04/04/13

What is the difference between “big-box” masks and independently made asks?”  When we say “big-box” we are really saying mass produced crap. There is no care in the design, production, shipping, or storage of these masks and costumes. All you get at these seasonal big-box stores is overpriced garbage. There is no way to sugar coat it.

 We have all been to these so called Halloween mask stores, and have seen the crap they push out. From $40-$150, and sometimes more, you can get the 10,000th casting of a bad mask, poorly painted on an assembly line, and complete with haphazardly glued in hair. The latex is low quality and usually doesn’t make it through the season. If it does, the mask is tossed into a box and forgotten about…as it should be.

 If you are going to spend hard earned money on a mask, then the product should be an investment. For roughly the same amount of money, you can purchase a quality product from an independent mask maker.

 They call us independent mask makers—artists, like Escape Design FX,  who create amazing masks and display, free from the big box stores’ mass produced idea of what sells. We typically have short runs of our masks, as our molds can only produce so many pulls before they are stripped of their detail. This means we make 30-100 copies of our masks, while the big-box guys product tens of thousands of theirs. So in reality, the customer is not only getting a quality product, but a limited edition piece of art.

 An independent mask maker paints each mask ourselves. We laces or punch each hair into the mask one strand at a time. We create acrylic ornaments, like teeth, rather than paint latex impressions of teeth.  Escape Design FX’s werewolf masks, for instance, have solid teeth made from dental acrylic—the very same material they use to make grandpa’s dentures. The teeth are triple mounted into the mouth. This means we glue, bolt, and coat the teeth to ensure they stay in place. Sure beats painted latex teeth, which look like painted latex teeth.

www.escape-design.com/PROD-MASKS.html

 Independent mask makers, like Escape Design FX, take great care to produce a product of which we can be proud to call our own.  I often covet the masks we create, and struggle to let it go out the door. If I want to keep the mask, then I know our customer is going to love it. The mask is going to be worn for many seasons to come, and more than likely, it’s going to end up being displayed, not tossed into a box.

There are many differences between big-box manufactures and independent mask makers. The biggest difference is pride in our work.

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April 27, 2013:

 

It was recently announced that Utah will host its first Comic Con this year at the Salt Lake City South Town Expo Center.  The dates are set, Sept. 5-7 (Thurs-Sat). Mark your calendars.

Escape Design FX will be in attendance. Are you kidding? This is the first really cool annual event Utah has hosted since the creation of the Sundance Film Festival. There is no way we were going to miss out—especially so close to Halloween.

Our booth will be packed with Werewolves, our new masks from The Pride line, our Mockudermy line, Creature Masks, Shrunken Heads, and so much more.

We have high hopes that the SLC Comic Con will be successful, and that this Comic Con will be an annual draw.  We are actually quite honored to setup at the very first event. Comic Con is a first for us too.  The SLC Comic Con will be the first trade show EDFX has ever officially attended.  We plan to hit the scene in a big way!

So, mark your calendars; set your watches; the countdown has begun!  SLC COMIC CON, CAN I GET A “HELL YEAH”?

For more information on the SLC Comic Con, visit their site at www.saltlakecomiccon.com

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