Hollywood makeup artist visits Parshall Elementary
By Edna Sailor.
There was a lot of blood and gore at the elementary school assembly in Parshall recently. Not the real kind, of course, the Hollywood behind the scenes kind. Arch Ellwin brought his many years of experience as a theater designer, director and performer to share special effects theatrical techniques with his elementary school audience.
Students saw how a bit of corn syrup, bread crumbs, red food coloring, cocoa powder and other household items can be skillfully transformed into scrapes, cuts and gaping wounds.
Fourth grader Mya Lire stepped up to experience a"road rash" (otherwise known as a scrape) magically transformed onto his arm. After the corn syrup base and dye were placed on one arm, Ellwin said, "We need some dirt in this scrape. I suppose you think we go out and get real dirt? No real dirt." He laughed. "We use this," he said as he produced a packet of chocolate milk powder and waved it about.
"This is a bad wound so we will add some rocks to it." That brought squeals of delight from the students "We won’t use real rocks. Oh, no we won’t."
