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Mark Rappaport (creature effects artist)
Encyclopedia
Mark Rappaport is an American special effects/makeup artist.
His main body of work is with special effects in a wide variety of films from science fiction to horror, to comedy and theater. Mark has created hyper-realistic animatronic animals
including the horse used by Tom Cruise
in The Last Samurai
and memorable prosthetic makeup effects for 300
and I Am Legend
. His company, Creature Effects, Inc.is at the leading edge of the Hollywood creature and makeup effects industry.
Mr. Rappaport was born in Yokohama, Japan. At the age of three Mark’s family moved to the Napa Valley in northern California. Mark graduated high school in Napa and attended San Diego State University where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree. Upon graduation Mark returned to Northern California and worked in law enforcement before meeting and working with Bob Hartman, a San Francisco puppeteer
and street performer. Mark’s work with Bob sparked an interest in creating effects for the entertainment industry and he pursued employment at Industrial Light and Magic
. At ILM he worked on feature film projects, including Innerspace
and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
. From ILM Mark went to work with Chris Walas
and created effects for films including The Fly II
and Child's Play.
Mark Rappaport developed full body, silicone makeups for the primal, aggressive beings known as "Darkseekers". The translucent makeup creates the look of infection and spiked metabolism desired by director Francis Lawrence
. The makeups were to be applied to very thin performers to create the look of zero body-fat and protruding veins. The makeups included rotting teeth dentures and full dilated pupil contact lenses. In addition to the creature makeups, Mark's studio created animatronic, likeness puppets of "Sam" the German Shepherd, a digital scan model for the infected dogs, scar and knife wound appliances for Will Smith and numerous other effects for the production.
, Mark's Studio created a second ride-able horse for Bedtime Stories
. The motion and animatronic features of the two horses were enhanced and refined for True Grit
and further developed for Cowboys & Aliens
. The animatronic horses are used where the action, if performed by real horses, might put the riders or horses at risk of harm or injury.
His main body of work is with special effects in a wide variety of films from science fiction to horror, to comedy and theater. Mark has created hyper-realistic animatronic animals
Animatronics
Animatronics is the use of mechatronics to create machines which seem animate rather than robotic. Animatronic creations include animals , plants and even mythical creatures...
including the horse used by Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV , better known as Tom Cruise, is an American film actor and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and he has won three Golden Globe Awards....
in The Last Samurai
The Last Samurai
The Last Samurai is a 2003 American epic drama film directed and co-produced by Edward Zwick, who also co-wrote the screenplay based on a story by John Logan. The film was inspired by a project developed by writer and director Vincent Ward, who had previously filmed the movie in 1990, starring...
and memorable prosthetic makeup effects for 300
300 (film)
300 is a 2007 American fantasy action film based on the 1998 comic series of the same name by Frank Miller. It is a fictionalized retelling of the Battle of Thermopylae. The film was directed by Zack Snyder, while Miller served as executive producer and consultant...
and I Am Legend
I Am Legend (film)
I Am Legend is a 2007 post-apocalyptic science fiction film directed by Francis Lawrence and starring Will Smith. It is the third feature film adaptation of Richard Matheson's 1954 novel of the same name, following 1964's The Last Man on Earth and 1971's The Omega Man. Smith plays virologist Robert...
. His company, Creature Effects, Inc.is at the leading edge of the Hollywood creature and makeup effects industry.
Mr. Rappaport was born in Yokohama, Japan. At the age of three Mark’s family moved to the Napa Valley in northern California. Mark graduated high school in Napa and attended San Diego State University where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree. Upon graduation Mark returned to Northern California and worked in law enforcement before meeting and working with Bob Hartman, a San Francisco puppeteer
Puppeteer
A puppeteer is a person who manipulates an inanimate object, such as a puppet, in real time to create the illusion of life. The puppeteer may be visible to or hidden from the audience. A puppeteer can operate a puppet indirectly by the use of strings, rods, wires, electronics or directly by his or...
and street performer. Mark’s work with Bob sparked an interest in creating effects for the entertainment industry and he pursued employment at Industrial Light and Magic
Industrial Light and Magic
Industrial Light & Magic is an Academy Award-winning motion picture visual effects company that was founded in May 1975 by George Lucas and is owned by Lucasfilm. Lucas created the company when he discovered that the special effects department at 20th Century Fox was shut down after he was given...
