Benjamin Button Makeup!

Here's another paper I wrote for my makeup class, which also happened to be Academy Award-winning in the category of makeup!

Rebecca Rinker

Makeup

27 April 2010

Makeup Use in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is the tale of a man who ages backwards. He is born with a shriveled body, with all the problems associated with advanced age, and he gets younger as time goes on. Makeup and computer-generated visual FX take Benjamin from an eighty-year-old baby backward through life to a strapping twenty-something. The makeup is used in combination with the computer effects. For the extreme aging, a computer-generated head, modeled after the actor’s, takes the place of makeup effects, but from about age 65 and backward, heavy effects makeup turns forty-five-year-old actor Brad Pitt into the various ages of Benjamin.

The makeup is so effective because the changes are gradual rather than dramatic. Benjamin is shown at many age increments, and the changes in his appearance are slight between ages, but add up to huge differences. There are no circumstances where the viewer is too aware that they are seeing an actor aged with makeup, unless they stop to think about the famous actor on the screen who they know to be much younger.

For the prosthetics, the makeup artist used a flexible materiel on the forehead that would wrinkle and move naturally. It looks convincing, rather than created.

The computer-generated effects were used in the stages of advanced aging that are difficult to re-create with makeup effects. Benjamin’s face actually appears smaller and shriveled up.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button pushed the envelope in terms of what could be done with blending computer and makeup effects. It is very hard to tell where the computer effects end and the makeup effects begin. The gradual changes in Benjamin’s appearance make the transitions believable, since people age slowly. Even though Benjamin ages backwards, the stages of aging are recognizable and make sense to the viewers. This film is an excellent example of makeup transforming the look of an entire film.

Starting Small!

I finally got an IMDB page!

Rebecca Faith Rinker - Internet Movie Database

Honest Abe will also be up there soon. I was a co-producer and additional makeup.

Termite TV project!

Here's the blog for a group project for Videography.

Freestylin' and Dance

Check it out!!!

Film Fest Review! Derek Freese High School Film and Video Festival

Last Saturday, I attended the Derek Freese High School Film and Video Festival right here at Temple University. I've got to say I was surprised by two things: 1. There were very few Temple students actually there. Why???? 2. Some high school kids are REALLY talented.

Some highlights that stuck out to me:

"The Art of The Crime" was a beautiful documentary by Kaitlin Reilly and Emily Drucke about graffiti in New York City. The film did a wonderful job of showing both sides of the argument - is graffiti an art form or is it vandalism? It also showed the in-between, with youngsters taking a boring white wall and turning it into art, but not ever "tagging" someone's personal property. The whole film held together well-it had my attention the whole time and beautifully used appropriate cutaways during interviews. My own attempts at documentary are not even near as complete. Bravo, kids. Bravo.

The funniest one? "Dino-Utopia" by Blair Scott. Very simple plot: a boy tries to decide between playing with his dinosaurs and doing his calculus homework. Even that short description is hilarious. LOVED it.

"Bromance" by Will Wiggins and Lee Cortopassi was also hilarious. Whenever you make a music video and call it "Bromance" and it's made my high school boys, you have a recipe for fun.

"Trauma" by Torriano Johnson and Breaana Rodiguez was quite intense. It was a docu-drama about the effects of drunk driving. At first, I thought there was a mock-crash and some kid filmed it, but then it continued on. And the emotions were quite real. I'm pretty sure I shed a tear watching it. I, like many others, knew someone who was killed because of drunk driving, and it really hit me. What a way to send a powerful message!

The film that blew me away the most was "This Keeps Happening" by Drew Angle. (Click here to watch the entire 20-minute film on vimeo.) The images were absolutely beautiful. Very clear, wonderful colors, great composition. The acting was very well done, and the story was complex and emotional. It was about a suicidal man dealing with his love for his dead sister and the murder he just committed - his dead sister's husband. The man talks to himself - as another version of himself starts talking back. It blew my mind how a 16-18 year old could put something together like that when it's BETTER than a lot of college student films I had seen. Definitely my favorite of the night, and I can't wait for it to be online so I can see it again.

I don't want to make a comment on any of the experimentals, since I don't really understand the genre. And from what I DO understand, you can't critique it. It defies the rules, so how can you critique any of it using rules? I have to mention, though, that these high schoolers understand the genre a lot better than I do!

