Special effects are a way to visually reproduce peculiar situations, generally as regards the supernatural side of the show. Jack Lynch was the special effects coordinator on Salem set, while Matthew Mungle was the prosthetic makeup artist.
One of the main approach to storytelling of the co-creators and executive producers Adam Simon and Brannon Braga was to redefine a genre. To do so, they decided to avoid spooky effects and leaps in the dark. They were also adamant that realism for special effects was imperative. [1] However, as the TV series progressed, more fantasy elements were added, eg creating and throwing fire with one's hand.
Notable Examples
Computer-Generated Imagery
Computer-generated imagery (CGI) is used moderately in Salem.
- The black veins that appear when a dark force is at work. We find examples of such veins during Mary Sibley's deal with the Devil, and later as a side effect of shamanic ritual performed on John Alden.
- The shapeshifting abilities used by witches to transform fingernails into claws or turn a toad into an owl.
- Countess Von Marburg's horribly disfigured visage and her automated relic.
- The power to project fire from a witch hands or handling hot coals is another example of the use of CGI special effects.
- The final fight scene between Mary and Countess Von Marburg in Season Two has been slightly retouched with CGI special effects to delete the support cables used to simulate the flight. Same applies for any levitation or wall crawling.
- The breaking and mending of glass through telekinesis.
- The Sentinel appearing as a swarm of insects was also made with CGI special effects.
Prosthetic Makeup
Prosthetic makeup is undoubtedly the most used way to get special effects on the show. This is due to the fact of desiring a realistic effect in the interpretation of the various characters.
- The Specter and the Hags are achieved by a long process that saw the creation of prostheses applied on the whole body of stunt actor. This is then molded and reassessed as the prostheses are worn, to facilitate the movement.
- Same goes for Mercy Lewis' severely burned body during the second season or for the crags corpses.
- All familiars have a prop counterparty or even more than one depending on usage. While Mary's toad is simply a replica made of skin-safe silicone rubber, Brown Jenkins prop is constituted by a series of three pieces with different measures and parts. A first prop is constituted for two-thirds by a reproduction of the back of a rat while the front part (the "head") is a just a rubber plug; the second prop is made only by the legs and tail also with a rubber plug on the front; the third prop is only a plug with a tail. All this serves to give the impression of swallowing the rat with precise camera games.
- Ashley Madekwe (Tituba) said that it takes over an hour to do the scars all over her face and chest. Prosthetic flaps covered her own eyes so vision was limited. [2]
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