Fantastic Flesh

I'm not sure if what I watched is what others are commenting on. I purchased this thinking Brad Bird would be hosting, but he and Carroll Ballard are not anywhere in this video, which includes the credits. As well, on Amazon's description of the video, Gary Leva is billed as the director but Kevin Vanhook is the actual director listed in the credits... ????I'm a huge fan of this kind of FX work and makeup, so I'm rating it 3/5 in spite of the info disparity (which slightly affected my expectations). Anyhow, the poor video quality is countered with a litany of Hollywood heavyweights, but I'm still confused about the info that Amazon has billed it with. Plus, is that Tom Cruise on the cover? Again, I'm wondering if there's been a mix-up by Amazon on this.If anyone who rated this 4 or 5 stars can verify whether or not the version you saw had Brad Bird in it, I'd be greatly obliged. I'd love to see that video if this was just a goof.

Granted that it is a documentary, I found it informative as far as the history of make-up effects up until present day. Little did I realize that there were other great artists aside from Lon Chaney, such as Jack Pierce, the creator of the iconic Universal Frankenstein Monster who created the pieces from mere cotton! It also has unique behind the scenes footage from movies old and new, showcasing how these incredible minds set forth their craft even before the advent of show-stopping CGI. Even better, it shows the latest direction in which CGI and Practical effects have become intermeshed and how they will affect future movies. While the title sounds like a how-to video, it's more of an appreciation for the people who started it all. There is even a tribute to Stan Winston who had passed away suddenly from a rare blood cancer (see Fangoria magazine in 2008, october issue I think) which I think was quite touching.

This is a great documentary all about special effects and provides a lot of historical information about the development of special effects in movies. People should not order this expecting a lot of how to information: what products are used, how to construct them, etc. This is not an instructional video, and if you order it for that information you will definitely be disappointed! But this is a great documentary that is both entertaining and informative, well shot, and well edited. Any movie buff will enjoy this fun little feature and it's a great deal (I got mine for about $7), so it would make a great gift for your aspiring actor, makeup artist, theater/movie fan.

It is a very cool DVD, shows you the people behind the scenes. I however thought they would show us how they do some of the tricks of the trade. They show a lot of clips, and how they "arranged scenes", but not what they used or how they made things. Very interesting to watch, just not an instruction documentary. I recommend if anyone just wants to see some behind the scenes of horror movies.

I'm not sure what I was expecting. I love to watch the "making of" specials of movies so I can see how things are done, it fascinates me. While this production had some of that, I remember mostly interviews describing how long it took to put on the "effects" and how much different it is today compared to when movies were first made. It has plenty of shots of actors in makeup but not much technical detail of how it is made or applied. It seemed very dry and I am not anticipating wanting to watch it again.

Excellent video to see what happens behind the scenes. However, I thought it would show something for me to learn but it didn't.I would recommend this to people that are interested in behind the scenes information.

I ordered this with a bunch of other items. I had a project to do but I wasn't sure where to start. This item didn't happen to be part of what i used, but I put it in the library for possible future needs.

Very nice video with lots of good info on make up FX artists. With such a low price I can't really complain. This is not so much an instructional video as it is a documentary. I've enjoyed watching it several times.

I bought this looking for a "how to" for special effects. Instead this is more a documentary about some of the pioneers and artists past and present, discussing their experiences on some of the great special effect movies of the past. Not quite what I was intending, but still very interesting and entertaining. Well worth a look if you are interested in this subject.

Dear FriendsThis DVD is about the history of the make up artists, who have over time provine themselves, Artists. Generally the artists of horror and their effects done in horror films of yesterday. When I originally ordered this DVD, I thought it was a guide to "how to apply special effects makeup. I am more interested in how to apply the make-up and there are very few DVDs on the market . The DVD title and photo are both misleading. This DVD is not to expensive but I would not recommend this DVD, unless you are looking for the history.

I found the movie interesting in the material it discussed, but it was focused on talking about amazing makeup and the lives of the people behind it, but unfortunately any detail on how they did this makeup. I left the movie without having my curiosity satisfied. Very minimal detail in the special features as well.

would love to see something like this having a little more detail in the work and techniques of the professionals

A must have in any collection of Special Effects and FX Makeup Fans ot there. The Interviews with all the Classic Directors of Zombie films and FX Makeup Legends.