AN AFTERNOON WITH... NINO DEL POZO

The 8K Factor: With the rise of 4K and 8K on streaming platforms, what is the biggest technical challenge you face at Medusa in ensuring that prosthetics and makeup withstand close-up and HDR lighting?

- Nino: Do ​​it with care from the very beginning, using the best materials and the latest resins... Focus on it and carefully study everything you're going to do. Study the character, the molds, what's needed for each thing, the movements, the actions... Everything so that it looks as natural as possible.

Time Pressure: Time on set is the most valuable resource. What real impact does a malfunctioning tool (e.g., a mold that breaks or sticks) have on your workflow and the production costs of a scene?

- Nino: Impact? It has the worst possible impact, in terms of working hours, material purchases, financially, what has happened to the materials... You'll probably have to re-model, for example if the molds break, and with the budget already set you just have to accept it, it's a major impact, if 7 molds break you're screwed.

I prefer it to happen in the workshop rather than on set. On set, things can always be fixed. If you're there, you're always somewhat covered in case something goes wrong. It hasn't happened to me yet, but if something goes wrong on set, you can manage with a bit of improvisation. It just happened to us with a burn. We made the plaster cast using polyurethane resin molds, and they didn't dry properly. We thought they would, but with the rain and the humid climate, the plaster re-dampened and didn't dry, and...

The Most Common Mistake: If you had to name the most frequent application or finishing mistake you see on set—a mistake that could be avoided with better preparation—what would it be, and why does it result in more time or costs in post-production?

- Nino: For example, in the use of blood. When I wanted to learn how to apply blood properly, I watched a lot of videos from the most professional makeup artists, the ones who did the most accidents, looking for the blood they used... I've never liked using blood in gloops. To do things well, you first have to do R&D; it's very important. If you're a makeup artist, even if you've been doing it for years, there are some really, really professional people who can teach you a lot, especially in the area of ​​special effects. There are great professionals who you see applying blood, how they make a very small wound look so painful with the blood applied correctly because we have different types of blood: blood that cleans up with water, blood that cleans up with alcohol, and if you liquefy it on the body, you can get very beautiful glazes and make an accident look anything from the most horrific, like a gloop of ketchup, to a beautiful wound. Makeup artists have to do a lot of R&D at home.

The Undetectable Edge: Speaking of transfer molds ( flat molds ), what level of detail do you require to consider a prosthesis suitable for high-end production?

- Nino: The edge shouldn't be noticeable; that's what will give you a good application. With the prosthesis, you have to spend a little time, a little time adding layers of texture, gently working the clay with the board. Before adding the texture, you have to make sure there's no separation from the board, it doesn't matter if it's at an angle, as long as it's blended in. Then texture it as many times as necessary until you understand what skin is, where it goes, on what part of the body it goes. Each part of the body has its own pores, a direction, which will allow it to blend perfectly with any other part of the body. It can create a flat aging effect, a flat wound, a million other things. A hand—you can flatten it completely. A nose, no, but you can split it in two; you can do all sorts of things. And the texture is the most important thing, especially how you work the texture around the edges.

Texture is Credibility: Besides the edge, how important is the texture you apply with color to make it look like real skin and not shiny plastic under the set's spotlight?

- Child: Above all, work with very thin glazes and avoid overloading the paint. Work on it, do a lot of R&D with Skin Illustrator®, mix many colors. Don't be impatient to finish it right away because you'll spend less time making it look good than if you try to apply it thickly. If you apply too much paint, you can never go back, and applying too much paint to an edge is the worst thing you can do. A prosthetic with thick paint at the edges ruins the character, but with glazes you gradually unify the colors. It's a beautiful way to work with Skin Illustrator®; you have a great time, a real blast!

Kit Tip (The Crucial Investment): If a makeup artist has to prioritize their initial budget in the area of ​​prosthetics, what tool or material do you consider to be the most crucial investment to start with a professional standard?

- Nino: Invest as much as you can in an Illustrator® Skin, a Color Skin, and those little bottles of alcohol you can get at the local drugstore for half price. You don't need to go to big stores because sometimes local suppliers sell you 5 liters of alcohol for next to nothing. If you're starting out and want to support small local businesses, that's fantastic. You can buy some brushes at the bazaar, because in FX you don't need expensive brushes since they all end up ruined by the materials we use. Your toothbrushes, and if you have more, then a cheap airbrush with a compressor, like the Elite brand, and you're all set.