Best of luck to all the talented highschoolers who participated! I can't wait to see what they are doing five years from now!

(PS - I loved going to this festival, but this blog post is XC for videography class. Yay! :)

"Audition"

A company manager is holding auditions for a part in a ballet. The prospects do not look promising. She curtly dismisses the first girl... and several after. When "Number 18" auditions, it seems like all problems have been solved - until disaster strikes! The manager is left to cast another dancer, much against her will, and "Number 18" is left to face what she has lost.

Written and Directed by Rebecca Faith Rinker

Company Manager – Starleisha Michelle Gingrich

Number 1 – Ashley Neff

Number 18 – Liz Vansant

Marie Fiori – Daniela Fiorentino

Grip – Tim Bean

Music by Sean Reynolds

Special Thanks to –

Acclamation Dance Ministry

Ashley Joya Morgan

Reid Perkins-Buzo

Star Trek Makeup!

Star Trek won the Oscar for Best Makeup this year!

If you didn't already know, I'm extremely interested in makeup.

I love all elements of it! I'm a Mary Kay consultant, which I love SO much! You can check out my website to see what's hot!!!

I'm also interested in special FX makeup.

Right now, I'm taking a theatrical makeup course at Temple University. So far, I'm having a lot of fun making myself look old!

Old Age FX using Ben Nye cream makeup

For my class, we had an assignment to write a paper on the use of makeup in a film. I know a lot of my peers chose Alice in Wonderland, which is supposedly amazing (I have yet to see it), but for me, there wasn't even a choice.

Here's my paper on makeup usage in Star Trek!

(You don't have to read the entire thing, so feel free to skim! Just let me know what you think!)

Rebecca Faith Rinker

Makeup

16 March 2010

Creating Character: FX Makeup in Star Trek

Star Trek (2009) features both human and alien characters. The Vulcan and Romulan species were very human-like and did not use full-face prosthetics, while other alien species had altered features that required use of prosthetics.

Spock is half-Vulcan, half-human, and the makeup reflects this. His eyebrows are raised on the edge and the tops of his ears are pointed. His hair is neatly cropped around his face in a straight line; a hairstyle that has become iconic and easily recognizable as “Spock hair.” However, he still has some human in him. There is a reddish tone to his skin. He always looks concerned, partially because of his severe eyebrows, but probably assisted by shadow between his eyes. This makeup makes him look very awkward, but that is exactly who Spock is. Spock is not comfortable with himself. He does not understand his identity, since he is a mix of species, and therefore he has the qualities of an adolescent boy.

Nero is a Romulan. He, like Spock, displays many human features, but has many new characteristics to his face. His eyebrows are upturned severely at the edges, even more than Spock’s. His face is covered in tribal-like tattoos, and his skin has a dull yellowish tone. His cheeks seem very sallow and his eyes are made to look very deeply let. His brow bone itself is re-shaped, perhaps using a silicone prosthetic. The overall effect is chilling. The extreme tattoos suggest that he is foreign from the norms in our society. His deep-set eyes and slender cheeks make him look powerful and evil, which is exactly what he is. Nero is the antagonist, seeking to destroy planets and races that the crew of The Enterprise holds dear.

Other alien species have full-face prosthetics that transforms the entire shapes of their faces. Some appear evil, while some appear kind. One girl appears completely human – except for the fact that her skin happens to be dark green. Her character even behaves like a human.

Aliens have the heaviest makeup in Star Trek, but humans also have makeup that characterizes them. When Kirk is young and restless, he often appears dirty. He gets in many fights, and he is covered in blood. As he is older, he becomes more clean-cut, as he is the captain. Kirk is young and full of energy. His skin is tanned and he appears strong. Uhura, the beautiful lieutenant, is the type who does not mess around, but she is effortlessly attractive. Her makeup enhances her beauty without being overpowering. She does not appear prissy or glamorous, but rather, fresh and clean. She seems to sparkle, but the viewer does not consciously think about her mascara or lipstick.

It is no wonder that Star Trek won Best Makeup at the Academy Awards this year. The artists created many races of aliens: They brought to life amazing creatures with large eyes, extra eyes, different skin colors, lower mouths, bubbly skin, scaly hands, as well as showing the transitions in the characters through the use of the makeup. This film could not even exist without the makeup FX.

