On Monday, January 13th at the Hollywood Arclight Theater, two-time Emmy Award winner Todd Masters, Founder & President of Character FX studio MastersFX, and his team will present "An Evening Celebrating Practical FX," and will offer a 25th anniversary screening and a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight.
Masters and his team will be showcasing their outstanding practical FX work, which was featured in the classic Ernest Dickerson-directed movie.
The evening was been inspired by the fact that the Visual Effects Society made the decision to reinstate their "Practical/Special FX" Award into their annual VES Award ceremonies, which will be held on January 29th.
We brought back this award to recognize and celebrate a key component of the visual effects artistry created each year, and are asking for your support," said Mike Chambers, VES Board of Directors. "The VES is working to raise awareness of the award among studios, production companies, VFX production facilities and other stakeholders."
Masters says he is amazed at just how prevalent - and in-demand - practical, on-set, special FX continue to be, even within today’s highly digital universe, in the making of television shows and feature films around the world.
"Hand-crafted make-up effects, dummies, fake bodies, puppets, aliens, props, and countless types of monsters, have been – and remain - the core of our business for over 30 years now," said Masters. "Our practical FX work is still in high-demand, and, if anything, seems to be more popular with directors and producers of TV series and features than ever before."
He adds, "The fact that the Visual Effects Society has FINALLY brought back the ‘Practical FX Award’ for their 2020 VES Awards ceremonies is a very big deal for our industry! We are thrilled and delighted that our specialized niche within the FX realm remains strong, important, impactful, engaging. Our work is finally, to paraphrase Rodney Dangerfield, ‘Getting Some Respect’ within the entertainment community!"
In Demon Knight, starring Billy Zane, William Sadler, and Jada Pinkett Smith, "Brayker (Sadler) is a man who carries the last of seven keys - special containers which held the blood of Christ and were scattered across the universe to prevent the forces of evil from taking over. If The Collector (Zane) gets the last key, the universe will fall into chaos. The Collector has been tracking Brayker all the way to a small inn in a nowhere town, where the final battle for the universe begins."
In addition to Demon Knight, Masters provided special effects for Big Trouble in Little China, Night of the Creeps, Predator, Poltergeist II, Slither, Child's Play (2019), "True Blood", "Dexter" and many more!
