Look to the sky: A Face Off Recap

We made it to the finale!  Last night was the season finale of Face Off and in the spirit of the competition, it promised to be daunting and grandiose.  In reality, however I was quite underwhelmed, not unhappy, just disappointed.  The spotlight challenge was written in the stars, quite literally as the final three were asked to create two rival alien species that inhabit a constellation.  In addition to displaying a full newly discovered race, the artists are asked to incorporate lights into the design and make sure they are prepped to do a full athletic dance routine.  The finished products will be preforming an ensemble piece to “Lift me up” by DJ Ruskco.

 

With such “simple” demands, it seems only fair that they get some help for our three remaining hopeful as they bring back some of the more popular members of this season’s Face Off family.  In teams of three, each dives head first into sculpting their two dancing celestials.  It seems that the biggest lynch pin is going to be in the lights themselves and how to integrate them into the design.  My opinion, I would think it would be easiest to figure out the light plan and then building the creature around it, still the question is how much to use and where.

 

Tyler and his team of Graham and Chloe set to work in his tradition of trying to get the faces run in the first day of Lab work.  Unfortunately, due to the light placements, they run out of time and Tyler seems crushed.  He has never, not run a mold in day one, and I can say that his ability to do so up to this point was a huge advantage.  Still, the creations themselves show promise.   Tyler decided to go with differing color palettes from male to female, making his male a deep red color with sharp angular features.  The biggest success however, is his treatment of the male’s body which looks organically hollow and shows great with the strings of red dreads.  His female had a beautiful color treatment of blues and lavenders but, as for the overall shape I found her to be lacking a real sense of complete thought.  They made her more feline, and with the constellation Leo it made sense but she seemed so much smaller than the male and therefore drowned out by him. 

 

George decided to go with a coruscation theme with his aliens from the whale constellation, and with his team of Corrine and Niko set to work on building the two races based on a lighted center.  Now the idea shows promise, however the problem George ran into is twofold.   First, the two aliens looked the same; there was nothing to distinguish differing races such as shape or color of skin.  The lights were different colors; however the second problem lay with heavy chest paint so you could barely see the lights let alone the color.  The face sculpts were beautiful, in fact on the close up I really enjoyed their face features but there wasn’t enough variation to really set one a part from the other.

 

Rashaad, however had the short straw of the lab experience this week.  With his team of Daren and Cat he set to work on his two Ursa Major dwellers only to have a major production melt down when his females face mold didn’t have time to set, therefore making it impossible to run foam and forcing him to use poly foam.  With the dance requirement, poly foam is a huge set back because it doesn’t move as freely but, he has come too far to give up now and decides to give it his all.  What comes of the gamble is a happy accident as a melted mold yields a scar looking face, I love unplanned details!  As for the duo in final looks, these two are amazing!  The male has a blue and purple paint that accented a beautiful sharp and aggressive sculpt.  He read every bit the imposing figure and the body was a beautiful muscular sculpt that the pervious werewolf had lacked.  The female, however outshined all of that, quite literally as she was the only one that had a light effect with a bioluminescent cranial structure.  Yes, she had a glowy head.  She was practically angelic with a sharp yellow paint that made her really pop into life.

 

After the display it was time for the dace, in which they turned the light off.  Sa all the TV viewer got to see was poorly lit shadowy figures that really didn’t display anything.  Talk about a disappointment.  I really dislike dubstep, so being forced to listen to it and knowing that I’m missing out on an amazing performance really ticked me off. 

 

In the end it was Rashaad’s beautiful female that really took the prize home.  His reaction, I don’t think there could have possibly been a more genuine display of happiness and I couldn’t help but feel it for him too.  Here’s proof that if you want it and push hard enough, anything is possible!  The real beauty of the moment was the excitement that Tyler and George had for him.  I have never seen such gracious runner ups and slowly my faith in humanity was a bit restored.  Great job Rashaad and we hope to see more and more of you in the future!      

