An Interview with Jon Beal

Actor, fight choreographer and designer Jon Beal riffs on finding a career path by accident, crushing baby skulls, and “getting outside your head” to solve difficult problems.

Without further ado… 10 questions with Jon Beal:

How did you get into makeup / special FX?

I got into makeup/special FX by accident. I was assistant fight choreographer on a show which, because it had lots of violence, consequently had lots of blood. So while I was only assisting, I thought it would be a great idea to also assist the blood / gore designer. Well, one thing led to another and before I knew it the blood / gore designer had left the production during tech week and I inherited the position. Trial by fire style, I was forced to learn very quickly how to create and manage blood / gore FX. Also, this show was 12 hours long and had over 60 blood packs, multiple prosthetics, fake limbs, and crushable effects that needed to be produced daily. Since then, blood / gore has become a part of my skillset.

Do you have a “specialty” of sorts?

My speciality, I would say, is blood. Tying and creating blood packs, testing and adjusting color and consistency, practical and creative application, I pride myself on getting blood to look great.

What do you like about working with blood / gore?

I love storytelling, and great blood work can really help to tell a story. Whether as small as a bloody lip after a punch or a huge spray from a severed limb, blood adds an extra element of depth and effectiveness to a performance that is exciting and, in the end, better tells the story.

What do you dislike about working with blood / gore?

The expense. When it comes to a production the set, costumes, lights, sound, props, programs, EVERYTHING in a director’s budget comes before blood, which, at the end of the day, means that I struggle making what I want, (and what the director wants) a reality. In a show I did recently, the director decided during tech that they wanted to triple the amount of blood in some scenes – they wanted characters to be completely COVERED in blood. And my response was “Great! It’s going to cost this much money.” To which they responded “What the **** are you talking about?” I ended up paying out of pocket to get the production what it needed.

Directors sometimes don’t understand that GOOD blood that looks great ad washed out is an expense. So many “online blood recipes” have people in the industry thinking that there is a quick cheap fix for all their blood needs. And when blood is the LAST thing on the budget list for a production, I always struggle to get the funding I need for the effects I want… and most blood ends up getting cut.

What has been your favorite project and/or creation and why?

My favorite project was All Our Tragic with The Hypocrites – the 12 hour, all day Greek tragedy adaptation that had me working my bones off. It was how I got started and how I ended up loving blood work. I tied 67 blood packs, gored a fulled burned body, had 3 blood squirt bottles, filled 2 blood canons, filled a severed arm bag, made pop-able eyeball packs filled with white jelly, created a crush-able baby brain filled with jelly pieces, and more, all for one show. I created these pre-show and while the production was happening. It was a huge challenge and had me pressing my brain for innovative application techniques and I had to problem solve on the fly. But in the end, I was proud of my work and taught me the affect blood and gore can have on a production.

How do you go about designing your effects?

I start with the script, and impulsively visualize what I think it’s going to look like, but I’m never married to one idea or concept. I always check in with the director, hear their thoughts and check in with the other designers (set, costumes, props, lights) to make sure we are all on the same page: How dark is the stage? Will the actors costumes have pockets (or are they shirtless)? Does props have any suggestions or requests? Is there going to be laundry available after every performance? Believe it or not, laundry is overlooked quite frequently.

Then I come up with final concepts, build and acquire what I need. Then find time to come in with the cast during a rehearsal pre-tech to teach, test, and run what I have with the actors. That way I can learn what works, what doesn’t, and adjust accordingly before tech and before real blood is used. I try to have at least one rehearsal pre-tech where we try the effects with Blood Jam to make sure it’s working before we get onto the set. Once we get into tech, where time is limited and, again, everything else comes before blood work, we usually only have about one or two test runs on with all of tech in place before performances begin. Which means, in tech especially, I have to work fast and make adjustments quick because we usually only have one or two chances to get it right.

How much research do you do to make things “realistic”?

I do a lot of research, mostly internet based, to make sure things look right. However, I will say, sometimes “realistic” doesn’t read on stage and may not be the best goal to shoot for in a stage production. For example, let’s say on stage a character gets punched in the lip. Ouch. In real life, the inside of the lip hits the teeth and creates a cut, not super huge, and the person will bleed into his mouth some, probably apply pressure and swallow most of the blood and some may get spit out or run down the side of a cheek but, overall, there isn’t so much blood. So you give the director the realistic version. But the director is sitting in the back row of the theater, and they can’t see anything. Just like a lot of effects in theater, you’re going to have to exaggerate the effect. Maybe double the blood. It may not be “realistic” in terms of quantity, or sometimes even location, but sometimes we have to manipulate variables in order to effectively tell the story.

What was your most challenging project and how did you overcome those challenges?

My greatest challenge was in All Our Tragic. A baby’s head needed to be stepped on, crushed to pieces, and ooze blood. The child had to look realistic, be held onstage for about 15 minutes during a war scene before the effect was executed, and thrown to the ground before being stepped on. Oh, also, I have no more money….so I can’t just order 30 breakaway baby heads from an FX company in LA. Lots of challenges. I cut up 4 or 5 plastic baby heads, glued magnets to scull pieces, tried breakaway tape, I went through about 8 or 9 different prototypes that all failed. It was a mess. Nothing I created worked or gave the director what they wanted. I started asking for help, and pulled ideas from the creative team. I remember the costume designer saying, “Can the baby wear a hat?” and I know that was the solution. I eventually developed a half baby head where the cranium was filled with a huge blood pack, all being held in place by painted and designed expanding foam which was covered by a little baby bonnet. I would have never thought of using a hat, but the costume designer, who clothes people for a living, did. Getting outside your head helps.

What’s your current passion project/long term goal that your are working on improving?

My long term goal is to blend magic with blood effects. Right now I’m talking to magicians and applying their slight of hand or illusionist techniques to blood and gore effects on stage. I’m working on a production with lots of chopped off hands and heads and surprise blood effects, which are near impossible to do, unless things are built into the stage or tricks are choreographed. So I’m trying to blend the wonder of magic with the dramatic and storytelling effect of blood / gore, and applying stage magic, mostly just used for spectacle, to dramatic narratives.

What tips would you give to anyone interested in pursuing special FX makeup?

I am a trial by fire kind of person. I work best and learn most when I’m under pressure and HAVE to produce. So, my advice, is to find a project to commit to, and do it. The external accountability will drive you to create and you’ll be surprised what you can accomplish.

 

About Jon Beal

Jon Beal graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a BA in theater performance. Since then, Jon has acted and choreographed violence for The Hypocrites, Goodman, Sideshow Theatre, The House, Jackalope Theatre, Stage Left, Raven Theatre, Victory Gardens, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and is the resident fight director for Muse of Fire Theatre Company. This fall Jon will be choreographing violence and doing blood/gore design for Dracula with the Hypocrites at Mercury Theatre, and performing in The Valkyries at The Lyric Opera. Check for updates at www.jonbeal.com, or on Instagram @jaybs_theush.