Prosthetic & Make Up Effects Designer
From creating fantastical creatures in the TV series Farscape, thru plant-wrangling skills in The Little Shop of Horrors to the Broadway stage, Designer Dave Elsey has demonstrated an extraordinary ability to create memorable characters using make up and animatronics. His work on Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith garnered an Oscar nomination. Collaborating with Rick Baker for The Wolfman, Elsey won the coveted Academy Award (and a Saturn Award). From conceptual designing characters and make up effects through the manufacture and operation of effects and animatronics characters, Dave is able to take the director’s vision successfully to the screen.
* Won 1 Oscar Award. Another 9 wins & 7 nominations *
Click here for full list of awards
THE BEEKEEPER
SFX Makeup Designer
True Detective: Night Country
SFX Makeup Designer
Selected credits
production | director / production company |
feature films: |
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THE NEW EVE (special make up effects designer) | Alejandro Monteverde / Mary Film LLC |
PRESSURE (bodies created by) | Anthony Maras / Working Title Films |
THE SUBSTANCE (prosthetics supervisor) | Coralie Fargeat / Working Title Films |
COLD STORAGE (special make up effects designer) | Jonny Campbell / Paramount Pictures |
THE BEEKEEPER (sfx makeup designer) | David Ayer / Cedar Park Studios |
AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM (prosthetics supervisor) | James Wan / Warner Bros. |
JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4 (special makeup effects supervisor – Scott Adkins) | Chad Stahelski / Lionsgate |
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (special make up effects designer) | Bill Condon / Walt Disney Pictures |
MR. HOLMES (Sir Ian McKellen) (make up designer) | Bill Condon / See-Saw Films |
WOLVES (creature effects creator/supervisor) | David Hayter / Copperheart Ent. |
X-MEN FIRST CLASS | Matthew Vaughan / Universal Pictures |
THE WOLFMAN (creature effects supervisor) | Joe Johnston / Universal Pictures |
Academy Award (shared) for Achievement in Make up |
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WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE (creature effects supervisor) | Spike Jonze / Warner Brothers |
MEN IN BLACK 3 (creature conceptual artist) | Barry Sonnenfeld / Columbia Pictures |
BLACK SHEEP (creature effects supervisor) | Jonathan King / NZFC - IFC Films |
GHOST RIDER | Mark Johnson / Columbia Pictures |
STAR WARS III: REVENGE OF THE SITH | George Lucas / Lucas Film |
Academy Award nomination (shared) for Achievement in Make up |
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MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 2 | John Woo / Paramount Pictures |
FIRST KNIGHT | Jerry Zucker / Columbia Pictures |
MUTANT CHRONICLES (creature effects supervisor) | Simon Hunter / Edward R. Pressman |
television: |
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CHRISTMAS GHOST STORY: LOT NO. 249 (sfx makeup designer) | Mark Gatiss / Adorable Media - BBC |
TRUE DETECTIVE: NIGHT COUNTRY (sfx makeup designer) | Issa López / Anonymous Content - HBO |
Nominated: Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup – Emmy Awards 2024 |
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DRACULA (special make up effects designer) | various / Hartswood Films - BBC - Netflix |
IN A MAN'S WORLD (special make up effects designer) | various / Lucky 8 TV - Bravo Channel |
THE WIZ, LIVE! (special make up effects designer) | Kenny Leon / NBC Universal - NBC TV |
FARSCAPE: THE PEACEKEEPER WARS (creature effects supervisor) | Brian Henson / Jim Henson Company |
FARSCAPE (88 episodes, creature effects supervisor) | various / Jim Henson Company |
SILENT WITNESS (8 episodes) | various / BBC Ð A&E Networks |
commercials & music videos: |
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YELLOW PAGES 'clown' |
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McDONALDS 'cavemen' |
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USPS 'monster' |
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NIKE 'Good vs Evil' (demon creature effects supervisor) |
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PIRELLI TIRES 'goddess' (creature effects supervisor) |
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MASSIVE ATTACK 'teardrop' (creature effects supervisor) |
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APHEX TWIN 'come to daddy' (make up effects supervisor) |
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theatre: |
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SIDE SHOW (make up effects designer) | Bill Condon / JFK Center, La Jolla Playhouse / St. James Theatre, NYC |