. At ILM he worked on feature film projects, including Innerspace
Innerspace
Innerspace is a 1987 science fiction comedy film directed by Joe Dante and produced by Michael Finnell. Steven Spielberg served as executive producer. The film was inspired by the classic 1966 science fiction film Fantastic Voyage. It stars Dennis Quaid, Martin Short, Meg Ryan, Robert Picardo and...
and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home is a 1986 American science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures. It is the fourth feature film based on the Star Trek science fiction television series and completes the story arc begun in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and continued in Star Trek III: The...
. From ILM Mark went to work with Chris Walas
Chris Walas
Chris Walas is an American special effects/make-up artist and director.-Biography:His main body of work is with special effects in a wide variety of movies from science fiction to action-adventure. His work on The Fly led to his directorial debut on The Fly II...
and created effects for films including The Fly II
The Fly II
The Fly II is a 1989 American science fiction horror film starring Eric Stoltz and Daphne Zuniga. It was directed by Chris Walas as a sequel to the 1986 Academy Award-winning movie The Fly. Stoltz's character in this sequel is the adult son of Seth Brundle, the scientist-turned-'Brundlefly', played...
and Child's Play.
The Last Samurai
The production of The Last Samurai required an animatronic horse capable of performing stunt sequences that would put a real horse and rider at risk of great injury. Rappaport was commissioned to build a horse that could seamlessly replace Tom Cruise' real horse for those scenes. Mark says "It's probably the most sophisticated horse or animatronic creature ever made for film. It cost $1.5 million to make. It gallops in place. It reared up. It fell over. And it looks completely real."300
Mark Rappaport (creature effects supervisor) and Shaun Smith (makeup effects supervisor) teamed up to create the world of effects for 300. This extensive body of work included prosthetic makeups, animatronic animals, props, weaponry and costume elements. In addition to the amazingly lifelike horse effects for this film, Rappaport created an animatronic wolf puppet for scenes where young Leonidas faces off with the predatory animal. "The filmmakers shot interactions of the practical puppet attacking young Leonidas in a narrow rock crevice. Veteran creature effects supervisor Mark Rappaport and his team mechanized the puppet with eye-blinks, head neck, brow, jaw and tongue movement, saliva tubes and glowing eyes."I Am Legend
For I Am Legend, starring Will SmithWill Smith
Willard Christopher "Will" Smith, Jr. , also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor, producer, and rapper. He has enjoyed success in television, film and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him the most powerful actor in Hollywood...
Mark Rappaport developed full body, silicone makeups for the primal, aggressive beings known as "Darkseekers". The translucent makeup creates the look of infection and spiked metabolism desired by director Francis Lawrence
Francis Lawrence
Francis Lawrence is an American music video and film director.-Life and career:Lawrence was born in Vienna, Austria. His father is a physicist who taught at California State University, Northridge and his mother is V.P. Technology at a PR agency. He moved to Los Angeles at the age of three...
. The makeups were to be applied to very thin performers to create the look of zero body-fat and protruding veins. The makeups included rotting teeth dentures and full dilated pupil contact lenses. In addition to the creature makeups, Mark's studio created animatronic, likeness puppets of "Sam" the German Shepherd, a digital scan model for the infected dogs, scar and knife wound appliances for Will Smith and numerous other effects for the production.
True Grit/Cowboys and Aliens
After designing and producing a ride-able animatronic horse for The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince CaspianThe Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is a 2008 epic fantasy film based on Prince Caspian, the second published, fourth chronological novel in C. S. Lewis's epic fantasy series, The Chronicles of Narnia. It is the second in The Chronicles of Narnia film series from Walden Media, following The...
, Mark's Studio created a second ride-able horse for Bedtime Stories
Bedtime Stories
A bedtime story is a popular form of storytelling.Bedtime story or Bedtime stories may also refer to:*Bedtime Story , a 1964 comedy film*Bedtime Stories , a 2008 family fantasy comedy starring Adam Sandler...
