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PODCAST

Battles With Bits of Rubber

Stuart Bray and Todd Debreceni

Stuart Bray and Todd Debreceni talk makeup effects and prosthetics. If you like rubber monsters, prosthetics and gore then you can listen, learn and suggest new episode subjects. Todd is author of "Special Makeup Effects For Stage And Screen", what many consider to be the modern makeup FX bible. Stuart Bray is a working makeup FX artist with many years experienc. Credits include "Saving Private Ryan", "Shaun of the Dead", "Dr Who" and more recently "Game of Thrones" and "Dr Strange". Email us

arts visual arts

All Episodes

01:18:16

#98 - Chris Clarke

Battles With Bits of Rubber ·

2025/10/27

Crafting Believability: The Art of Animatronics with Chris Clarke In this episode of 'Battles with Bits of Rubber,' Chris discusses his journey and experiences in the world of animatronics. He recounts various projects, including building the horse animatronic for 'Warhorse' and the massive head for 'Wicked.' Chris emphasises the importance of blending practical effects with digital methods, recounting his creative process, challenges, and innovations. He highlights how simple, logical

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01:14:51

#97 - Richard Martin

Battles With Bits of Rubber ·

2025/10/18

Richard Martin is a multi-skilled and astute operator. He combines creative flair with a very sound approach to business, problem-solving and meeting deadlines. Often, as creative people, we love to dig deep into the joyful processes of making stuff, but often we lack the capacity to insist on sufficient time, money and space to allow that to happen. Richard talks about that in this episode, and we are so happy with the conversation we had. Fresh from his stint on the successful TV drama

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02:53:56

#96 - Brian Best

Battles With Bits of Rubber ·

2025/03/03

Mastering Digital and Practical Prosthetics with Brian Best In this episode of 'Battles with Bits of Rubber,' we delve into the intricate world of prosthetics mould-making with the talented Brian Best. Join us as we explore Brian's transition from traditional mould-making to mastering ZBrush, discussing the nuances and challenges faced along the way. We cover many topics, including the practicalities of clay and silicone, the difficulties of working with different materials, and the

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01:03:01

#95 - The Prosthetics Event 2024 Debrief

Battles With Bits of Rubber ·

2024/11/21

This episode discusses our experience following the Prosthetics Event 2024 in Coventry. We mention our highlights, including networking, speaking to hundreds of people with our presentations, and a series of insightful discussions, which we hope you will find very helpful if you are a rubber monster freak like us. We chatted with Adrian Rigby, known for his exceptional bald cap techniques. He shared his methods and discussed common challenges in creating realistic bald caps. We also discuss the

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52:49

#94 - Practical Pixels & Imprudent Imposters

Battles With Bits of Rubber ·

2024/08/09

This time around we discuss the technical aspects of 3D modelling and printing for practical work, especially in creating detailed prosthetics and animatronic components using software like CAD and ZBrush. We delve into teaching and learning new techniques, particularly the significance of hands-on experience in moulding and sculpting. Then we look at taking on jobs without proper qualifications, highlighting the potential dangers and importance of safety in prosthetic and special effects work.

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01:39:39

#93 - Falmouth Part 2

Battles With Bits of Rubber ·

2024/04/06

In this second and final part of our trip to Falmouth Uni, Neill Gorton joins us as we discuss making mistakes and learning the hard way in the workshop. We also discuss how to approach workshops and folio critiques and why latex and plaster are such great materials when starting and budgets are tight. Latex and plaster are a big theme in this episode. Be sure to check out the blog post with the show notes and the latest free workbook download, which is all about making latex pieces and plaster

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02:10:45

#92 - Falmouth Uni Part 1

Battles With Bits of Rubber ·

2023/12/29

Our trip down to Falmouth Uni preceded The Prosthetics Event 2023. It was a great trip, and so nice to see the work being done by students there and talk shop. As always, we have a rough idea about what we want to talk about, but it's always led by the feeling in the room at the time, questions that come up and current events within the group . We spoke for so long in a packed room using a single recorder, so the sound is a little different from our usual close microphone stuff. It went on for

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56:51

#91 - Digital Tools In The Workshop

Battles With Bits of Rubber ·

2023/11/28

Makeup artists typically like makeup. It is a tactile medium, and they enjoy products, how they feel and smell and respond to brushes and pressure. Making prosthetics similarly has its tactile qualities, and it is hard to separate these sensations from the very nature of the joy in the work. It is little wonder then that this same group of people may not have developed an extensive love of digital versions of the same work. Doing a digital makeup effect in Photoshop requires the

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01:43:21

#90 - Joel Harlow

Battles With Bits of Rubber ·

2022/12/31

Joel Harlow is an academy award-winning artist who started out in animation before he moved on to makeup. Gradually building multi-faceted skills, confidence and workloads, he has evolved and expanded into the makeup effects heavyweight we know today with a hefty rollcall of credits. Check out his company, https://morphologyfx.com/. It is always fascinating to go through the IMDb of an artist and see their credits creeping up the hierarchy over time. Evidence of trust earned as supervisors see a

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01:28:25

#89 - Maddie Scott-Spencer

Battles With Bits of Rubber ·

2022/10/02

Maddie is a talented concept artist and teacher known mostly for her ZBrush work. Coming from a practical background, her skills come from familiar ground - Fangoria, a love of monsters and sculpting for fun! She has taught classes for Gnomon since 2006 - we recommend the ‘Introduction to ZBrush 2021’ video course. Todd and I both cite this as the breakthrough moment for both of us, making what previously had been indecipherable to us accessible and understandable. The way she comes across