Face Off gets mutated: A face off recap

This week on face off we trip into the exciting world of mutants!  Each artist was given a super power to convey through a mutant creature that could walk right out films like the X-Men.  To aide them in the creation of their super powered mutations are fellow artists who are studying CGI at the Gnomon School of Visual effects, of which judge Neville is an alumni and a board member.  Using the program, Z brush, the sculptors are given the chance to see their creations in as a 3D sketch.  This, in my opinion, is a huge advantage because not only can you see what your creation will look like from every angle but the Z brush program also includes the ability to design textures.  Now you can not only plan a look but also get an idea how an application may turn out.  How incredible is that?  I was blown away by the accuracy these CGI artists were able to produce to the finished product.

In the lab itself, there are mixed emotions coming from every station about these mutants.  Graham who was given tunneling actually seems to almost resent his choice and is taking it out on a somewhat uninspired mole/mole rat creature.  He does take it in stride though as he includes a “droopy dog” voice during the preliminary application phase.  While funny to watch, there isn’t the same amount of love oozing from this bitterly inspired creation, nothing at all akin to last week’s Dahl inspired creature.

Speaking of last week, Niko is still reeling from being in the bottom looks category last week and is determined to rocket himself up from this with his “coiled” mutant.  His creation must demonstrate magnetic powers, in response Niko has designed a character built out of copper coiled skin.  Thankfully, unlike last week, Niko has decided to tone down his massive ideas and focus on what he can pull of this time.  The best part of the design was clearly the paint job of black and brushed copper that gave it an antique look that sold the creation.

Daren however, may have over shot himself this week.  With panoramic vision as a super power, Daren decides to implement strings of lights into his design.  The problem really occurs when sadly, the model accidently pulls them out as they become entangled on a chair.  This leaves Daren with opaque gelatin molds to apply to her face and a wing and a prayer that the judges see the intended look.  The muddled appearance and rudimentary paint job seemed forced and unclear.  There is nothing that really screams panoramic vision; my suggestion would have been some kind of visor or attention on the eyes instead of a dark resounding skin color.

George needed way more than a wing and a prayer this week, he need a muscle relaxer and a nap, maybe a heating pad… either way he needed medical attention.  It would appear that the strain of this completion had put a toll on his back and shoulder.  Still I must say I admire him for his push forward to create his “impenetrable skin” mutant.  The creation had a nice stone color and shape but sadly lacked texture to become top looks.

Rashaad went to the bottom of the ocean this week, calling upon the idea of an octopus to demonstrate elasticity.  I can see why you would pick an octopus but like Graham’s mole, it might seem a little uninspired.  What sets it apart is some well-done shaping and an intricate paint job that gives it just enough punch to rest in the middle of the road.  I have high hopes for him in the coming challenges simply because of the amount of work he can produce in a short amount of time is outstanding.

Finally we come to my favorite this season, everyone’s little energizer, Tyler!  Tyler received “wall crawling” as a mutant power.  What he created was a kind of fly man in transition.  The paint job was a great use of pallid pinks, purples and grey that was brought to life by hundreds of fabricated hairs.  He took the time not only to do a beautiful sculpt in the face but also to mold tiny “noodles” using a torch to give the illusion of tiny hairs speckled throughout the face and hands.  It was a brilliantly devised look that clearly conveyed a mutation in transition.      

In the end it is Graham’s lack of originality that sends him home.  I’m going to have to say that I strongly disagree and argue that they only kept Daren because of his past works and that to me seems to violate the idea the if you have to bring your best every week, either way, I’m not in charge, so instead I must say good bye to Graham this week and take comfort in knowing that he has a brilliant future ahead of him.  Meanwhile, Tyler takes another deserved top look, beating out Niko’s copper paint job by means of well executed fabrication.  Go team Tyler!


Creature Gallery

 

It will drive you mad: A FaceOff Recap

We gather round the SyFy channel again this week for another episode of the amazingly mediocre season of Faceoff.  After last week’s episode I was still kind of upset with the judges, and that was not a feeling of icy hate that thawed at all this week.  It is clear that Chloe should have gone home for that poorly made sex doll looking anime character last week that caused the judges to use their one save on Graham, so I’m still a little pissy when I see her on my screen.  Chloe has yet to really turn in a finished and complete project to date, in fact each project is noted as being very slapdash and hap hazardly put together, some people can just skate by I guess.

