Science Fiction Filme) Dear Mr. Mungle. Who can claim to make themselves immortal by creating one of the most iconic looks in film history: BRAM STOKERS DRACULA (1992). But we can also see your art in CITIZEN COHN (1993), SCHINDLERS LIST (1993) or GHOST OF MISSISSIPPI (1996). Can you briefly tell us a little about your life? Could you please tell us something what you did before you come into filmbusiness. Why have you choosen the way of being into make-up? What was your first job in this business and how did you get it?
Matthew Mungle) I grew up in Atoka, OK and became interested in movie makeup when I saw “The Seven Faces of Doctor Lao”. My interest grew even more when I saw Planet of the Apes in 1968. At that time, I had purchased Dick Smith's Monster Makeup Handbook and Richard Corson's Stage Makeup book. I began to learn how to do makeup, sculpting and making molds from those books and also any other books I could pick up. You have to remember there was no internet just books and magazines that I could learn from. I started working at a local movie theater in 1972, making myself up, creating costumes and promoting films that would show at the theatre. The first film I promoted was “Battle for the Planet of the Apes”. I made myself up as a chimpanzee and walked around the town of Atoka, which was basically two blocks long. No one knew me there because I had made myself up and I acted like a chimpanzee all day. At the end of the day the owner of the theater, John Thompson, gave me a check for $15. That was my first check I earned as a makeup artist.
I then went to Oklahoma State University where I majored in theater in 1975 and was immediately put on the fast track to creating makeup, props and anything else they wanted me to do in the theater at OSU. In 1977, I moved to Houston, TX, just for the summer, to work at Astro World and a little film called “Star Wars” came out at the time. During the summer there was a sci-fi convention, and Rick Baker was going to speak. I quickly got my portfolio, ran down and met him. He suggested I go to the Joe Blasco Makeup Center in Hollywood. At the end of that year, after finishing a semester at OSU, I moved to Hollywood, having enrolled at the Joe Blasco Makeup Center and began my career. It was a dream come true. I was finally on the fast track to being a professional makeup artist.
My first professional job was on “ROAR” in the summer of 1978.
SFF.) Is there anyone or any movie or event or tv-series or whatever which made you think: “Alright, I want to do the same thing.” Do you have any personal idols in your business?
M.M.) My idols and mentors are Joe Blasco and Dick Smith. I spent a day with Dick Smith in September of 1980, when I was doing pickups in New York on “Just Before Dawn”. That was an eye opener to me because Dick was so free and open with sharing his information. It solidified what I wanted to do as a makeup artist and a professional. To give back. Because when you give, you receive back tenfold.
SFF.) You were starting your career in the glorious decade of the 80s and 90s. What do you think about that time? Why do people love this period of movies?
M.M.) That was really an amazing time period. It was the beginning of makeup effects as we know it today. You had to know what you were doing because there was no CGI touch up, so your work had to be 150% when they filmed it. I do love the movies of that time because they are so raw and we did all practical effects.
SFF.) In 1987, you founded W.M. Creations together with Clinton Wayne. Why did you choose starting an own company at that time? Is it because you want to do your own independent thing? Was it difficult back then (or even today) to assert yourself against the competition?
M.M.) I actually started WM Creations with John Jackson, my partner, in 1987. Clinton Wayne didn’t join us until 1996. After John and I finished working on “Natural Born Killers” in 1993, I decided I would rather open my own makeup effects company and I could work on several projects at a time. Which would feed my creative soul, instead of just doing department head makeup jobs and working on one to three projects a year. It began another whole chapter in my life.
SFF.) What is your opinion about education to become an expert in make-up? Is there any requirement or talent you need to have next to enthusiasm?
M.M.) First, you really have to enjoy what you're doing. You must be enthusiastic and willing to work long hours to create your profession. It's a grueling process and a lot of people don't want to work that hard. It's all about stamina and youth. It is very rewarding, but you are working for a company and they're signing your check. If they ask you to create something, it's because of their vision, not yours. Of course, you have input on the creative side and have to learn how to collaborate.
SFF.) Who is the most critical person regarding your make-up work?
M.M.) Myself, of course. I have learned to let that go and to do the work to the best of my ability.
SFF.) I believe movies doesn´t belong to awards. They are for the audience not for prices. But what do you think of your kind of work in film? Is it just a technical one or is it art? Do Make-Up get enough recognition?
M.M.) It's definitely an art. I think we do get enough recognition. There is so much out there about makeup now that people are interested in what is done on a film.
SFF.) You were receiving an Academy Award for Make-Up for BRAM STOKERS DRACULA (1992). I´m guessing the time schedule on such a big budget movie is enormously tight. Did you get enough time to prepare the make-up or was there a big pressure to get it ready on time?
M.M.) Greg Cannon designed the make-up effects looks on the film and his talented crew created all the makeup effects and prosthetics for the film. I came on about three weeks before filming started and was in charge of the application of all the prosthetics on the film. Greg would come in and help with some of the makeups but I was there for the day-to-day set work, especially on Gary Oldman and all of his looks. I loved working on that film and still think of it fondly today. People don't realize that creating the makeup is one thing but the day-to-day application on the film is really what you see on screen.
