Tom Savini's Special Make-Up Effects Program is a two-year academic program at the Douglas Education Center in Monessen, Pennsylvania, outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. [1] [2] The program awards an associate degree in Specialized Business. [2] The program began in 2000. [3]
The program curriculum was designed by Tom Savini, a horror special effects and makeup artist known for his work in Friday the 13th , Dawn of the Dead , and Day of the Dead. [2] [3] Instructors also include long-term Savini associates, including Jerry Gergely, who earned a 1998 Emmy nomination for his makeup work for Babylon 5 . [3]
Students study Make-up Application, Mold Making and Casting, Animation Fabrication, and Exhibit and Display Design. [2] [4] In addition to learning the skills with special effects and make-up for films, students learn skills that can be applied in creating scenes for museums, molding prosthetic limbs, or creating toys. [4] Program alumni have gone on to work at McFarlane Toys, Smithsonian Institution, Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights, KNB EFX Group, Jordu Schell, and Saturday Night Live. [2]
As of 2010, the program had 144 students with an average age 24. [3]