. The motion and animatronic features of the two horses were enhanced and refined for True Grit
True Grit (2010 film)
True Grit is a 2010 American Western film written and directed by the Coen brothers. It is the second adaptation of Charles Portis' 1968 novel of the same name, which was previously filmed in 1969 starring John Wayne. This version stars Hailee Steinfeld as Mattie Ross and Jeff Bridges as U.S....
and further developed for Cowboys & Aliens
Cowboys & Aliens (film)
Cowboys & Aliens is a 2011 American science fiction Western film directed by Jon Favreau and starring Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, and Olivia Wilde. The film is based on the 2006 graphic novel of the same name created by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg...
. The animatronic horses are used where the action, if performed by real horses, might put the riders or horses at risk of harm or injury.
Filmography
- Cowboys & AliensCowboys & Aliens (film)Cowboys & Aliens is a 2011 American science fiction Western film directed by Jon Favreau and starring Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, and Olivia Wilde. The film is based on the 2006 graphic novel of the same name created by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg...
(2011) (animatronic horses) - True GritTrue Grit (2010 film)True Grit is a 2010 American Western film written and directed by the Coen brothers. It is the second adaptation of Charles Portis' 1968 novel of the same name, which was previously filmed in 1969 starring John Wayne. This version stars Hailee Steinfeld as Mattie Ross and Jeff Bridges as U.S....
(2010) (animatronic horses) - Shutter Island (2009) (blood effects)
- Dance FlickDance FlickDance Flick is a 2009 American comedy directed by Damien Dante Wayans, written by his uncles, the Wayans Brothers, and starring Damon Wayans, Jr., and Shoshana Bush. The film is a spoof of the popular dance film genre...
(2009) (makeup effects and animatronic effects) - Don't Look UpDon't Look UpDon't Look Up is a 1996 Japanese horror film directed by Hideo Nakata.-Plot:Don't Look Up is about a film director and his crew who slowly go insane when the film set is haunted by the ghost of an actress who died while filming a TV show in the 1960s.On the set of a dark war time drama at an old...
(2009) (makeup effects and animatronic effects) - The Awakened (2009) (creature effects)
- Bedtime StoriesBedtime StoriesA bedtime story is a popular form of storytelling.Bedtime story or Bedtime stories may also refer to:*Bedtime Story , a 1964 comedy film*Bedtime Stories , a 2008 family fantasy comedy starring Adam Sandler...
(2008) (animatronic effects) - Soul Men (2008) (makeup effects)
- Meet The SpartansMeet the SpartansMeet the Spartans is a 2008 parody film directed by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer. Similar to past movies, such as Scary Movie, Date Movie, and most recently Epic Movie, it directs parodies at various films. Although it references many movies, TV shows, people and pop cultural events, it...
(2008) (creature effects supervisor) - Bratz (2007) (creature effects)
- Shooter (2007) (animatronic effects)
- The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince CaspianThe Chronicles of Narnia: Prince CaspianThe Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is a 2008 epic fantasy film based on Prince Caspian, the second published, fourth chronological novel in C. S. Lewis's epic fantasy series, The Chronicles of Narnia. It is the second in The Chronicles of Narnia film series from Walden Media, following The...
(2008) (creature effects) - I Am LegendI Am Legend (film)I Am Legend is a 2007 post-apocalyptic science fiction film directed by Francis Lawrence and starring Will Smith. It is the third feature film adaptation of Richard Matheson's 1954 novel of the same name, following 1964's The Last Man on Earth and 1971's The Omega Man. Smith plays virologist Robert...
(2007) (creature effects supervisor) - The ComebacksThe ComebacksThe Comebacks is a 2007 American satirical comedy film directed by Tom Brady. This film is a parody of the clichés and plots of the sports film genre. In the UK, Greece, Finland and Australia this film is called Sports Movie and called Team of Crazy in Brazil...
(2007) (animatronic effects) - The DepartedThe DepartedThe Departed is a 2006 American crime thriller film, fashioned as a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs. The film was directed by Martin Scorsese and written by William Monahan...
(2006) (blood effects) - Epic MovieEpic MovieEpic Movie is a 2007 American parody film directed and written by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer and produced by Paul Schiff. It was made in a similar style to Date Movie, Friedberg and Seltzer's previous film. The film mostly references The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the...
