Barney Burman 'Grimm's' secret weapon, interview and preview

By April MacIntyre Feb 3, 2012, 13:19 GMT

Makeup effects genius and Academy Award-winner (Star Trek, 2009) Barney Burman heads up the department for the Portland-based series.

NBC's "Grimm" is a not your run-of-the-mill procedural that borrows a bit from the classic noir soap Dark Shadows and a good old police drama.

The series is holding strong for NBC in the Friday night slot, hearkening the great "no miss" run HBO had on Friday nights with "Tales from the Crypt." 

"Grimm" shines with the blended elements of fantasy and compelling police work of investigating gruesome crimes, as the crack cast headed by David Giuntoli, Russell Hornsby and Silas Weir Mitchell comprise an enviable ensemble acting team that fires on all pistons.

Giuntoli is Nick, a murder detective, is a direct descendant of the Grimm family, cursed with the gift of seeing who is masquerading among us as beasts.

The show's supporting cast is top notch with Silas Weir Mitchell as a fast-talking witty yoga loving "blutbad" who befriends Nick, and Russell Hornsby's Hank, Nick's police partner who is on to the unique gifts he possesses.

In tonight's episode, Organ Grinder - Nick investigates the disappearance of a growing number of homeless youths.

Makeup effects genius and Academy Award-winner (Star Trek, 2009) Barney Burman heads up the department for the Portland-based series. His grandfather, Ellis Burman Sr., created make-up effects and prosthetics for The Wolf Man (1941) and House of Frankenstein (1944), animatronic animals for Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book (1942), masks for Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone (1959-1963) and so many more.

Barney’s father, Emmy winner Thomas R. Burman, received an Oscar Nomination in 1988 for 'Scrooged.'

Tom Burman also worked with the late John Chambers (Planet of the Apes) and paved the way for Barney to learn the craft from the early masters of the discipline - Nye, Smith, Westmore - all legendary family names in the artistry of makeup.

In 2004, Barney Burman opened his own effects shop, Proteus Makeup FX, and is also a credited actor, appearing in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, The Offspring, Brain Dead and Meet the Hollowheads.

Monsters and Critics had a chat with Barney Burman, the Special Effects Makeup Artist on Grimm.

JoJo Proud

Mr. Burman also works with makeup artists Steve Bettles and Portland based pro artist JoJo Proud on this unusual and entertaining series.

Monsters and Critics: I love the detailed artwork that they supply you on the show. All the sepia toned imaginings of Ziegevolk, Melifers and the Hexenbiest, and all the characters that you get to design for. Do you use them as a guideline, or have any input as to these drawings when they were being created for the show? And if your department and the art department overlap in that way?

Barney Burman: Well, there’s a lot of communication between me and props and our department and we talk things through as much as we can, but also on a schedule of this type I’m also talking to wardrobe and to the stunt coordinator.

And it’s kind of mayhem. It reminds me of the movie Shakespeare when I think Geoffrey Rush is trying to explain to his backers how it’s all going to come together in the end. And they said, “How?” And he goes, “I don’t know. It’s a mystery.” And that’s kind of how I feel on this show.

I don’t know how it’s going to come together every week, but I know that it will. And we try to talk to each other as much as possible, and sometimes that’s more important than other times.

But as far as the established sort of process is once the writers and producers come up with their character, they relay as much of that information what they want to - the digital artists I mentioned, Jerad Marantz and Constantine Sekeris, and then they send me a design.

And then I’ll take that design and start fleshing it out as a sculpture, and on the specific performer that’s going to wear it.

So I let their design give me a head start. And then the person’s actual head and face will dictate the changes.

M&C: There’s a lot of humor with the Grimm characters like the goat beast. Of all these particular characters that you get to recreate for you and Stevie Bettles who works with you - Do you have any anecdotes or particular pet favorites?

Barney Burman: Well Silas, I have to say, is one of my favorite characters on the show. He’s such a really talented actor and he brings so much to that character and makes him so much fun.

Bettles in action

I’m glad you mentioned Stevie. Thank you for that because Stevie Bettles is somebody whose work I’ve admired over the years and have hoped to work with but never had the chance.

I met him briefly. He came in for a couple days on Star Trek, but we didn’t get to socialize or anything.

And then when this job came up, I just sort of took a chance and said, “Hey, are you available for this,” and he was. He’d just come off of another show and we hit it off just immediately. It was - I knew it was going to be a great match up and it was. He and I have a very similar sort of aesthetic value as far as makeup and design and the heart goes. So I’m very, very lucky to have him on board.

And I’m actually really excited - again, I don’t want to say anything that’s going to give anything away, but I’m very excited about the historical elements of some of the characters that they’re starting to touch on, and I personally hope it delves more into that as we move along. But, I see all kinds of really fun possibilities there.