AN EVENING WITH... CARLA GASIC

Carla, working with Stefan Kramer entails a unique level of demand: the prosthetics must not only be realistic but also functional for humor and extreme gesticulation. How have you evolved the technique of molds and materials so that characterization does not limit facial expression, but rather becomes a second skin for the impersonator?

- Carla: Working with Stefan Kramer means understanding that characterization is not just a technical exercise, but a tool at the service of interpretation.

There are two factors that always determine the approach: the available budget and the objective of the characterization. In this case, we work with an artist who creates based on current events, which means very short production times and an immediate reaction capability. Therefore, we do not seek hyperrealistic perfection in traditional terms, but rather an effective makeup that creates impact upon first glance and is completely functional on camera and on stage.

In this context, technical evolution has been key. We have transitioned from more rigid silicones to much more flexible silicones, which allow them to follow the movement of the face instead of blocking it. But beyond the material, the fundamental thing is the prior process: before designing any prosthetic, Stefan sends me videos of him interpreting the character. This allows me to analyze his gestures, understand where muscle tension occurs, and what are the movements that define the character's identity.

Based on that, the design ceases to be static. The prosthetic is strategically designed not to interfere with those key points of expression, but to integrate with them. That's where the characterization truly works: when it doesn't impose itself on the face, but becomes a second skin.

As makeup artists, this forces us to have a deep knowledge of facial anatomy—not only of the shape, but of the movement of the muscles under the skin to be able to accompany that gesture and enhance it, not limit it.

Finally, success is not just about how realistic the character looks in a still photo, but how they live, move, and communicate on stage. That's where technique, material, and interpretation meet.

You have created countless characters with him. What has been the most complex anatomical challenge you've had to solve to transform a known bone structure into someone diametrically opposite in record time?

- Carla: Undoubtedly, one of the biggest challenges has been when the transformation is not just facial, but structural; that is, when the entire perception of the body and head together must be modified.

A very clear case was working on the characterization of Don Francisco. The challenge there was not only the face, but also constructing a character with a completely different volumetry, with a body and cranial structure very different from Stefan Kramer's.

This involved developing a complete neck prosthetic, both in the front and back, to create continuity between the head and a much more robust body. It wasn't just about "looking alike," but about ensuring the transformation was coherent from all angles.

The process starts in reverse from the usual: first, the body is built, understanding proportions, visual weight, and volume, and then the head is designed to interact with that new structure. It's a constant balancing act, where any misalignment breaks the illusion.

And in this type of work, no matter how much technique and planning there is, there always comes a point where everything is put to the test together. That's when all that's left is to trust the process... and hope that every piece fits as intended.

In shows like "Mi Nombre Es" (My Name Is), the volume of work is massive and the standard must be competition-level. How do you design a characterization system that allows elevating a civilian to the category of a musical icon, maintaining cinematic quality in a fast-paced television format?

- Carla: The challenge is not only technical, but also systemic. The volume of work is high, the timelines are tight, and the standard must be up to that of a television competition, where every detail is exposed.

The key to achieving this lies in building a highly specialized team, where each professional plays a specific role within the process. We work in series: talent goes through different stations—skin, structure, hair, details—and each specialist executes their part with precision. My role there is to supervise the entire assembly, ensuring coherence and quality, and then intervene in the final details that elevate the result.

But beyond logistics, the system relies on something fundamental: observation. We always work with photographic references of the character, which allow us to analyze proportions, shadows, volumes, and facial peculiarities.

The process of building makeup is approached almost like a technical method: we work with grids, dividing the face into zones to facilitate reading and execution. It's a way to organize visual information and avoid getting lost in the whole.

In practice, it's like operating a scanner: you work from the forehead down, reading the face in layers—bone structure, musculature, skin—and progressively replicating those characteristics. This allows for systematizing the work without losing precision, even in a high-speed environment.

Finally, what elevates an ordinary person to icon status is not just the likeness, but the consistency of the system: team, method, and direction working together to achieve a result that works on camera, in motion, and under pressure.

What importance do you give to the psychology of color and skin texture when the goal is not to create a monster, but a human being we all know and who will be judged by millions of viewers?

- Carla: The psychology of color and skin texture are absolutely central when you are not creating a fantastic character, but a recognizable human being, who will also be scrutinized by millions of people.

And that's where, for me, the most interesting part of the job begins: understanding the human body in layers.

I never approach color from the surface. It starts from "under the skin," understanding that it is the blood that ultimately determines much of the tone we perceive. That's why my first gesture is always in the red-pink range, building a living, organic base. From there, I begin to develop the color based on the skin tone of the character to be played, considering something key: no skin is uniform. The face is full of variations:

• more vascularized areas
• more opaque or yellowish areas
• natural shadows that build identity

So, rather than applying color, it's about reading and reconstructing it. Added to this is texture, which is what ultimately makes everything credible on camera. You can have the correct color, but if the skin doesn't breathe, doesn't live, doesn't move naturally, the result falls flat. That's why there's a principle that guides all my work, and that I constantly repeat:

Structure, Volume, and Texture. In that order. First, I understand the bone structure, then I build the volume—lights and shadows that give shape—and finally I work on the texture, which is what finishes integrating everything and bringing it to a real level. That's where characterization stops being makeup... and becomes believable skin.

"El Rey del Ring" by Rodrigo Sepúlveda Urzúa / Marko Zaror and Fiorella Bottaioli Foto: Nelson Nuñez ©Mas al Sur

With Gasic Monaco School, you've created a refuge for pure technique. What is the fundamental pillar you try to transmit to your students about work ethic and the patience required to master sculpting and prosthetic application in 2026?

