Face Off

Face Off, the SFX make-up show that airs on Skiffy, has already been renewed for Season 3! I love to watch this show, though I think that this season's crop of contestants haven't shown quite as much promise as last season's. I partially blame the show, though--there have been way too many group challenges, which I think stunts creativity a little, IMO.

(If there were a drinking game for this show, a smile from Glenn Hetrick would have to involve pounding a whole 6 pack.)

Matt and Beki are the only ones that I've seen turn in good work week after week. Beki and Jerry are minorly insufferable. They're the worst attitude-wise on the show but compared to other shows they're like the fluffy bunnies of evil, not full bore evil. And Sue (? I think that's her name. The one who worked with Beki this week on that terrible spider) has the best reactions. She's so OTT about everything.

Yikes. I feel bad for anyone who works with Beki because she's so brash and severe. Even if you don't like someone's technical or artistic approach to a project, you don't have to tell them it looks like shit or walk away muttering that something's "f*cking dumb," like she did with Sue.

Aside from any personality problems Beki has, I think she made a tactical error on this one--when you have immunity, you should still turn out your best work. "Letting" her partner "direct" because she had immunity just makes her look lazy, vindictive, and the opposite of a team player--which, in case she hadn't noticed, is what working in film & television is all about. Then blaming her partner in front of the judges--not smart, Beki.

Wonder what the cliffhanger is all about.

Exactly. Sue didn't hold a gun to her head and make her go along with the plan. If Beki really didn't want to do the texturing of the exoskeletal piece (which she made clear when she said it was "f*cking dumb" or whatever), then she should've kept her foot down on that issue and refuse to texture her work. It isn't as if she were trying to avoid conflict by pacifying Sue. She should've just owned her decision and not have thrown her partner under the bus at the judging panel.

I'm never thrilled about old age makeup challenges. I think a fair percentage of Americans try to make themselves look younger, so the yellow teeth and nutty skin discoloration feels costume-y and unrealistic.

I was glad to see Beki in the bottom this week--she's talented, but she needed to be put in her place. Her work was truly awful.

I think Sue deserved the win, but her over-the-top reactions continue to be hilarious. I honestly can't imagine her surviving a tough production environment if criticism or creative conflict always send her into puddles of despair.

Next week, ALIENS! WOOHOO! And Kunta Kinte.

It's pretty hard not to laugh at old age makeup challenges because the results usually look so fake and ridiculous. Beki's was truly awful though! The woman looked like she had a dislocated jaw or something. At least she wasn't fighting with her teammates this week though. Matt's bumpy, coneheaded guy looked hilarious. The makeup itself wasn't terrible, but the forehead just ruined everything.

At this point, I think my fave is Rayce. I'm always hoping for him to do well. Glad he got through another week!

THANK YOU! I am so freakin' happy Jerry is gone. I could not stand his inflated ego.

Jebus, no kidding. I hope the stage door hit him in the ass on the way out.

I didn't totally agree with the judges this week--I thought that RJ's makeup was extremely weak, poorly constructed, and badly painted. Just blech. Beki deserved to be safe, but if that makeup had appeared later in the competition I think she would have been kicked off.

I loved Ian's bat girl, and I think he definitely deserved the win. He turned problems into opportunities, put out a gorgeous paint job, and the dude is only 22. He's got a great career ahead of him, I think, no matter how he finishes this competition.

All what you said about Ian, Xyzzy and plus he genuinely seems like a nice, humble guy who can work really well with others. Connor is working on the Hunger Games with Patrick and I don't doubt that Ian will be working on whatever movie Ve is doing after the show wraps. So glad Jerry is gone but even moreso that Sue outlasted him. And she stood there and did a great Sue gape in his face when his name was called. Ha!

I, for one, think the models aren't given near enough credit. What a job. Sit still for four hours. Don't breathe. Get poisoned. Don't pee. Get naked. Now dance. Occasionally a model will just stand there, but more often than not they try to give life to the work, and can really make or break.

Oh, and Vi? I'm with Tara on the mouth business. I sure the model would have been a trouper and gone on with blood dripping from his lip, but at least appreciate that Tara had consideration for the human being she's working with. And the union would have your head on a plate.

WOW. The ego on Jerry is scarier than the alien he created! He just openly bashes Sue's work saying she should've been critiqued harshly and that he should have won. I really appreciated Beki saying that he had no right to bash anyone. She's obviously not a big fan of Sue's either, but even she knew it was just a shitty thing to do to talk crap about her. Talk about sour ass grapes, dude. Glad to see him go!

Ian did an excellent job, and so did Rayce. I really loved the look of Rayce's alien! I'm really happy they're both still doing well because I've greatly enjoyed them and their work all season.

Corvus, I hear you on the model credit. I get claustrophobic watching them put on those full head appliances. I would feel smothered. And I've heard that those full-eye contact lenses are very uncomfortable. I also like it when they try and get into character, which many of them do.

