Vincent Guastini Productions is a full service effects studio which creates, designs and constructs animatronic creatures and humans, as well as prosthetic make ups and characters for feature films and television.  We are based both in California and New York.  Some of our recent film projects include JAY AND SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK and DOGMA for writer/director Kevin Smith. MAN ON THE MOON and VIRUS for Aliens producer Gale Ann Hurd.  Stephen Kings THINNER and the Michael Mann epic THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS.

In the acclaimed Darren Aronofsky film REQUIEM FOR A DREAM, Vincent Guastini Productions performed the weight loss transformation of Academy Award nominee Ellen Burstyn.  For a complete listing of our feature film work, please visit our Filmography page.

Vincent Guastini Productions has also done numerous effects jobs for television series and mini series, they include:  STEPHEN KINGS THE LANGOLIERS for ABC, LAW AND ORDER, LATE NITE WITH CONAN O'BRIEN and THIRD WATCH  for NBC, The SCI-FI CHANNELS series MONSTERS.  Also, MURDER IN SMALL TOWN X.  Vincent was also one of the make-up artists on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE where he was nominated for a BEST MAKE-UP EMMY for the 98-99 season.

Vincent Guastini Productions has also done effects for award winning TV commercials for such companies as QUAKER OATS, MTV, SCI-FI CHANNEL, COLGATE, CADBURY, and MILTON BRADLEY.
Vincent Guastini has also been profiled in such movie and entertainment magazines as FANGORIA, CINEFANTASTIC, SFX and MAKEUP ARTIST MAGAZINE.
 
 

ABOUT VINCENT GUASTINI
Biography for
Vincent J. Guastini

Born in Jersey City, New Jersey on October 7, 1963, he started his own Special Make-up and effects company at the age of 24, specializing in prosthetics and creature effects and animatronics. The film that was a big influence on his life was John Carpenter's remake of the Howard Hawks film The Thing (1982).

His company soon grew to become one of the top special makeup effects houses on the East coast. At first called Fantasy Workshop, where he started doing creatures and special Make-up effects for the Monster of the week TV series in the late 80s, called "MONSTERS" supervised by make-up legend Dick Smith.

His company and credits soon expanded and his big breakthrough film as far as realistic and graphic effects came in 1991 when asked to take over the prosthetic effects for Michael Mann's epic remake of The Last Of The Mohicans. After this film Vincent went on to supervise and design creature effects for various studio and independent films.

Changing his company name to Vincent Guastini Productions in 1997, he moved his company to the West coast and is now one of the top effects houses.

One of his most challenging projects was Darren Aronofsky's Requiem For A Dream (2000), in which he had to transform Ellen Burstyn into a thinning, decaying women through out the film. The prosthetic transformation made Vincent an Oscar hopeful that year. Other films Vincent has found to be a big feather in his and his company's cap is creating the wings and creature effects in Kevin Smith's film Dogma (1999). Vincent's was also nominated for an emmy for his prosthetics work for TV's "Saturday Night Live"
 
 

INSPIRATION FOR WHY AND WHAT I DO.

WHAT JOHN CARPENTER'S THE THING DID TO ME, TO MAKE A LIVING

Ok I was like the rest of today's effects artists, I was inspired by such films as STAR WARS, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS, and scared to death by THE EXORCIST etc.

These films helped spark an interest in doing what I do today, but after viewing these films, I sort thought I would get into building models, maybe doing some kind of effects for movies. In 1982 I walked into a nearby movie house after being pissed off about something. I see this cheesy movie poster with this shadow of a man with a beam of light coming out of his head and it says. John Carpenter's ' THE THING" "Man is the warmest place to hide." First thought was, 'Ok lets see what this piece of shit is about.' I go in, and I must tell you it changed my life. Every scene, one right after another not only shocked me more and more, -not just due to the excellent storyline, acting direction, etc. but the effects and how they're set up was new to me.

During the legendary blood test scene when MacReady has everyone tied up, and everyone starts turning into monsters, that was shock enough. But when one of the men hits the ceiling dripping goo and his head turned to mush, I swear like almost on cue there was this young skinny guy wearing glasses behind me, lifts out of his seat still holding on to the arm rests and yells "JESUS F@#!ING CHRIST". I turn and look at the utter shock and surprise in his face, I swear it was like a lighting bolt in my head. Very dramatic. It hits me, this is what I want to do. This is what I have to do, this what I must do; I have to do the same type of work and get the same reaction or I won't live or die happy.

My goal was to make the makeup effects I do today as shocking, fresh and as original as Rob Bottin's work in THE THING.  I knew I would constantly be on the search to find a project as great as those effects challenges were, and make it my life to top them. 

©1998 VINCENT J. GUASTINI
 
 

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DOGMA Director Kevin Smith's comments on the effects work of Vincent Guastini.

"If the movies half as good as Ben's wings look...we'll be in good shape."

"Saw Ben in his wings today, brilliant stuff.  The articulation is amazing, something to just flat out behold."

"Yesterday, we shot the Golgothan, and it looked tremendous, Vince Guastini and his team did a tremendous job."

Quote from REQUIEM FOR A DREAM Producer Eric Watson the films Make-Up Effects.

"The prosthetics are amazing, they are seamless, most people don't even register the transition.  It is weird, but they're so strong and believable that the hard work disappears.  You don't want to call attention to them but you want the people to recognize the craftsmanship behind the performance."

VINCENT GUASTINI PRODUCTIONS
SPECIAL MAKE-UP EFFECTS- PROSTHETIC CHARACTERS- ANIMATRONIC CREATURES-CONCEPT DESIGN

Phone: 818 768 7006                     Fax: 818 768 7520

OUR LARGE EFFECTS FACILITY IS LOCATED IN NORTH HOLLYWOOD 20 MINUTES FROM
STUDIO CITY AND UNIVERSAL STUDIOS PLEASE CALL FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND SERIOUS INQUIRES OR JOB OPPORTUNITIES. ABSOLUTELY NO VISITS  WITHOUT AN APPOINTMENT

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