Composite Effects (CFX) is a Baton Rouge company that makes some of the most realistic and expressive silicone masks on the market. They’ve done work on films like 2 Guns, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Treme, and Twilight, and some of their masks are also used by 13th Gate, a nationally recognized haunted house in Baton Rouge. CFX also produces officially licensed pro silicone masks for HBO’s Game of Thrones and for some of the characters in the Marvel universe.
This is a video I made that shows how CFX makes masks.
Diana Branton, CFX’s creative director, gave me a tour of their facility. Then she sat down with me and Christopher Hamburger, one of the company’s shop technicians, to talk about their mask making process, what distinguishes an excellent mask from a mediocre one, and why masks captivate our imagination.
Listen to the Podcast
Related Things
- CFX’s website: cfxentertainment.com
- The Boxtrolls website, theboxtrolls.com. (Be sure to stay for the end to see the year’s best animated philosophical discourse!)
- The most compelling theatrical show I’ve seen involving masks was produced by this theatre company: faustwork.ca.
- The Fast Company interview with James Cameron
- This is the video CFX made in partnership with the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge to raise awareness for the arts. See if you can spot me in there somewhere:
(A mad scientist is one more character to add my semi-illustrious acting resume. Other characters I’ve played include a bumbling caveman and a racist musician, and for both of those I was told that I was perfect for the part. I’ve also played a bad poet, a conniving assistant, and a gangster. The one time I got to play a decent character in a bigger production was when I played Montano in a production of Othello, but that one is of course a tragedy. I’m not focused on pursuing an acting career, but I wouldn’t mind getting asked to play a decent character in triumphant story, just once.)
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Great podcast Nick! Looking forward to the next one!
Hi Nick!
Happy Halloween!
I enjoyed listening to this interview and learning some of he “behind the mask???” 🙂 aspect…well…of mask making, that many people might not think about.
I also liked the video clip and thought incorporating zombies was a great way to catch the public’s attention and build awareness of the important role the arts play in making life delightful and joyful, something I agree with very much.
Take care!