It was a chilly Halloween afternoon at Lake Yosemite in Merced, and eager runners were taking their marks for two long-distance races.
These races, however, were anything but average. Ravenous zombies clawed at the runners, ready to chase them through the course.
“I told you they’re starting to smell that fresh brain flesh,” the announcer said.
Meanwhile, blood-thirsty creatures popped out from the side of the track, wielding long claws and chainsaws, while vocalizing blood-curdling moans that would frighten even the most hardcore horror movie buff.
As scary as they appeared, the creatures were anything but real. The event was a Halloween-themed run put on by the Arts, Media and Entertainment Booster Club for Golden Valley High School.
Beneath the masks, makeup and fake blood, the Hollywood-style monsters were actually local high school students dressed up as part of a unique movie special effects class they’re enrolled in. Students and staff created these so-called monsters.
Amber Kirby, the teacher for the class, said making the costumes was part of the curriculum. For the students, the scene was a lesson in creating costumes that not only look real – but function at a practical level for the actors wearing them.
“Is it scary?” Kirby said during the event. “Can I see in it? Can I breathe in it? Does it perform? And so this is that opportunity for those students to test that out today.”
Making masks with a story and joy
The creepers in the run were made with acrylic paint and recycled materials like paper towels and upholstery foam, Kirby said. Students worked on the masks during a workshop with one of Kirby’s “industry advisors,” Los Angeles-based makeup artist Brian Sipe.
Sipe’s resume includes work on several high-grossing movies, including “Star Trek: Into Darkness” and “Avengers: Endgame.”
During the class this year, students will also learn how to make actors look older and create authentic-looking bruises, among other methods.
These aren’t just assignments, Kirby said, but skills that lead to careers. Students could enroll at a trade school for cosmetology or major in film at a university.
“People are always going to need to look beautiful,” she said. “People are always going to want to have someone help them look scary. The film industry isn’t going to use AI or CGI to get rid of makeup artists or practical effect artists, especially if people want to see that kind of stuff.”
After graduating, Kirby said students will also get small scholarships that cover one unit if they want to attend the Make-up Designory (MUD) school in Burbank. They also obtain safety certificates that will go towards coursework at MUD or The Milan Institute, a local cosmetology school with a satellite campus in Merced.
Beyond believing in a future, students also feel pure joy by learning new skills, Kirby said.
“They start finding their voice,” she said. “They start becoming themselves. They maybe find themselves a little bit in this work and you can do this work as a bold actor out here running and scaring people, or you can do this as like an artist behind the scenes or a cameraman going out and capturing what’s happening. You see them bloom into who they are.”
Students like 17-year-old Analia Servin are becoming special effects artists. Before the run, Servin was blow drying a piece of fake skin onto her friend’s face so she could split it open to simulate a bloody gash. Her friend was dressed up to be a clown inspired by DC Universe’s character, The Joker.
Servin explained that makeup tells a deeper story about the character.
“On one side, he’s forced to be happy, but you can tell that it’s deteriorating, and on the other side, it truly shows the flesh and the gross and the pain inside of him,” she said of her version of The Joker, with enthusiasm.
Servin, who speaks with a higher-pitch, used to be self-conscious of her voice, but said the arts brought her out of her shell.
“It really helped me find myself and know that it’s OK to be who I am,” she said. “It just feels like I can be more myself, especially with this community. Everyone’s different, and it’s so nice to see how everyone can just express their creativity.”
Differing opinions on a future in the arts
Servin told The Merced FOCUS she thinks entering the movie industry seems a little “far-fetched” in Merced County. But it’s not impossible for her anymore.
“I think that dreams like that are definitely possible,” she said. “You just really have to put the work in them, and you always have to believe in yourself.”
She plans on majoring in education and minoring in performing arts at UCLA, so she “could be like Miss Kirby and teach others my love for performing,” she said. But she’s not closed off to voice acting either.
Classmates Ryder Kirby and Lucas Tarleton, do believe a future in the industry is possible. Ryder is Amber Kirby’s son.
During the run, he chased after the runners while wearing a half-wolf/half-human mask on. Tarleton was a swamp spider.
“I do have these big claws and these guts spilling out of my chest that I did make on my own last night,” Tarleton, 17, said.
Tarleton plans on going to film school after graduating and Ryder, 16, wants to design concept art for games and movies. They’re learning practical skills, according to Ryder, that fit into their future careers.
“Not only is it the creation, which is a very human thing, to create and make art, but also practical effects I feel are more convincing than special effects,” he said. “I feel like having a real human’s touch on it really adds that extra bit of realism and emotion to a piece.”
The skills also aren’t only valuable to them. Sinthya Duran, a UC Merced student who attended the race said she wished she had a class like that in high school.
“I think that’s a really creative way to get their minds out there as well. Just be really creative with their hands too,” Duran said.
Both Ryder and Tarleton grew up in the San Joaquin Valley — a place that resonates more with agriculture than art. But Ryder thinks that’s changing because of artists like them. He said in their classroom, imaginations can run wild.
“I feel like you’re not just trapped in one place, especially if you’re in the Valley,” Ryder said. “I know that it can feel that way sometimes, but if you want to go out there and make art out in the world, you can.”
