I seem to be writing about masters of SFX in reverse chronological order this month! Before John Chambers, before Jack Pierce, one man literally made his reputation for his ability to create "1,000 faces" - and not on 1,000 actors, but on himself! That man, of Course, was Lon Chaney Sr. - "The Man of 1,000 Faces".
Lon Chaney was an out of work stage actor who could not get a job in Hollywood. At least, not before he brought his makeup kit to the casting calls. There, he discovered he could choose a character from the list the studio provided, and in a few minutes he transformed from just another face in the crowd to "The One".
To me, this is even more inspiring than The Great Jack Pierce. What Chaney accomplished, he did on his own - just him and his kit. So much like thousands of kids all over America today who sit in front of their mirrors and try to transform themselves in to something amazing. He created seemingly endless characters through perseverance, frustration, and even physical pain. If you've ever worn elaborate makeup for 8-12 hours at a time, you know what I mean. Add in a level of physical contortion and you start to understand why he amazed directors and audiences. Lon Chaney Sr. may have more responsibility for creating an SFX makeup industry than any single actor ever. Some of his creations:
Here are some videos I hope you find inspiring!
http://youtu.be/UthwwraN5Ho
http://youtu.be/U27FoAQO-Dk
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