So Stuart, tell us a bit about yourself…
Hi, my name is Stuart Conran. I have been working in special effects make-up for just over 20 years now.

You’ve worked on quite a wide range of films and projects – but what’s your favourite genre to watch?
My favourite genre was horror, but I gradually grew out of it. I'm more into the thriller/crime genre now.
I'm also a huge fan of war films- so a mix of those 3 genres would probably be my perfect film.

Favourite film?
It's a difficult one, but would have to be between Michael mann's Heat, Goodfellas or Scarface. It's so difficult to narrow it down to just one.

How did you get into SFX? Was it something you were interested in during school/college? Or something you ‘fell’ into?
I was always into horror films as a kid & gradually realised people did special effects make-up as a career. My interest in horror make-up started when I was about 7 and continued through until I left school. The break into the industry came after I was in a local newspaper, which led to me working on a local student film. I was recommended for a job as a trainee on Hellraiser shortly after. It was all very lucky & a real case of being in the right place at the right time.

What’s your favourite project/film you’ve worked on so far?
Again, it's hard to nail it down to just one. From Hell was a bit of a dream project (due to an old obsession with Victorian London and the Jack The Ripper enigma), along with Saving Private Ryan and Shaun Of The Dead- each for their own different reasons. A couple of really fun ones recently have been Edgar Wright's Grindhouse trailer & The Peter Serafinowicz Show.

Any projects lined up?
Yes, a couple of independent films in the New Year and maybe some teaching work. Hopefully it will be a busy year.

How does someone like myself get into SFX? Any advice or courses? Or is it all about getting your hands dirty and gaining the experience?
There are many different ways of getting into SFX make-up. Lots of technical colleges offer courses and there are various independent courses to choose from. They can be found on the internet. The specialist courses can be very expensive and vary in quality. Most people will get into the industry after graduating from college or with a course under their belt. I didn't go through college orcomplete a course but began from the bottom up, the "getting your hands dirty and gaining experience way". It doesn't seem to happen much now, but is a really great way to learn. Potential employers would be on the lookout for a strong portfolio. A good place to find work would be on the bigger films like Harry Potter and Charlie & The Chocolate Factory. They have the capacity to hire larger crews consisting mostly of college leavers. The Knowledge directory is also a good resource for addresses of special effects make-up & model making companies.

Check out Stuart Conrans webiste www.stuartconran.com

Last months feature with Zombie Ed