(2007) (creature effects supervisor) - 300300 (film)300 is a 2007 American fantasy action film based on the 1998 comic series of the same name by Frank Miller. It is a fictionalized retelling of the Battle of Thermopylae. The film was directed by Zack Snyder, while Miller served as executive producer and consultant...
(2007) (creature effects supervisor) - In the Name of the King (2007) (animatronic effects)
- Date MovieDate MovieDate Movie is a 2006 American parody film, which was directed and written by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer, two of the writers of the first Scary Movie. Much of the story line was based on that of the well-known romantic comedy My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Meet The Fockers...
(2006) (creature effects supervisor) - FlickaFlicka-Chart performance:...
(2006) (animatronic effects) - Four BrothersFour Brothers (film)Four Brothers is a 2005 action crime film directed by John Singleton. The movie stars Mark Wahlberg, Tyrese Gibson, Andre Benjamin and Garrett Hedlund. The film was shot in Detroit, Michigan and Hamilton, Ontario, Canada...
(2005) (animatronic effects) - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The WardrobeThe Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the WardrobeThe Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a 2005 epic fantasy adventure film directed by Andrew Adamson and based on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the first published and second chronological novel in C. S. Lewis's children's epic fantasy series, The Chronicles of...
(2005) (animatronic effects) - The AlamoThe Alamo (2004 film)The Alamo is a 2004 American war film about the Battle of the Alamo during the Texas Revolution. The film was directed by Texan John Lee Hancock, produced by Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, and Mark Johnson, and distributed by Touchstone Pictures....
(2004) (animal props) - The Last SamuraiThe Last SamuraiThe Last Samurai is a 2003 American epic drama film directed and co-produced by Edward Zwick, who also co-wrote the screenplay based on a story by John Logan. The film was inspired by a project developed by writer and director Vincent Ward, who had previously filmed the movie in 1990, starring...
(2003) (hero animatronic horse) - SeabiscuitSeabiscuitSeabiscuit was a champion Thoroughbred racehorse in the United States. From an inauspicious start, Seabiscuit became an unlikely champion and a symbol of hope to many Americans during the Great Depression...
(2003) (animatronic effects) - Terminator 3 (mechanical props)
- Scooby-Doo 3: The Mystery Begins (scan reference and eyeline models)
- The CoreThe CoreThe Core is a 2003 American disaster film loosely based on the novel Core by Paul Preuss. It concerns a team that has to drill to the center of the Earth and set off a series of nuclear explosions in order to restart the rotation of Earth's core...
(bird effects) - Punch Drunk Love (gloves for Adam Sandler)
- Scary Movie 2Scary Movie 2Scary Movie 2 is a 2001 parody film. It is the second film of the Scary Movie franchise. Though part of the first Scary Movies tagline read "...No sequel," this film's tagline compensated by adding "We lied"....
(makeup effects and props) - No Such ThingNo Such ThingNo Such Thing is a 2001 United States-Icelandic film directed by Hal Hartley. It tells the story of Beatrice , a tabloid journalist whose fiancé is killed by a monster in Iceland...
(makeup effects) - Pterodactyl (creatures and makeup)
- DragonflyDragonflyA dragonfly is a winged insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera . It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body...
(animatronic baby) - Backlot Murders (makeup and props)
- Terminator 2: 3D (animatronic mechanical arms)
- Predator 2Predator 2Predator 2 is a 1990 science fiction action film starring Danny Glover, Gary Busey, María Conchita Alonso, Rubén Blades, and Bill Paxton. Written by Jim and John Thomas and directed by Stephen Hopkins, the film is a sequel to 1987's Predator, with Kevin Peter Hall again playing the role of the...
(weaponry) - Army of DarknessArmy of DarknessArmy of Darkness, also known as Evil Dead III: Army of Darkness or simply Evil Dead III, is a 1992 horror comedy fantasy action film directed by Sam Raimi. It is the third and final installment in The Evil Dead trilogy. The film was written by Raimi and his brother Ivan, produced by Robert Tapert,...
(animatronic skeletons)
External links
- Creature Effects, Inc. Web site: http://www.creaturefxinc.com
- Mark Rappaport on IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0710902/