This week the team is taken to a horrible lab to be introduced to the next spot light challenge.  Around them are trappings of old experiments gone wrong and a table of antiquated medical torture devices.  The challenge is to create a character who is the victim of their mad scientist.

Determined to prove himself in this challenge Graham goes to work on the electrical shock therapy box and prepares to use lighting which is something we had not seen him use prior to this application.  I think it’s a smart move on his part because it can show a lot of versatility if it all comes together, but on Faceoff if’s are a huge risk.

Niko is setting to work on a pregnant woman’s stomach chest piece.  Inspired by the drill he wants to create a woman who has had her baby ripped from her.  What concerns Niko the most you ask?  Well the fact that he doesn’t want to offend anyone by showing a woman holding a fetus.  How could that possibly be offensive?

Rashad seems to be having a hard time becoming inspired by his gadget, which is a tool that is used to make holes in the cranium.  I guess you can say he needs more idea’s, like a hole in the head.  Okay, that joke sucked I’m sorry.

Over at Chloe’s station she is going big, and black and white.  She has decided to take her bone saw inspired creation to the dark side, or is it the grey side.  Once again these are huge risks that could either pay off handsomely or leave the judges wanting more.

Speaking of wanting more, Corinne is going small with her leeches’ project and to be honest I don’t know why.  There was so much she could have done to really bring out the gross and skin crawly element of leeches.  I personally would have had them crawling out of everywhere and oozing fat with blood so they looked positively squish able.  Hey no accounting for inspiration I suppose.

Two artists nearly come to a “head” when Tyler and Daren both realize that they’re creatures share a duality.  They both are going for the two headed effect and must now decide how to make them stand out from one another.  Daren seems apprehensive, but Tyler assures him that his being conjoined twins and Daren’s being many faces sewn together that they are far enough removed that the judges won’t penalize them. 

It is George however, that is smacked in the face, or back rather by intense pain.  As he attempts to move his mold, his back spasms and the only real cure for that is time and ice.  Still he attempts to soldier on to create his chest and back spreader inspired victim.

The episode as a whole went by really slow as there wasn’t a whole lot of anything serious, save Corinne and Rashad constantly second guessing themselves and knowing their creatures just aren’t right.  My question is, why wouldn’t you fix it then?  I mean if you are looking at what you made and you are not happy with it, you should take that moment to correct the mistake right?!  Apparently ignoring your gut feelings leads you all the way to the reveal stage as the contestants put on the finishing touches.

Chloe:  First up is Chloe who totally redeemed herself by turning in an amazingly whimsical, grey scale, Frankenstein esque creation.  This is an example of a risk really paying off in the realm of Faceoff.  I have to say my favorite part of her design is the face.  It has a funny yet very spooky jack o lantern feel to it.  The clothing as well seems to add to the whimsy of the innovative idea.  Very impressed.

Corinne:  This is simple, and altogether sad.  There seems to be a real element of terror missing from the tiny leeches that don’t really read from too far off.  All of the great elements of horror that you would expect from a victim just wasn’t there.

Daren:  Flat out this thing gave me the hibby – Jebbeys.  The face rip was so perfectly blended for the concept that it was making it hard to watch and then the model blinked.  Because the rip was down the center an eye from both faces blinked and I lost my cool.  I couldn’t even look at it.  Now that’s a successful make-up.

George:  George struggled through pain to complete this open chested character but then did something terrible by coving him in the gown.  It really seemed to detract from the amazing pieces he had made.

Graham:  This thing was pretty cool looking.  I have to take the time to really complement the mouth and the way it was stretched to reveal fake, but well done teeth.  Not a top look but, the lights did pay off in the end.

Niko:  The face is completely busted and she looks like a fat woman holding a bloody hamster… just No!

Rashaad:  I think if you had done both less and more it would have succeeded.  You needed to do less of that ridiculous jaw and way more of the wonderful holes in the head.

Tyler:  Not great this week, but Daren did totally kill you on the two headed idea.  I’m so sorry my little energizer.

