Professional Profile: Gabe Bartalos,
Makeup Effects Artist and Owner, Atlantic West Effects
"I have always loved movies, especially fantasy films," explains Gabe
Bartalos. From a very young age he was captivated by the fantastic crea-
tures and special effects he saw on the big screen. Recognizing their son's
burgeoning passion, his parents gave him a Super-8 camera for his
twelfth birthday. With neighborhood friends, Bartalos began to make his
first movies. "Our films always had special effects in them and I started
to zero in on that aspect. As I became more involved, I realized that
artwork was the driving force behind the effects. When you see a decapi-
tated head or a skinned body, if you look at it, there is a lot of artwork
that lies behind the gruesome sight. I began to realize this was a great
way for me to take all the painting and drawing that was my second love
and channel it into my first love--movies." Throughout junior and senior
high school, Bartalos took every art class and worked to develop his artis-
tic talents.
While attending a horror/fantasy/sci-fi convention, "a gathering of
filmmakers, film fans, and merchandisers," Bartalos heard that a film
called The Deadly Spawn was being shot in New Jersey. Visiting the set, he
was offered the opportunity to
be an extra for a scene, and
more importantly, he met
Arnold Gargiullo, the man
responsible for the film's
special makeup effects. "He
was very approachable and
friendly, and lived two towns
away from me in Westchester,
New York. He said, `Come on
out to my studio, punk, and
let's see your stuff.' I went out
and showed him my humble,
but ever-growing and enthusi-
astic portfolio."
Gargiullo told Bartalos he
could "come and clean some
buckets and the floor for no
money" and get a chance to
see that the work was not as
"romantic" as he might
suspect. "I was more than
happy to do it. I was basically
What do you like
least about your job?
"Budget restraints. I hate
when you have a great
idea and the director
loves it, but it has to be
scaled back considerably
because there isn't enough money."
--Gabe Bartalos
What do you love most
about your job?
"I love sculpting and painting. I'm fasci-
nated by faces and their expressions. I love
getting my hands dirty with cement, clay,
plaster, rubber, and blood. I love movies,
especially genre fantasy films . . . I love
coming up with a bizarre idea, sketching
it out, sculpting up a model, and having
the director say, `That's exactly what I
visualized. How soon can you build it?'"
--Gabe Bartalos
VOICES OF
EXPERIENCE
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