# Moving Face Effect



## HomeyDaClown (Oct 3, 2009)

Just came across this over on Youtube. A very nice creation by Jeffrey Sherrard. I've used the same technique on a moving eyes prop but never though about doing it with skulls. I've got a stack of skull jello molds just waiting for something like this:


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## Jack Mac (Nov 28, 2012)

That is an awesome effect! Bookmarked and added to my list of props I might want to make . Thanks for the link.


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

So is the face inverted/concave for that effect? I know that's how it's done with the moving eyes illusion.


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## Lunatic (Oct 3, 2006)

Yeah that's cool. How does that work?


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## HomeyDaClown (Oct 3, 2009)

RoxyBlue said:


> So is the face inverted/concave for that effect? I know that's how it's done with the moving eyes illusion.


Exactly, it's a mind trick known as the Necker Cube: http://www.cut-the-knot.org/Curriculum/Geometry/Necker.shtml

Human sight is programmed to recognize familiar human features such as eyes and faces and expects to see normal projections like nose, lips,ears and eyes in convex fashion. When you see the same features in concave fashion you mind tries to bend the vision into what should be normal.


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## Lunatic (Oct 3, 2006)

HomeyDaClown said:


> Human sight is programmed to recognize familiar human features such as eyes and faces and expects to see normal projections like nose, lips,ears and eyes in convex fashion. When you see the same features in concave fashion you mind tries to bend the vision into what should be normal.


It's amazing that the effect works through video. Pretty cool.


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## Offwhiteknight (Sep 17, 2008)

They do an identical effect (with busts instead of skulls) at the Haunted Mansion. Very cool trick, just have no real place to do it in my house.


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## ouizul1 (May 22, 2010)

I like that! ...might try to incorporate into a tombstone, since they are up next on the build list anyway.


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## niblique71 (Dec 2, 2009)

That's too cool... I did the eyeball trick and Loved the results...The whole skull will be fun to try. Thanks for posting Homey


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## diggerc (Feb 22, 2006)

anybody know how it's lighted?


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## HomeyDaClown (Oct 3, 2009)

The jello mold used and the ones I have are thin white plastic, just like a stiff old kids mask. Just about any diffused light would work spaced behind it enough to light up the whole face evenly. 

I've got a few 2 watt 110 Volt LED bulbs that have just the right color (no blue) for this. I'll cover them with translucent containers (round crystal light ones) to help diffuse the light a bit.

Building two columns for the entrance to our cemetery scene and I want to stuff a moving face in each one.


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## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

The hard bart I see with using the cake or jello mold is that it probably has a fully formed face, which means that you will have shadows and features that are static while your "motion" goes on.


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## HomeyDaClown (Oct 3, 2009)

The whole thing is static, it is your mind playing tricks that makes it work. You want some shadows to distinguish the features. I may even darken a few features (lines) to increase the contrast a bit.


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## The Halloween Lady (Aug 18, 2010)

That's really nifty!!!!! I want to try this one..... along with about a hundred other things. lol


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## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

Sorry Homey, I thought you were talking about projecting a moving face onto a static head-form, when in fact, you are trying to replicate the rotating busts from "The Haunted Mansion" attraction.


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## hpropman (Jul 27, 2008)

great use for the jello mold


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