The character’s face and body parts not covered by wardrobe were first prepped and then painted. Lauren Vogt specialized in this procedure and patiently cleaned up and finished nearly all the film’s puppets, making them ready for wardrobe and makeup. Removal of the excess latex flashing was the first order of business. That excess latex is referred to as flashing. Once the foam has set, the mold is pulled apart, and there is a seam of latex where the various parts of the mold join one another. Molds are generally made of two halves, but can have more pieces depending on the puppet’s complexity, which fit together tightly before the liquid latex foam is injected. She created techniques on Nightmare that have since become industry standards. DeCarlo is known for her innovative problem-solving and inventive solutions in the world of stop-motion animation. She and her team of skillfully trained artists and craftspeople handled the character-finishing process, including painting and adding costumes and accessories. The character fabricator supervisor on the film was Bonita DeCarlo, who had gained experience in stop-motion working with Selick on fifty-two Pillsbury Doughboy spots and two Ritz Bits commercials at Colossal Pictures in the Bay Area. Puppets with metal skeletons emerged ready for the next phase of preparation. The molds were then baked for several hours so that the latex would harden to the desired consistency. The precision of placement was necessary so that the different parts of the puppets would register properly from frame to frame. This step required first carefully placing the finished metal armatures made of steel and aluminum into the mold and then injecting liquid latex foam around them. With finished molds, the team was then able to start casting puppets out of liquid latex. Mold maker supervisor John Reed and his team made molds of the finished sculptures and then cast a silicon master of each as a backup. Once the clay sculptures are approved, the fabrication process began. If a mistake or oversight happens at this stage, it could have costly and disruptive consequences during production. That review included the input from various department supervisors offering their critique, concerns, and suggestions, which are all considered before final approval. I explained the rigorous process of getting the master sculptures of each character approved and ready for the next step. In Puppet Fabrication-Part 1, I wrote about the process that goes into the designing and planning behind the puppet fabrications for Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas.
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