Makeup-free actor Eric Bana becomes the evil Nero, a Romulan, through the magic of makeup.

Half-human, half-Vulcan Spock has upturned eyebrows, pointed ears, a constantly concerned expression and very flat cheeks, while human Kirk appears youthful, strong, and tanned.

Here's a really cool link about the creation of the FX: Barney Burnam Talks Star Trek Makeup

And with that I leave you. Live long and prosper! \V/

How long have I been in this storm?

I created this project in February of 2008 for my Created and Called for Community class at Messiah College. I was a freshman and, at that time, I had only taken Intro to Film. Thus, the lighting is horrible (fluorescents? yuck!) and the color temp is off and I have no room tone at the beginning, but it's all made up for by the LOVELY dance these girls did.

Kristine Williams (the girl with the brown hair!) is the Head Choreographer of Acclamation Dance Ministry. Ashley Morgan (the blonde!) is the Artistic Director. Acclamation uses different forms of dance as an expression of worship, which is something I was never really exposed to before I came to college. It has seriously changed how I view worship and my relationship to God.

Who am I?

This is a tough question to answer. Every artist puts a bit of themselves in their work. It wouldn't be art otherwise, would it? Art is a personal expression of the soul. This is my reflection on who I am. It barely scratches the surface, but it's impossible to sum up any one person in sixty seconds. Early, I say that I don't want you to ask me who I am. I hate being introspective. I like to think about other people or characters, not myself. Even if the characters are similar to me, they aren't me. I can change anything about them that I want. Maybe that's why a self-portrait was so hard for me. I know who I am, but I don't know how to tell you who I am. This is my effort to show a piece of myself to you.

Special thanks to Robert Hornak for recording the beautiful music in the background and to Laura Deeney for being so willing when I showed up at her door with a camera.

Here's the dialog, for my hearing impaired mother ;) Love you!

My name is Rebecca

Ok, a lot of people call me Becca

But don't ask me who I am

Since who I am is always changing

And if I told you now, would my answer be the same tomorrow?

I'll try anyways.

I love stories.

They are always swirling around in my head

On the page, and on the screen.

I see beauty all around me

In the dirty city streets

And in the faces of my friends.

Sometimes I've got it together

But sometimes I'm a mess

But I figure that's alright

It's just me.

And I feel I'm always coming and going

But sometimes

I like to be exactly where I am right now.

Re/Mix - Who does the media say you are?

This is my Re/Mix project created for my Videography class at Temple University. I took video and audio found from the web to create something new. I do not own any of this content and I do not claim any right to any content within this video.

I have thought a lot about how young girls grow up with poor self-esteem now days. They totally forget that they are beautiful and original and wonderful just as they are. The media is everywhere, telling us what to do and who to be. This is my fight back.



http://blip.tv/file/get/Videography_spring_10-RebeccaRinkerReMix766.m4v

Absence, 16mm short short film

This is a project I did in the spring of 2009 for my 16mm Filmmaking class at Messiah College. It is shot in color on a Bolex camera.

The double exposure near the beginning was done IN the camera - NOT in post production! This is my little bragging point of this little project. ;)

Please tell me your interpretations of what's going on. It's a little experimental, so you can interpret however you want.

Starring Candice Martin and Jonathan Stutzman.

Original music by Sam Coakley.

My crew was B. Neil Plumley and Lynn George.

Enjoy!

Breaking Out

Hello Internet World!

I'm really excited to be starting my first blog... By saying my first blog, I'm not including the xanga that I updated religiously in middle school or the myspace that I lived on in high school. I can't wait to begin sharing my video work and my opinions on film! I welcome any feedback at all!

A little about me...

I'm a twenty-year-old film student at Temple University and Messiah College. I want to be a producer, but I absolutely love writing and directing too. I have a passion for children's media, since I love kids so much and I find them totally fascinating. I also like stories that are a little "different." A lot of my work deals with the relationships between people and how they can change. I like to think about new ways to tell stories.

I've heard arguments that everything worth seeing has already been done, but I absolutely disagree with this. One new element can change the feel of two very similar stories. That's why I love film. The filmmaker invites you to actually experience something. And no two experience are ever alike. So, how can everything be done already? I don't think it can be. And I don't think it ever will be!