From Man to Animal

How does suave, handsome Professor Jonathan Chase turn into a raging, spitting black panther? It isn't easy... either on the screen or off it! And though the transformation scenes may take only a few seconds of screen-time, each one is a result of hours of hard work off-camera. The man behind the magic is make-up effects designer Stan Winston, and he and his staff of experts start work long before any particular sequence is filmed in the studio.

The first part of the process is to make a 'life-mask' of the star, Simon MacCorkindale. For this, the actor has to lie perfectly still for a considerable time while layers of liquid latex are painted over his face, head and neck. From this 'master-mould' several other masks can be made. They're then trimmed, and any faults in the making process are corrected, with constant reference to the star's photographs. The head of a panther is also sculpted, to a matching size, and similar latex moulds are made from that.

The transformation sequence is actually made up of a number of separate 'takes', each showing a different stage in the mutation from man to panther, and these are then neatly edited together to make the whole thing look continuous. Each of these stages requires a different mask, and the original latex moulds give the make-up artist a basis to work on. More latex is added to change the shape of the nose, to build up the cheek- bones, and so on. The skin-colour is darkened, the lips blackened and hairs are glued on, so that each separate mask looks more and more like a panther.

The same sort of masks are made for other animal transformation, such as those from man to eagle. Again, there's a separate mask for each stage painted and feathered to give a life-like appearance.'

The head is not the only important part. Moulds are also made of the hands and forearms for the sequences where Chase's hands mm into panther's paws- This too takes several stages. Claws can be pushed through from inside while the hand is actually on camera, to give the appearance of 'growing'.

When Simon MacCorkindale is due to go before the cameras, the mask is placed over his face and ears. His hair is smoothed down flat on top of his skull with layers of gauze, and make up is then applied over this.

The final result is a series of close-ups, each of which lingers on one aspect of the face. The eyes darken. The shape of the nose and face change. The mouth opens to reveal fangs rather than teeth, which grow longer as the sequence progresses. The ears emerge and enlarge, and all the time the face gets darker and furrier. Finally the transformation is complete, and Simon MacCorkindale steps aside... to be replaced by a highly-trained real black panther. It's easy when you know how...