Meet An Awesome Omemee Makeup FX Artist Who Does Work For Films
/Omemee's Rhonda Causton is a super talented makeup FX artist—her business is Reel Twisted FX—who does work for film and TV, and teaches her artform at Fleming College as part of their Continuing Education program.
Rhonda working her magic on set
"There is a lot more to it than just the makeup that goes on the skin," she tells PTBOCanada of her art. "I do life casting, and I sculpt, mold, cast and apply Prosthetic appliances to change the actor's appearance. I also make props such as severed body parts and puppets, for film and TV."
Rhonda on set doing makeup
Since childhood, Rhonda has had a keen interest in being creative and exploring art. "I was always sculpting, drawing, writing," she tells PTBOCanada. "Most of my work depicted monsters of some sort. Being a big fan of sci-fi and horror movies, I was never short of inspiration."
Rhonda on set
As an adult, Rhonda continued to fuel her passion for art by creating sculptures—which she sold on eBay and at shows. But she knew she hadn't yet found her true calling. That all changed when she did some acting in a couple of low budget horror films.
"I met two young makeup FX artists whom I spent most of my time with on set—gazing over their shoulder, watching them work," she tells PTBOCanada. "They told me I should go to school to learn this profession, since I was clearly mesmerized by their creations!"
Rhonda's handy work on Peterborough's Steve Delaire
In 2010, after losing her job, Rhonda decided this might be her last chance to go back to school and do what she's always felt she was meant to do. So she enrolled at S.O.M.A (School of Makeup Art) in Toronto.
Transforming Michelle Ferreri for a Halloween blog shoot Michelle did
"Towards the end of my schooling in Toronto, I asked my teacher whether he knew of any Makeup FX artists in need of shop help, so that I could gain some industry experience," says Rhonda. "I went for an interview with FX artist Paul Jones who was working on the movie Silent HIll: Revelation at the time. He hired me the day I graduated."
More of her amazing FX work pictured above and below
Silent Hill: Revelation was Rhonda's first Makeup FX gig. She was blessed to have had the opportunity to not only meet, but work alongside such amazing talent at PJFX studio—and work with some of the biggest names in Toronto's makeup FX industry.
In 2012, Rhonda officially started her own FX business, Reel Twisted FX. She has done makeup FX work on 16 productions—ranging from music videos to short films to feature films to TV.
Rhonda was also hired at Fleming College to teach a Makeup FX intro course in their Continuing Education program. Since then, she has started to teach two additonal makeup FX related courses there.
Rhonda will be doing a makeup FX demo at the Fleming College Open House Saturday, November 21st. To learn more about her, visit her Facebook page and check out her IMDB credits. You can contact her by email here.
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