BIOGRAPHY

Of

Jim Duncombe - Vivid Art FX

Jim Duncombe is a Midlands based freelance Mask and Prop designer and maker. He also works with special FX Makeup for film and theatre projects and periodically as a Puppet Maker at the CRAIG DENSTON DESIGN workshop in Birmingham.

Jim has been working professionally for the last few years but has been sculpting and making since his childhood.

“As far back as I can remember, I was always making props and costumes for myself and my friends to play with. I’m sure that all the other kids did that stuff as well, it’s just that I never stopped.

I used to sculpt figures and faces in plasticine as a child and eventually, through years of trial and error, I worked out how to make masks and as an extension of that, simple prosthetic appliances.

When I was fourteen, I got my hands on a video camera. Suddenly, I had a real reason to make all this gear. I began filming scenarios and kitting out the ‘actors’ with the necessary masks, makeup and props to make my characters look real. At sixteen, I went to College to study, amongst other subjects, Theatre. There I found a demand developed for my skills.

During and after College, I began to associate myself with various local film-makers, professional prop makers and theatre associations and eventually I established a number of contacts who were interested in my skills on a professional level.”