Newsletter - January 1, 2006

Thank you for visiting my web site and allowing me to share my work with you. My goal is to continually create an interesting and informative window of my work and to allow visitors an opportunity to tour the exciting world of make-up special effects. I welcome your emails and comments and will try to respond as time permits.

2005 finished with a plethora of jobs. Overall 2005 was an extremely great year for work and especially working on the second season (the shows 6th Season) of "CSI". I have the pleasure working with a great production crew and cast and creating some wonderful and challenging effects. Working through our 3rd season of "NCIS" and creating bodies and make-up effects for the series was equally as challenging. Creating all of the interior body shots for "House" and supplying all of the make-up effects appliances (as of December 2005) for the rest of the shows 2nd season has kept us on our toes!. Manufacturing and applying all of the make-up effects for the pilot and 10 episodes of "Night Stalker" was a major work highlight but unfortunately the series was canceled.

On the film front we created a prosthetic double mastectomy make-up effects on Diane Keaton for "The Family Stone". In "Truth, Justice & the American Way" a false body of Ben Affleck as well as prosthetics for him to portray George Reeves (the original TV "Superman"). Prosthetics were applied by John Jackson. Prosthetics for Kelsey Grammar, applied by Jamie Kelman for "Even Money". A prosthetic Fat Make-up on Allison Hannigan for "Date Movie". Additional mutant prosthetics and young angel wing nubs for "X-Men 3" (directed by Brett Ratner). Prosthetics and make-up effects for "Omen 666" (directed by John Moore), shot in Prague, prosthetics applied by Chris Burgoyne. Head casts and motion capture helmets for "Beowulf" directed by (Robert Zemeckis). "Poseidon" directed by Wolfgang Peterson, in which we supplied 8 primary floating bodies and our bondo prosthetic wounds for all the injury and underwater casualty make-ups of which I was told held up extremely well for all the underwater shooting. We are now supplying bondo appliances for "Rocky 6" & "Factory Girl" with Guy Pearce as Andy Warhol. Creating and manufacturing prosthetics for "Seraphim Falls" (Make-up Department Headed by Christina Smith with Make-up Effects applications by Clinton Wayne and Christina).

Commercial work included a "Wachovia" spot aging a couple 40 years. A "Halls" commercial turning actors into 3 pigs and a wolf for a twist on the old fable. "Terminix" commercial creating faces-in-the-wall prosthetic effects with various wall textures for 4 actors. Watch for an interactive web site with the faces on the Terminix web site. Ryan McDowell manufactured a great oversized bath duck with bulging eyes for a "Black and Decker" commercial.

"Wicked" the musical is still breaking box office records across the country and we are proud to be a part of the phenomenon. It has been so successful that we have set up a separate division to manufacture and supply the Broadway, Chicago and US tour with Monkeys, Dr. Dillamond (Goat), Mid-Wife (Goat), Luggage (Rat), Conductor (Bull), Tin Man & Scarecrow prosthetic and masks. If everything goes as planned there will also be a production in London during the fall of this year creating even more work for our "Wicked" mask and prosthetic department.

Our process of bondo appliances has certainly taken off in the last year. The extremely soft bondo encapsulated in our Alcohol based "Soft Sealer" skinned prosthetics make them ideal for use as a small to medium sized prosthetic eye bruises supplied for "Rocky 6", casualty wounds supplied for "Poseidon" or even an upper lip appliance supplied for Guy Pearce as Andy Warhol in "Factory Girl". These appliances are great for actors who perspire a lot or have to be wet all day and are extremely easy to apply with the lightest touch of 99% Alcohol.

There has been a lot of use of "Nu-Baldies" plastic skinned Plat-Sil gel filled silicone appliances in the last couple of years. Thanks to Ryan McDowell we have had great success making silicone appliances with the "Nu-Baldies" skin and filled with Silicone, Inc. tin-based 475 silicone which has a very low leach property when highly plastisied. However, I still feel in the right circumstance that gelatin, foam latex and even bondo appliances still have there place in our great world of creative make-up effects.

On a very sad note we lost Julie Pearce a very talented make-up artist in December of 2005. Julie and I met during the filming of "The Game" and became instant friends and colleagues. Julie’s wit and sometimes sarcastic spirit kept us all laughing. Her constant love for the art helped me strive to make even better updates in my art. We continued working together on "Gone in 60 Seconds", "The Score", "Panic Room" and "25th Hour". Working with director Brett Ratner on "Red Dragon" and "After the Sunset" we both had a great time supplying Brett with whatever he requested from us artistically. Julie would always call upon me when she was in need of prosthetics or special make-up and advise which made more of a bond with her. Julie was taken from us too soon and I for one will miss her very very much. This just goes to show that we all must live life to the fullest and of utmost importance, enjoy what you do in your life and how your life affects others.

Have a great and very prosperous 2006, I know we will.

Matthew W. Mungle