In the end this week Daren got the win he so richly deserved after that creepy creation, and we said goodbye to Corinne.  I was sad to see her go, however this is about finding a master and it’s time that the middle of the road starts to thin out.  Good luck to you out there lady!  May the “Face” be with you!    

http://www.syfy.com/faceoff/photos/face_off_s06_e0609_spotlight_challenge

Wicked wizards: a face off review

Finally had time to re watch this yawn fest... Sorry for the delay.  So where we?  Oh yeah, we are dwindling down so now we need to see more house interaction, like cat, Corrine and Chloe having a girl power moment.

Now that we get past that crap the contestants head to the magic castle, an exclusive club for magicians to receive the details of the spotlight challenge.  They are met with a table of wands and instructions to create the character or wizard that will wield it.  Sadly, no one picked the wand I wanted.   Ice is amazing damn it!

In the first day of sculpting, Niko is the first to bitch with his hatred of wizards and love of robots... Thi isn't a robot challenge!  Chloe is setting herself up for failure with a filagre chest and neck piece.  Why god why?!  Daren and Rashad are going way simple as George, Grahm and Tyler prepare to go literally tooth and nail barking mad.

The walk through shows little promise for poor Niko who seriously is drowning in a sea of uninspiring-cliché.  It seems that all there is left is to scrap it all and start again with an armored idea.  Tyler is given a stricked warning about the shape of his chest and Cat refuses nose job advice.

Tyler is kicking ass again with the sculpted as he's already molding.  Day one ends with everyone reeling with various emotions and a sense of hatred of their creations.  Where some people seem to be losing touch, Grahm, Rashad, George, and Tyler are taking off. It's a really rediculous mix of energy.  The whine level Chloe is exuding could only be exhausting when I realize... Corrine and Daren haven't really said anything.  Corrine seems to be tribaling it up with a Mayan shaman look while Daren's molding a large nosed weird witch idea.  Yeah the middle is pretty boring I guess... 

The clock ticks away as last looks looms in the distance.  Thus far this is an insecure love hate creating process.  Daren is putting what looks like a wottle on his witches face... It's a buzzard witch!  Tyler is well done by close of the day, and even though he's always energetic, he's even more so...

On application, George's model is alergic to the glue that holds down the prosthetic.  Don't they check for that?!  Thankfully George ran a second face.  Everyone is running around like crazy to paint and glue.  Chloe as always hates her work, Niko is wondering how he's going to finish, Tyler's done, Corrine is painting and painting and painting, Goerge is overwhelmed and the beat goes on.

Last looks is more like a samba of insanity as they rush through details, thankfully there is a big push in even painting this week which is refreshing.  I can already tell I hate most of these looks.

Cat: Dear god, what is that orange thing?  It looks like a broncos fan on their way to Woodstock got lost in a box of bargain wax flowers.  I get the nature reference but this seems more pixie meets extreme self tanning accident.  Sorry but this is ruff.

Chloe:  From far away all that filagre work looks like gold is dripping from mishapen breasts or a bearded blonde who could put a dwarfs face fuzz to shame.  Up close that beauty makeup is doing you no favors honey.  Another ouch to the XX team.

Corrine:  Now she did go the other way and did a smaller sculpt.  Wisely she played to her paint skills.  This Mayan shamon looks decent and the blending is good, not top look good but nicely done.

Tyler:  It's an ent! An ent magician, well done but not inspired.

George:  This is amazeballs lol!  No really there is a free floating face, the armor is well detailed and blended.  Ultimately an example the right way to do a kind of bio-mechanical.

Daren:  No!  This is pretty much a weird chicken witch, with a sink the titanic shnoze.  There is really, in my opinion, no design element worth saving.

Rashad:  Simple, safe, spiked...

Grahm:  Voodoo wizard.  Stereotype.

Niko:  Dear god man what happened? This is a guy in shitty armor that doesn't even look metal!  

So the judges are now making their comments and to be honest it's nothing you wouldn't already be yelling at your tv!  Mind you I'm no expert but apparently I have decent taste, or this is completely obvious...

In the end George gets the win.  Totally well deserved.  Cat gets the axe, much to Nikos dismay... But what she should be mad about is the announcement that everyone's going to Japan.  Poor Cat, Yeah Japan!