Look Solutions USA Delivers for Frank Iudica, FX Supervisor for Fear the Walking Dead

Delivering a convincing death for a zombie character in shows like Fear the Walking Dead takes imagination and expertise, something that Frank Iudica has gained ample amounts of throughout his 30-year career in TV and film. Iudica has seen many changes over the course of his career, but something that he simply does not change is his use of Look Solutions products, thanks to the results he is able to achieve and the transparent data that Look Solutions USA provides with all solutions and machines.

"In years gone by, effects people would burn anything to get the required smoke effect on camera; tires, grass, anything!" explains Iudica. "Now we are required to provide safety data sheets for all our pyrotechnic or atmospheric equipment, so the studios know that what we are using is safe for everyone to work around. Look Solutions is one of the only companies that provides full documentation and ticks all the boxes, which makes everyone feel safe. All their fluid ranges use similar ingredients, and the great thing is that their data sheet is just one page."

Look Solutions products only use water-based solutions, which makes them well-suited for confined studio work, where OSHA safety regulations insist this type of fluid is used. Iudica owns four Orka machines, the largest in the Look Solutions range, and he uses these with his 12 Viper NT and also pairs products from the Tiny Range, for personal effects.

For his work on AMC's Fear the Walking Dead, Iudica uses so much fluid that he now orders it from Look Solutions USA distributor, Roger George in California, by the drum. His methods are very different from those used by his predecessors. In the 1990s, SPFX supervisors would use predominately oil-based products, utilizing methods like heating, burning or cracking (dispersing with high air-pressure), some of which are still in use today. All methods have benefits and limitations, but as Iudica explains, using Look Solutions products helps ensure that modern safety expectations are met.

"One of my first jobs was organizing fog fluid. Back then, the boss had all sorts -- cherry flavor, vanilla flavor. Obviously, if you're adding a flavor or fragrance, it's to hide something! Some of them were even in un-marked bottles or called Voodoo Juice!" he recalls. "Everything is much more regulated now, so we follow the rules, but sometimes it can make it challenging."

Iudica has spent the last ten years working on AMC's Fear the Walking Dead, as the special effects supervisor. The show centers around the survivors of a zombie apocalypse as they struggle to avoid the many perils of this terrifying new world. Some of the most scary dangers are supplied by the ever-present walking-dead or 'Walkers', as they are known in the shows. The Walkers have all met a terrible end and throughout his time on the show Iudica has recreated the effect of being impaled, decapitated, crushed or injured by boats, planes, trucks and all manner of weapons. All without actually harming any actors in the process.

As Iudica continues, maintaining the highest levels of creativity allowed the team to retain the all-important shock value for audiences. With the advent of a nuclear explosion in Season Seven, Iudica began to utilize the Tiny FX, a fog machine that is so small it can be placed on the body of an actor to deliver gruesome, smoking injury effects.

"Post nuclear fall-out on the show, we would have some really cool effects. For daytime, the sky looked orange, red, rusted, and smoky, as if the nuclear explosion had rocked the sun and made everything radioactive," he recalls. "At night, we would transition to an acidic toxicity of greens, blues and yellows. We used my Look Solutions Orka machines, adding to the effect with colored smoke grenades that are more commonly used for paintball games. Our heroes would come across walkers or zombies whose bodies had been damaged by the explosion. For this effect, the make-up team would take 7mm wetsuits and make them bubble up to look like destroyed skin. Inside the wetsuits we hid two Tiny S machines connected to tubes built into the suit, so now I could have zombies walking around smoldering. Most of these effects are all practical with very little augmentation, which means that the actors are always in the moment."

The producer's choice to use real effects wherever possible is something that Iudica really appreciates -- the stagecraft involved means the show has a more authentic feel -- and that the experience is far more rewarding for him than a show that is mainly created post-production. The Tiny FX is also useful addition to his toolbox and he really appreciates its portability and DMX control.

"I love the Tiny FX; they put out so much fog for their size," he expands. "The DMX controller is a tiny pack, too, so we can place it in a belt around the waistline. Occasionally, we might have to make small adjustments to a costume. If a shirt is tightly tucked in, we might ask to un-tuck it to give us more freedom to hide the equipment, but each department works together to do our bit."

Thanks to the range of fog machines available within the Tiny series, Iudica knows there is always a solution that will work for what he needs. His remit not only covers the human and atmospheric effects, he is also responsible for other props, such as the crashed and broken vans or cars that litter the highways. For big set pieces like this, Iudica uses the Power Tiny. The largest of the range, the Power Tiny has a 250ml reservoir for fluid, and also offers variable control, so results can be accurately and reliably delivered without the need to refill between takes.

"I love the Power Tiny, it's super easy to use and handy for practical situations like smoking objects," he concludes. "For Fear the Walking Dead, every frame has some kind of smoke or dust in it, so I am a fan of Look Solutions! As a special effects man, you are meant to know a little bit of everything, but for those moments where you need a little assistance, Look Solutions USA have always been super helpful, and that's invaluable to me."