I can't remember which one did the pale alien where the ear didn't form properly. I noticed that the model's hair was sticking through a hole in the back of the appliance in a ponytail, rather than smoothed down under the bald cap. I don't remember seeing a subsequent back view to see what they ended up doing to cover the hair.

I'm so amused by the quirky "acting" choices of so many of the models. Plenty of them really get into character and adopt strange gaits and whatnot. I love seeing how they'll bring the creations to life! The fact that they can sit still for several hours while getting the makeup and appliances attached to their faces and bodies is incredible to me. I'd end up squirming within the first half hour!

I could see Rayce getting the win but RJ's design was the winner for me. Considering the fact that when I saw the choices I just knew for a fact that whoever got bellhop was screwed and bellhop turned out to be so fantastic (not to mention his actor was a hoot) I really thought he should have won. [DING]

I am shocked that Beki got the boot. I don't think she deserved it over Sue because IMO she was much more talented. And considering we've seen her help others when she had the time and also has had some THs where she's been kind to Sue, I'm thinking she got more of a bad edit than she may have deserved.

I loved the bellhop, too, but the concept behind Rayce's work was persuasive. It's interesting that the two top looks were very sculptural--cleaner, harder edges, more graphic and simplistic. Regardless, both designs were bold, had character, and didn't need to be too spelled out. The more Sue explained, the less convincing her concept became.

I thought it would be Beki, Rayce, and Ian for the top three, but that clearly needs rethinking. I don't see Sue making it much further, though.

Next up, DINOSAURS! This show pushes all mah buttons.

I was surprised to see Beki and Sue being so civil to each other and having a discussion in the kitchen. I didn't know which of them I thought should be sent home because Sue's work didn't look at all Burtonesque, but then again, Beki didn't do much but throw garish Burton makeup and buckteeth on her model. Oh, and she made a cupcake.

Wow, this was a pretty great week. I actually liked Sue's work for once. Her skatersaur was super cute. I knew she wouldn't make it, though--if Glen doesn't like it, it's not going anywhere.

While I wasn't a fan of the rapper-raptor concept, I loved the sculpt and the feathers on RJ's creation. I wasn't a huge fan of Rayce's concept, but I think his make-up was very successful. He has great techical skills. And I've liked Ian all along.

One thing I really like about this show is that they don't screw around. They don't accept excuses--if your model gets sick, you'll paint another. There are no "surprise" non-eliminations or messing around with the rules. I like how we get to see the judges really look over the makeups and evaluate the work. And in terms of artistic talent, every single contestant could kick ass over any Work of Art contender this year.

I'm calling Ian to win. I feel like he's consistently turned in very well done stuff, or stuff that would have been well done if he'd had more time.

I am rooting for RJ all the way. I just really like him and he's been pretty consistent as well.

I actually like them all but I think Rayce is going to win. I'm rooting for RJ but I wouldn't mind if any of them took it.

My only complaint about the show is that I wish they had done the double eliminations during at least one of the team challenges rather than the later challenges. But I do think the right people made it to the end.

I wish I watched the first season because it's become one of my favorite shows.

The first season was really great. I didn't even know the show existed until a couple of months ago. I acquired the first season and watched it in a day. There are *coughcough* ways to access it. ;)

All three finalists did really well. Rayce did amazing work, and I'm sure the other two will also go on to great careers.

Good to hear the contestants saying nice things about each other at the end. Good luck to all of them in continuing in the biz.

All of them deserved to be there and I really thought that whoever won I would be happy. Before it started I was really rooting for Ian but when I saw the creatures and the dance, I totally thought RJ won. Even without my preconceived notions I thought the tops were RJ, Ian and Rayce in a way distant third. The guy with bad paint and two broken make-ups won? Blergh. I think all of them have bright careers ahead of them and are all really great guys but I don't agree with the judges. Whatevs, bring on season 3.

That was terrible! Dance? Disco lights and fog machines? Bright, intrusive backdrop lighting? Buhuh? How about 'we provide you with a story' (because unless you're George Romero your job is visualize a writer's creation, not come up with 'back story') and we will provide a suitable environment to display it. Like a film set. Where it will be seen in the proper frame of reference. And you bring our idea to life, showing us elements we hadn't even imagined. (So Famous Make Up Dad, did you come up with the character of Data? Or did you work with the production to realize their vision of the character?)

Comparing to Project Runway (as you do with any show that takes on the model), the last contest is deliberately not about time-crunch or odd constraints. It's all you, designer. We've had plenty of opportunity to see how the artists respond to insane constraints, disaster, whatever. I want to see them unfettered. No, it's not how the real business works, but neither is the notion that you'd be expected to come up with creatures for a dance performance you aren't going to know a single thing about ahead of time. The choreography was done independently, but tell me, Vi, would you attempt to conceive a design without demanding to at least hear the music first?

I get that they wanted a stage show for the audience, but yeesh. That was a muddled mess. And everyone was so nice and hardworking! But watching them flail around for concepts (out of thin air) was not fun. Nor a good test of the talents they're being judged on. (To be sure, creativity is essential, but they get sweaty over how their craftsmanship is assessed up close and personal.)

They were all such good sports, too.