…And now for Part 2!
With the first two days of the 2019 IAA already covered, I’ll dive right in on the 2nd half of the conference.
Day 3 - Scientific Session / Lectures Pt. 2
The third day started off with a highly anticipated presentation by keynote speaker Kazuhiro Tsuji (@kazustudios) on his hyperrealistic silicone portraits. Kazu recently won the Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling for his work on the 2017 film The Darkest Hour, in which he transformed Gary Oldman into Winston Churchill. The man is a powerhouse, whose credits include Men In Black, Planet of the Apes, The Grinch, The Ring, Hellboy, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button…the list goes on! He was incredibly humble and shared some amazing stories from his time in the film industry. He shared some of his experiences with his mentor, Dick Smith, who was a “godfather” of modern special effects, literally - he worked on The Godfather - Dick Smith was the make-up artists for many memorable cinematic masterpieces, including The Exorcist, Scanners, and Amadeus, just to name a few. Kazu’s history in film is very impressive and, needless to say, anaplastologists and movie buffs alike were in awe as he revealed the scope of his portfolio and the training he went through to get to where he is today.
Aside from his work in film, Kazu also has an incredible collection of hyperrealistic silicone portraits, which he has been working on over the past several years. The portraits are larger than life, and depict famous figures such as Salvador Dali, Frida Kahlo, Andy Warhol and Abraham Lincoln. It was an amazing opportunity to see some of the techniques that he uses when creating his works, especially since many of the sculpting techniques he employs are similar to those we use when sculpting a prosthesis. He also shared videos of his sculpting process (see the example below). It was incredible to hear him speak about his process and the techniques he uses when working on these larger-than-life portraits.
Many attendees were fortunate enough to steal a few minutes of his time and speak with him after his presentation, myself included. The man is a legend - extremely kind, very interested in speaking with everyone, and happy to answer question. He not only shared some of his personal techniques, but was also very interested in hearing about the techniques and materials we use in our own work. Anaplastology is a very small field, and having someone so accomplished come and speak at our conference was an amazing experience.
A copy of one of Kazuhiro Tsuji’s portraits of mentor Dick Smith. Below - Dick Smith standing beside the completed portrait (via Kazu’s Instagram).
After the morning keynote, we were treated a variety of interesting presentations, following up the group of presentations from the previous day:
High Consistency Silicone Rubber Basics - with Stefan Knauss, MAMS, CPO (@aesthetic_prosthetics). This was a condensed overview of some of the topics Stefan touched on during his pre-conference workshop.
Levels of Foot Amputation and Their Effects on Ambulation - with Geoff Smith.
Inter-practice Collaboration for Partial Hands and Feet – How Working Together Benefits All - with Paul Rothchild (@emergeprosthetics) and Michaela Calhoun, CCA (@prosthetics_gm). See some of examples of Paul’s work in the previous post.
Diabetic Foot Complications – Optimizing Outcomes, Minimizing Amputations - with Jeff Jensen, DPM, FACFAS.
History of Anaplastology at Stanford University - with Barbara Spohn Lillo, AS, CCA-Ocularist, CF-m (@prostheticillusions) and Donald Laub, MD.
Sponsor Learning Workshop with Southern Implants.
Development of a Regenerative Medicine Program Focus on Treatment of Head and Neck Morbidities, Mark S. Chambers, DMD, MS.
Customer Service Orientation in Healthcare: Utilizing Counseling Skills for Improved Patient Outcomes - with Stevie Pena, Licensed Mental Health Counselor.
Benefits of a Virtual 3D Workflow of Custom Made External Breast Prosthesis: A Prospective Study of 40 Women - with Gaston Bernier, DMD, FADQ.
The Empirical Method in the 21st Century: How to Fit an Indwelling Ocular - with Barbara Spohn-Lillo, AS, CCA, CF-m (@prostheticillusions).
With the third day of the conference done, we had the opportunity to unwind at a banquet dinner.
Day 4 - Post-Conference Workshops
There were a lot of really exciting items on the docket for the 2019 IAA meeting, and one workshop that I was particularly interested in attending was by Fourth Seal Studios (@fourthsealstudios). Tim (@timothy_frankenstein) and Devin (@mcmetcalfe) make PHENOMENAL resin-cast eyes for the special effects industry. I first came across their work on Instagram a while ago and had asked them several questions about their sfx oculars, so I was very excited to hear that they would be among those giving a presentation this year. They have a diverse product line of eyes ranging from “standard human” to “grotesque Lovecraftian horror”, as well as a variety of custom made-to-order eyes in any color combination and size you can think of. Their presentation went over the basics of their eye casting kits (which can be ordered from their website), as well as several different methods they use to make their eyes. They sell kits that produce a 3D relief of the iris, which can be painted and covered by a clear resin shell, as well as a kit that allows you to incorporate a printed iris (typically created in Photoshop) into the cast. They gave a pretty thorough run through of the Photoshop processes they use to get some very high-quality results. It was a very impressive work, and I think a lot of us left the presentation eager to try out the methods they showed us. I’m always eager to try out new products, so I ordered one of their kits and will hopefully be testing out their methods soon!
A variety of eyeballs to gaze upon
The second post-conference workshop was by Rodrigo Salazar Gamarra (@dr.rodrigosalazar) - Accessible 3D Photogrammetry for Facial Prosthesis Data Acquisition. This was another great presentation showing how 3D digital workflows can be incorporated into our work as anaplastologists, even when high-end resources aren’t readily available. This is becoming more and more important as time goes on, and with 3D technologies advancing at such a rapid pace, more affordable (even free) open source software is being released, including photogrammetry and 3D modeling programs. An incredible amount of detail can be captured using a smartphone, and Rodrigo’s presentation went through the whole process from data capture to 3D post-processing. He guided the participants through the process, having us pair up to capture photos using our phones, as well as giving us tips on how to best capture data for 3D models.
And finally, after four jam-packed days, the 2019 IAA Conference came to a close. It was an incredible event to participate in and an amazing opportunity to meet with a very talented group of people! It was also just announced that the 2020 Conference will be held in Lima, Peru as a joint effort between the International Anaplastology Association and Sociedad Latinoamericana de Rehabilitación Buco Maxilo Facial. Make sure to check out the website for the International Anaplastology Association for more information and updates on the 202 conference.
Until next time!
-Ali