- Carla: At Estudio Gasic Monaco, the focus is not just on teaching technique, but on creating a way of thinking and inhabiting the craft.

The first thing is to transmit passion and deep respect for the profession. To understand the beauty of creating something with your own hands and the infinite possibilities that opens up. To be able to build what you imagine—to take an idea from the abstract to a real three-dimensional form—is something profoundly fascinating. That ability to transform a fantasy into matter is, in itself, the driving force.

But that passion needs direction. And that's where a second fundamental pillar comes in: understanding that makeup, especially in areas like characterization and prosthetics, is a collective art. It's not an individual gesture, but teamwork where each role contributes to building a common result. Learning to integrate, to observe others, and to work for the whole is an essential part of training.

There's also something key I always emphasize: patience as a creative tool. The passion for what you do is what allows you to sit for hours building a detail, refining a texture, repeating a process until it works. There are no real shortcuts in this craft.

And that's where methodology comes in: the work must be understood as an organized choreography, repeated over and over until it becomes natural. I teach order, clean execution, and a discipline that doesn't limit creativity, but sustains it.

Because ultimately, mastering technique is not just knowing how to do something, but knowing how to sustain that doing over time with consistency and good judgment.

How has your own vision of the craft changed by having to break it down to teach it to others? Is there a "workshop secret" you once kept that you now consider vital to share for the industry to continue growing?

- Carla: Breaking down the craft to teach it has actually been a way of re-learning it. It forces you to question what you took for granted, to put words to processes that were once intuitive, and to understand that many times we work from accumulated experience rather than exact formulas. And there's something key for me: there are no secrets. Or at least, not in the traditional sense. Beyond certain techniques or materials, makeup is an art in constant motion. What works on one face may not work on another, and that's why there are no rigid recipes. Each face is new territory.

In fact, I myself continue to learn with each character. And that's something that cannot be taught from theory; it has to be experienced in practice, facing errors, adjusting decisions, and finding solutions in real-time.

That's why, rather than giving "answers," what I seek to transmit is a way of approaching the craft:

• creativity in the face of problems
• adaptability
• willingness to experiment and make mistakes

The very act of wanting to educate implies opening up knowledge. If one hoards information, it limits the growth of the environment. In my case, I do it because I deeply believe that the industry in Chile and Latin America must continue to develop, raise its standards, and build a community.

And something very important: being geographically far from the big centers cannot be an excuse. Today more than ever, knowledge is shared, built, and expanded. So, if there is a "workshop secret," it is this: don't look for formulas, but learn to think, observe, and solve.

That's what really makes an artist—and an entire industry—grow.

Your project "The King of the Ring" shows a very powerful aesthetic facet. How do you approach character design in a context of struggle and epic, where makeup must withstand physical contact, sweat, and sudden movements without losing its visual impact?

- Carla: In part, this connects with what we mentioned earlier: experience in this type of narrative is key, because it is probably one of the most challenging contexts for makeup.

You're inside a ring, where the actors are completely focused on the fight choreography, and you're there, in the middle of that dynamic, touching up in real time: the sweat, the blood in the mouth, the marks of the blows... everything must look fresh, alive, and consistent with the action. In that sense, you almost become part of the choreography.

But there's an additional layer that's fundamental: the design must be conceived from the beginning to resist. It's not just about how the makeup looks, but how it evolves during the scene. Blood, for example, cannot look decorative; it has to have weight, displacement, reaction to contact. The same with sweat, which is not just shine, but a narrative tool that speaks of effort, of physical exertion.

So you work with products and techniques that allow you to build dynamic makeup, that withstands friction, movement, and repeated takes, without losing visual impact.

It's a very demanding job on set, because it requires constant attention, reading the action, and an immediate capacity for reaction. But it's also profoundly interesting, because makeup stops being static and becomes an active part of the story.

In this project, we see a fusion of character and strength. What do you seek to communicate through the textures and design of these "warriors" that we haven't seen in your traditional fiction or television work?

- Carla: Primarily, in cinema, what we seek is truth. For the viewer to identify with the characters, to believe in them, and to be able to enter the story without the makeup interfering as artifice.

In this project, rather than building "warriors" from an epic or stylized place, what interests me is to create a coherent, austere, and honest visual world. To avoid pretentiousness. For every aesthetic decision to seem to come from the character itself, not from an imposed design. For you to feel that they themselves choose how they look, how they comb their hair, how they inhabit their bodies.

Texture plays a fundamental role here. I look for real, lived-in skin, with a history. Hair that isn't "perfect," but responds to its context, its wear and tear, its routine. It's a much more subtle construction, where the detail isn't in the obvious, but in the believable.

Unlike other works more tied to television or more marked fiction, here there is an intention to lower the gesture, to contain, to leave space for the character to breathe. It's not about showing the makeup, but about it disappearing within the story.

Finally, what I seek to communicate is that: characters who exist on their own, not characters designed to be seen.

"The King of the Ring" by Rodrigo Sepúlveda Urzúa / Benjamín Vicuña ©Mas al Sur

To enter the world of Carla Gasic is to understand that characterization is a discipline of endurance and surgical precision. Her ability to transition between humor, television entertainment, and academic training makes her an indispensable figure for understanding where the art of image is headed in 2026.

Carla doesn't just change faces; she changes our perception of what is possible to achieve with talent, silicone, and an obsessive observation of reality.

Thank you, Carla, for opening the doors of your identity laboratory to us and for reminding us that, behind every great character, there is an artist who saw what no one else did.

www.estudiogasicmonaco.cl

.

We invite you to continue exploring Carla's impeccable work on her projects through her social media instagram and Imdb. EstudioGasic
See you on the next Makeup Artist shoot.