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At A Glance
Get a general overview of Almost Human's studio located in Los Angeles, California.
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Design Department
Utilizing both traditional and digital techniques, our design team works to turn 2D illustration into 3D reality helping production to visualize their ideas.
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Sculpture Department
From personal work stations to rolling armatures, the space needed for sculpting can vary as much as the sculptures themselves.
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Mold Department
Once a sculpture is complete a mold is made. We use a variety of materials, be it plaster, silicone, or fiberglass, to produce the right mold that will allow us to cast the desired material in it.
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Casting And Finishing
After the mold is completed we cast the desired material in it. Once the product is demolded it is seamed and prepared for the next stage, painting and finishing.
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Painting Department
Our creations begin to come to life as the paint goes on. Depending on the materials we use for the casting, we must choose the right paint and the right tool to apply it.
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Hair Department
One of the last additions to a project is the hair work. Strand by strand the hair is meticulously punched into the foam or silicone.
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Animatronics Department
For puppets that need to be animated through cable, radio control, or pneumatic techniques, we utilize our machine shop.
In the last decade Robert Hall has become one of the most sought after and prolific special effects makeup artists in Hollywood. Hall and his studio, Almost Human, have been responsible for creating some of the most horrifying and photorealistic Effects work in film and television.
Hall's creatures were featured weekly the phenomenally successful cult series’ Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Firefly. He also did subtle aging prosthetics on S. Epatha Merkerson for HBO’s Lackawanna Blues. The film was nominated for an Emmy for Best Makeup and Merkerson won Best Actress Golden Globe and Emmy Awards.
Originally born In Detroit, Hall began his career as a youngster in Alabama, buying makeup and materials at the local Wal-Mart for his friends’ Halloween makeups. In 1992, at the age of 18 and fed up with his job as a chicken deboner for Tyson Chicken, he traveled more than 300 miles to Selma, Alabama, where he impressed Tom Burman and talked him into hiring Hall to work as an assistant makeup effects artist on Abel Ferrara's Body Snatchers.
Hall remembers thinking, "Wow, I get paid to do this?" So with that enthusiasm and love for the craft, he continued to take risks in pursuit of his passion. With less than $100 dollars in his pocket, 19-year-old Hall packed his bags and moved to Hollywood.
He worked non-stop for other special effects makeup studios where he mastered his craft and developed his own unique style. During this time he worked for Stan Winston on such films as The Ghost and the Darkness, The Island of Dr. Moreau and The Relic.
In 1996, Hall decided it was time to step out on his own and set up his own studio. With the company's name pulled from the title of a KISS song, Almost Human special effects makeup studio was born.
In the early stages of the company, Hall worked with extremely small budgets on over 30 film and TV projects for the legendary Roger Corman's Concorde Productions. He considers himself a graduate of the “Roger Corman School of Film.”
Hall has directed music videos for bands such as Drivin N’ Cryin, Buckcherry, Manntis, and In This Moment.
In 2005 Hall made his writing and directorial feature film debut with Lightning Bug starring Bret Harrison (Reaper) Laura Prepon (That 70's Show), Hal Sparks (Queer As Folk), Kevin Gage (Heat), and Lucas Till (Walk The Line) and Ashley Laurence (Hellraiser).The film was distributed courtesy of Anchor Bay Entertainment/Starz Home entertainment and has become an underground cult classic.
Robert Hall’s sophomore directing endeavor (and his first horror film) Laid To Rest will be released By Starz/Anchor Bay on April 21st 2009. The film Stars Bobbi Sue Luther (Night Of The Demons 09), Lena Headey (300, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Thomas Dekker (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), Jonathon Schaech (Prom Night), Kevin Gage (Heat), Sean Whalen (People Under The Stairs) and veteran actor Richard Lynch.