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01:19:18

#88 - Adam 'KreatureKid' Dougherty

Battles With Bits of Rubber ·

2022/08/16

Adam Dougherty and his company https://www.kreaturekid.com/ are based in Colorado. An incredibly talented artist, he is an inspiring soul who makes things happen with determination and persistent hard work. Although he considers himself lazy, his output shows anything but. In particular, his style celebrates the warmth and unique character that Jim Henson created with puppets, and has himself produced some jaw-droppingly effective puppets for various projects such as the upcoming Onyx the

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01:22:45

#87 - Frank Ippolito

Battles With Bits of Rubber ·

2022/08/14

Frank Ippolito is something of a practical effects polymath. From starting out with makeup effects and putting in solid work in the lab, he has gradually expanded to running a company and crew with impressive credits and a high standard of work. Checking out Frank's IMDb, you’ll see a switch around 2016 as he started working on speciality costumes. This is a big overlap in the practical effects industry as creature and ‘hero’ suits become more sophisticated. Frank started as a freelancer doing

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01:01:31

#86 - More Noses, Fewer Horns

Battles With Bits of Rubber ·

2022/07/30

In this episode, we look at a makeup I did nearly 30 years ago at college. Adrian Rigby sent me a remaining original piece from the mould, along with some photos (prints, no less, which I scanned). We talk about remembering what you knew then (the past) and how you thought it should be done. You can also advise your old self on how it could be done better using the knowledge you know now (the present) and things you would attain in the future. By seeing your errors written plain, having an actual

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01:52:47

#85 - Bill Corso

Battles With Bits of Rubber ·

2022/07/03

"Bill, there's a scene where The Blob attacks a woman who's in a 'phone booth and it covers the 'phone booth, it crushes the 'phone booth and here and then it goes on the sidewalk and goes into a gutter and disappears into this sewer." I'm just looking at him and I go…"Okay." And he says "Figure out how to do that scene!" I was, like "Well, what IS The Blob?" He goes "I don't know…you come up with something. Come up with 5 things and I'll pick one." That was it. That was my first day

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02:12:19

#84 - Pete Tindall

Battles With Bits of Rubber ·

2022/02/03

In this episode, we talk with materials maestro Pete Tindall about all things making related, along with a dose of rantage. I moan a bit about ZBrush (although I love it) and the fact that despite the terrifying interface and the huge number of tools available in ZBrush, freedom comes from accepting that you likely need only a handful of them. Early on in ZBrush, you are can indeed happily ignore most of it with confidence. Pete is an adept materials man, knowing and using a broad range of

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01:20:17

#83 - Ian Morse & Cliff Wallace Part 2

Battles With Bits of Rubber ·

2022/01/27

Check the shownotes on the blog: https://battleswithbitsofrubber.com/ This second part of our chat with Ian and Cliff takes a look back at the company they had together, Creature Concepts - or as Ian puts it ‘How not to run a business'. Ian and Cliff mentioned Blood On The Satan’s Claw (1971) and I watched it on their recommendation. It whetted my appetite, and I had to rewatch some of my favourites, The Creeping Flesh, Captain Kronos, Vampire Hunter and of course The Curse Of Frankenstein.

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01:30:18

#82 - Ian Morse & Cliff Wallace Part 1

Battles With Bits of Rubber ·

2022/01/21

This episode was recorded at Cliff's studio, with all four of us present and correct. Ian and Cliff have worked together and separately in the industry for a long time - Ian's credits include Little Shop Of Horrors, Alien 3, Saving Private Ryan, War Horse, Fury and Dr Who. Cliff racks up an impressive listing on IMDb with Hellraiser (1987), Lair of the White Worm, Black Hawk Down, World War Z and 28 Days Later. It was a hefty chat that we split into two parts as it was so long, but also they

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01:45:59

#81 - Bolton Part 2

Battles With Bits of Rubber ·

2022/01/01

Competence and comfort are the results of the repetition of activity over a significant period of time. In an age of endless self-promotion, this podcast has always championed the work involved in quiet competence. Being competent at something is what people will pay money for, so it is worth considering as an ambition. But how do we keep ourselves on the right track? A great many working professionals have a very meagre following on social media precisely because their work is mostly

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01:05:20

#80 - Bolton Part 1

Battles With Bits of Rubber ·

2021/12/26

What does digital sculpting have to do with battling with bits of rubber? Speaking in one of the VFX classrooms, a huge space with rows of monitors and Wacom Cintiqs, we gathered as a group to discuss training to work in film and TV. We looked particularly at the pipeline and workflow of VFX and how that has changed over the years with regards to practical work and why confidence matters and how it can be generated. One aspect of confidence is to know how and when to exercise what is

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01:09:54

#79 - Jake Garber

Battles With Bits of Rubber ·

2021/12/18

Our conversation recently with Jake Garber at The Prosthetics Event in Coventry was, we think, a very important chat worth listening to for anyone who is trying, or thinking about trying to get a foot in the door into the (oftentimes) wonderful and exciting world of movie and television makeup. Even for peeps already working in the industry, Jake’s extensive level of expertise and experience in a special and makeup effects career has seen him in many roles from straight beauty makeup and workshop

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