21 Aug 07 Head of Make Up Effects Frances Richardson had a blast over in Spain, where she demonstrated how characters from LOTR came to life...

Frances participated in the travelling Lord Of The Rings exhibition, which was held in Spain in July. This involved one five hour make up session, where she prepared actor Lawrence Makoare's entire body for the part of Lurtz.

Frances applying the full make up to Lurtz.

The make up session was documented from start to finish, and viewers were invited to ask questions as the process evolved onstage. "This is the first time I had done anything like this", says Frances. "It was so much fun and it was great seeing the audience's reaction to Lurtz's costume."

Frances preparing Lurtz for his close up.

Frances first began at Weta Workshop by running pickups for the Return Of The King. Later, she joined Senior Prosthetics Supervisor Gino Acevedo on set, assisting his team with make up for the Orcs, armies and hundreds of extras.

Frances had met Lawrence on set, so when it came to participating in the exhibition, Frances looked forward to catching up with the LOTR actor. ?Lawrence is a a really funny, down to earth guy, so we get on really well", she says. "Because you're working so closely with your subjects that's really important."

Lurtz, on his lunch break, scaring the locals.

Frances said while the trip was brief, she would love to return to Spain again. ?The crowd was really enthusiastic, the scenery was beautiful - I'd definitely go back!"

You can read more about Frances here, and view more images from the event at our Image Gallery.