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RPT-Filipino SFX artist seeks to ward off virus with horror-inspired face masks

Published 06/18/2020, 09:28 PM
Updated 06/18/2020, 09:30 PM
© Reuters.

(Repeats without changes to text)
By Adrian Portugal
LAGUNA, Philippines, June 18 (Reuters) - With film and
television productions halted in the Philippines due to
lockdown, one special effects artist is maximising his skills by
making scary face masks to raise cash and a few smiles.
Prosthetics specialist Rene Abelardo, 50, has been out of
work since March but hopes to stay afloat financially after
discovering an appetite for the hand-made, horror-inspired masks
that he initially created for fun.
With help from friends, Abelardo has sold dozens of the
moulded masks, from monsters and zombies to the devil and the
Joker. He is now receiving hundreds of orders from all over the
Philippines.
The masks extend down to the jawline and up to the ears and
are lined with a conventional cloth mask. They were an instant
hit when they first appeared on social media, attracting
thousands of likes and shares.
"I tried wearing the mask I made just for fun, and my
daughter saw me and asked if she can take a picture and post it
online," he said.
"A few hours later the post unexpectedly went viral, and the
rest is history."
The Philippines has recorded more than 27,000 coronavirus
cases and in affected areas has made the wearing of face masks
mandatory.
Each mask takes up to three days to complete and Abelardo
sells them for between 300-500 pesos ($6-$10) per piece.
"We started making more masks since we currently don't have
jobs. It's still money coming in and it makes people happy."

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