An alumna talks about herself
The deadline for enrollment in the first sessine of selections 2025-26 of the Special Make-up Course is approaching, and we want to intrigue you even more about this particular educational program by offering the perspective of another alumna.
Giorgia Dal Molin tells Hall of Fame what attracted her most about special effects and the strengths of the course offered by the Academy.
Giorgia, how did you discover the world of special effects and how did you decide to enroll in the Academy?
I have always had a passion for make-up since childhood, with a particular propensity for the horrid and the fantastic that pushed me to enrich my works with 3D elements through the use of prosthetics. So I decided I wanted to immerse myself in the world of prosthetics by looking for a basic course, and after evaluating several in various parts of Italy, I decided to attend the one at the Accademia del teatro alla Scala, which seemed the most suitable since it had many more practical hours than the others.
What did you appreciate most about our Special Make-Up Course?
I particularly appreciated the choice to put practical classes side by side with very theoretical ones so as to delve into various aspects about the materials used, production costs and various techniques, which is really very important in the special effects environment because depending on what you want to achieve these change. However, after the Academy I had the opportunity to continue working in this area within the prosthetic make-up workshop “Skintxt” of Valter Casotto and Martina San Donà and I interfaced with materials and techniques that were completely new and more professional than those of the Academy, so I would like to remind new enrollees that the course is well structured but designed for those who are entering the world of prosthetics for the first time, giving a generic basis that however must be deepened after the end of the course if you want to become a professional
What is the project that you were most passionate about during the course and perhaps posed the greatest challenge for you?
The project that I was most passionate about was the one in which my classmates and I made a prosthetic nose for the character of the “Wolf Woman” within the show “Barnum's Circus,” staged at Milan's Teatro Litta in June 2023; it was quite a challenge to get out of the walls of the Academy and get involved by working as a team.
What do you think the market is like in Italy for this very particular profession?
Unfortunately, little prosthetic is required within Italian productions and it is difficult to “stand out” among the many professionals who already dominate the industry. In my experience it is better to start working within already established workshops so as to gain as much experience as possible and understand what it really means to do this job, not everyone immediately realizes how demanding it is.
Do you consider yourself a multidisciplinary artist? Why?
I consider myself a multi-disciplinary artist because I do not cover only one field but space from painting to sculpture, from music to make-up. On the other hand, prosthetics is also a mixture of many different areas such as sculpture, mold making (mold making), prosthetic manufacturing (silicon running), prosthetic finishing (seaming, painting and hair punching) in fact it is hard to find someone who does not specialize in just one of these but can do it all, and that is exactly what I am trying to do by working within “Skintxt.”
What characteristic do you think you need to possess to do this job in 2025?
Along with this question we ask you to conclude with a good luck message for all the boys and girls who are thinking of sending their applications to the next edition of the Special Make-Up Course. To do this job you certainly need to have the passion to not lose heart at the first difficulties. It is a manual craft for which you need a lot of practice behind you to become really good at it; therefore, you have to be ready to invest time, money and energy in it. One must also embrace the idea of becoming a freelancer knowing all the pros and cons that this entails. To those who will take this basic prosthetics course, I wish them to find an area that they are really passionate about and not to lose heart if things don't come out perfect on the first try, be consistent and don't be afraid to make mistakes, it is the best way to learn.