SFF) Your incredible specialty (at least in my eyes) is the depiction of human appearance or peculiarities such as aging effects, burns, bald heads or even pregnant bellies. Where do these precise observations come from? Do you study a lot of books on anatomy or the like?
M.M.) I study a lot of anatomy and have a lot of books for research. I really observe the surroundings around me. To me, it's important to make things believable which happen in the real world around us.
SFF) Which brings me to my next question about the representation of reality in make-up. After the Academy Award for BRAM STOKERS DRACULA, you were nominated for SCHINDLERS LIST. Two completely different films. How difficult was it for you to leave fantasy and turn to hard-hitting realism?
M.M.) It's very easy for me. As I said, for me, things are based in reality and if they don't look good to the eye, then they won't look good in film.
SFF) I imagine that the production and creative process for SCHINDLER'S LIST didn't leave you unimpressed. How did you strategically go about planning the make-up? Did you look at a lot of pictures from that time and if so, how does it change you (if it did)?
M.M.) I was hired by Christina Smith, the department head on the film, to create realistic bald caps on the actresses and work with Judy Cory, the hair stylist, to create the wigs that went on the bald caps. The parameters were that Steven Spielberg wanted to shoot 360 around the actors and didn't want to see any wrinkles around the neck as are typically seen when using bald caps. I had to design the bald caps so they would stop at the occipital area on the head and the wig would blend into their own hair in the back. We also discovered because the film was black and white, that you couldn't make the typical hair lace wig. The wigs had to be ventilated with blonde hair then the tops of the hair dyed darker, leaving the blonde knots at the base of the hair light so you couldn't see the hair knots in black and white.
SFF) When I read through your filmography, I see that you have worked on many films that try to show a humanistic view of the world. The problems you address are of a socio-political nature. Is that a criterion by which you choose your projects and if so, why?
M.M.) No, basically I wanted to work on as many films and as many genres as I could during my career. I just love doing makeup and creating a look. Thus, I just wanted to work and be an artist.
SFF.) Do you take some (personal) fears into your make-up? Where did you take your inspiration from for this design?
M.M.) There is a lot of insecurities that go into my makeups. I love what I do. I love being creative. Thus, I pour my heart and soul into every project I do. I get inspiration from the world and people around me.
SFF) You've worked on many films or series that don't require make-up from the realm of fantasy. There, instead of being in the fantastic realm, you tend to see very "human" make-up like scars or injuries. To what extent is the difficulty with such make-up?
M.M.) It's very challenging to make something look realistic, because what you see in reality in front of you may not look the same on film. You have to acquire and learn to have the eye for the look of what you're creating. For instance, when we were working on the series “CSI” we would have to refer to various crime scene photos and autopsies from reference books to get everything medically correct. That was the BIGGEST challenge.
SFF) Your Portfolio is a wonderful compilation of fantastic work. Do you have some favorite works of yours and is there a project that, unfortunately, never came to fruition, even though you had already designed a lot for it?
M.M.) Not really. I think I’ve been very fortunate in my career.
SFF) CGI nowadays could be a curse or a blessing. What do you think about it comparing to “old school”- films back in the days? Does it makes the progress easier?
M.M.) I think the blend of the two is marvelous. When I went in for the interview for the series “Salem”, I was told by the producers that they wanted to do everything with practical make-up effects and enhance it with visual effects. I immediately said, “Please sign me up, I want to do just this project”. It really was a dream come true.
SFF) If we look back to the movies you have done, we see that you did a lot of genre-movies. I am really into science fiction (or fantasymovies in general) because I think, that those kind of movies are the best way to show actual political and social events. For example SOYLENT GREEN or SILENT RUNNING. Do you believe that these genres can transfer something to the people?
M.M.) Absolutely. Look at the “Terminator” films and what's happening with AI today? There's a lot of things that were foreseen in movies that we can compare to what's going on in the real world today. Sometimes it's very scary, sometimes it's wonderful.
SFF.) You work for both: cinema and television-series. Could you please give us an overview of the extent to which the working methods in these media are different?
M.M.) Films you usually have a longer prep time and shooting time. In television series I equate production filming to a train leaving a station and it doesn't get in or stop at the next station until you finish the series. It's very short prep time and constant work. I loved working on television series a little bit more than I did on films because it was so fast.
SFF.) Imagine you meet an extraterrestrial one day. He wants to know why you were stuck into movies with just one movie to explain, which will it be and why?
M.M.) Because I love being a makeup artist and being creative. I LOVE envisioning the impossible.
SFF.) I held up with one of the most important question to the end: What was the most difficult make-up/ effect you were working on and why?
M.M.) I think it was both “Heaven and Earth” and “Natural Born Killers”. I had heard Oliver Stone was hard to work with, but I got along with him extremely well because I believe he saw that I was passionate about what I did, and he recognized talent. The shooting was very long days and hard locations on both films. “Natural Born Killers”, of course, had a lot of blood work on it and very gory, something I’m not fond of. It was very stressful
SFF.) Dear Mr. Mungle. I thank you immensely for taking time doing this interview and wish you all the best for your future movie making.
M.M.) Thank you so much for the interview. Please have your readers check out my film and television projects website: www.wmcreationsinc.com and my shop website: www.matthewmunglecreations.com where I’m selling my Lab WorkBook and new Miniature Sculptures. Best