Collaboration Bridges: For freelance or aspiring makeup artists, what is the collaboration dynamic like with a studio like Medusa? What kind of skills or portfolio do you look for in an external collaborator?

- Nino: I need them to be eager, really eager, and show me that they dedicate their free time to this because you have to teach things. I personally dedicated my free time to improving, and that's how I was able to build my portfolio with printed photos of what I did, what I did in my course, what I did in my first practical experience cleaning molds, and in my free time I made my sculptures, my stitches, I don't know what, I don't know how much, so I could go somewhere and say, "I like this, you know?" And, I don't know, when someone like that comes along, you think, "Damn, let's get started with you," and you learn really fast if you're eager. You don't have to be the best, you just have to be eager, that's it. I think that's the most important attitude a person has to have, knowing that they're not going to be... having their feet on the ground, also knowing that they're not going to do what we do from the beginning because you have to get your hands dirty, you know? And get your hands dirty with enthusiasm, too, you know? Someone who is willing to enjoy doing anything and learn by doing anything, even if it means getting their hands dirty and cleaning molds, but the attitude is what's important, at least for me, because I've done it and thanks to that, in a very short time, I'm in a place I really wanted to be, and that's why I've gotten there.

Working Without Your Own Workshop: Students and freelancers don't always have access to a large workshop. What practical advice can you give them for working efficiently with prosthetic materials in a limited space?

- Nino: Well, get to work. You can make plaster molds instead of resin and start practicing shapes. Plaster can give amazing results if you work with it well. You can polish it at home with wax, and you can get really fine bald caps. You can make any kind of model, even flat slabs. Look for materials that are as natural as possible. If you use resins at home, you could be playing The Walking Dead with your mom and the neighbor. Use anything water-based and enjoy creating. You can make tons of things at home.

The Captivating Portfolio: If a student wants to stand out, what type of work (or work photo) in their portfolio immediately grabs your attention? What mistakes should applicants avoid?

- Nino: Don't try to do things that are beyond your skill level. For example, if you haven't made many monsters yet because you don't have much experience, you don't have much experience in modeling, don't show me things I'm going to tell you to, pffff. Don't just throw a monster at me for no reason, show me what you're good at and if you want you can tell me, well, look, this was also an attempt at making this and so on, but don't just throw in the first thing I see, you know? Show me what's best for you. I don't care if it's cosplay, if it's your best, include it, you know? Because maybe I'm interested in you having cosplay, but don't try to include things you're not good at.

Continuing Education: How important is self-taught training and experimentation with new materials compared to formal academic training in the success of an FX artist today?

- Nino: The important thing is to take courses with professionals who offer workshops, that's it. Formal academic training isn't for me; this is art. It's not about knowing basic math to understand it; it's pure craftsmanship. Having a certificate from "Wall Street Nights" or something like that isn't going to get you anywhere. If you focus on training with professionals... So-and-so comes to give a week-long sculpture course, that certificate is worthless, but those hours of training are worth more than any degree. You're working directly with a professional who's teaching you, for example, the anatomy of the body. Everything has its value, but for this profession, I don't think any degree is worth anything. You don't need one.

The Attitude Factor: Often, it's attitude that gets you hired. What kind of work ethic or mindset do you consider essential for someone who wants to thrive in the demanding world of film FX?

- Nino: Be humble and thank everyone for what you learn.

A message to the new generation of makeup artists aspiring to work in film and television:

- Nino: Don't let your dream have a plan B. There's only one path in life, the path of the warrior... And whatever happens, whatever problems arise... If it works out, it comes out stronger. Don't have a plan B. If you want to be a coach, wake up every day telling yourself that; it's what I've been doing my whole life. And be humble and love the people who support you, who work with you even when you're disappointed, keep going... but live with the passion.

We are deeply grateful to Nino del Pozo and the entire Medusa Creative Studio team for sharing their valuable time and expertise with the lolitamakeupshop.es community. Their insights not only provide us with a roadmap for the technical demands of modern makeup sets, but also reaffirm the importance of precision and rigor from training to final application.

We invite you to explore the work of Nino del Pozo and Medusa Creative Studio through their social media channels: Instagram , Imdb .