makeup could offer a solution to this film. Nevertheless, I eventually saw this as sort of an investment and decided to participate in this project.

It was difficult. (laughs) At first, the effects heavily relied on computer graphics. We just had to create the general form and just make the gills flap, while the lip movements and eyes’ blinking were supposed to be done in CGI(Computer-generated imagery). Then the production was running short of money and time. So we ended up creating the lip movements as well. We weren’t sure if we could perfectly lip-sync the dialogue, but we thought, why not just give it a try?

How did things go?

We digitally processed the entire animatronics procedure. First we designed the fish man character in 3D. Through discussions with the director, we upgraded the model to 33 different versions in 2 weeks. By being able to create the general form and even color it, 3D design can be the best way of reaching results that are as close as you can get to the director’s intentions. The completed 3D model is physically created with a 3D printer. Each component for the mechanical device that creates motions for the lips and gills was also 3D printed and assembled. Silicone skin was applied over the structure followed by prosthetic makeup (the process of using prosthetic techniques on the face and body for specific cosmetic effects).
 
Don’t you already have experience in combining animatronics with prosthetic makeup?

We worked that way on the ‘KL Hog’ character in Stephen Chow’s Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons. However, it was Collective Invention that we fully digitalized the entire process from designing (3D modeling) to completion for the first time. Moreover, the characters in most animatronics are supporting roles like KL Hog, villains or passing roles, but this time, it was the lead role! It put an enormous burden on us, but at the same time, we wanted to do something totally groundbreaking.

 
What would you say is the benefits of digital processing?

It saves a lot of time. It would have taken us at least three months to create a fish man in the conventional method of structure sculpting with clay. Imagine how much more it would take to incorporate the director and key crew members’ opinions and make revisions. It’s difficult to make changes in the most desired manner. But if you work in digital 3D, you can save time as well as efficiently sharing the output with other crew members. It’s possible to show the results to as many people as possible, and choose the best option. In addition, if you pass on the data onto the CGI team in advance, you can save them time as well. In fact, it’s extremely difficult to change the process. Once you start working, you tend to come across quite a number of unexpected situations. In the case of Collective Invention, the actor’s vision was obstructed by the head piece we made when we put it over his head. So, the actor had to perform by wearing google glasses through which he could see previously shot scenes to which he could react.

Were there any companies that assisted you in any technical areas?

We are the only company in Korea that offers digital processing expertise, and it wasn’t benchmarked from any foreign technology. We purchased various techniques and softwares from all around the world which we gathered and studied to create our own unique process. Training and handling various fields of knowledge such as physics, electronics, control engineering and machinery is crucial for special effects makeup to gain competitiveness. We made our own investments which amount to USD $88,000 in purchasing mechanic tools used in mechanical engineering schools, 3D character creating software as well as other softwares such as 3D Studio Max, ZBrush, and SolidWorks. In areas we couldn’t technically solve, the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (KITECH) gave us help. And as an institution with extensive technological research and data in various fields of electronics and machinery, they hooked us up with the right specialists in fields which we were working on. Sometimes they introduced new software to us.

Special effects makeup seems to be losing ground with the rapid growth of VFX technology. As someone at the forefront of combining various technologies, how do you foresee the future of special effects makeup?

It’s difficult to just focus on film as CGI is taking over most of the special effects required in film. That’s why we need to find an alternative, which is to physically create life-size replicas rather than the video image. An example would be our continuous talks with Korean and Chinese theme parks. Another option would be ‘digital special effects makeup’ which is a term coined by myself. It means for special effects makeup artists who can elaborately create 3D characters to take the initiative and step into the digital field. Let’s say you want to create a 3D character of SONG Kang-ho (Snowpiercer, 2013). First of all, a 3D scan has to be made, and then a replica based on it. Then changes that correspond to the mood and shape required in the film have to be made. We’ll be the ones doing that job. Until a few years ago, I assumed special effects makeup would become obsolete. But instead, areas requiring our expertise started popping up. By practicing digital processing, it’ll be easier to co-operate with the CGI team, and in exchange, we can create real-life replicas of a CGI character.