The Vampire Diaries is an American supernatural drama series based on a popular book series by the same name. Developed by Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson, The Vampire Dairies airs on the CW Network and is one of the networks most watched series! Beginning back in 2009 and running for eight seasons, many fans were heartbroken to learn the series will come to an end in just a few weeks on March 10, 2017. In honor of the upcoming series finale, here’s a look at 10 behind the scenes secrets from the show!
10. Makeup and Special Effects
One of the reasons The Vampire Diaries is so well received is because it’s so well made! There’s a lot of special effects needed to pull off a show like this and actors who play vampires spend a lot of time in the makeup chair. It can take over an hour to transform a character from human to vampire because it involves prosthetics, custom made caps on their teeth for fangs and contact lenses. The blood used on the show is an edible corn syrup based blood with food coloring, salt and peppermint extract. The special effects makeup artist, Connor McCullagh, said he makes a few gallons at a time which will last for about two or three months of shooting. The cast have to be very careful with it because it’s super messy and hard to clean!
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