Adam Savage’s Tested

Adam Savage Geeks Out on Make-Up Effects with Greg Nicotero!

⏱ 29 min video · 3 min read24 Jun 2026Worth watching

TL;DR

Adam Savage visits KNB EFX Group in Los Angeles for an in-depth conversation with co-founder Greg Nicotero about the 40-year history of the studio, the craft of practical makeup and creature effects, and the ongoing debate between practical and CGI filmmaking. The conversation covers iconic projects from Evil Dead 2 to The Walking Dead, with hands-on looks at actual props including The Mist spider maquette and a Predator suit.

Key points

KNB EFX Group was founded in 1988 by Greg Nicotero, Bob Kurtzman, and Howard Berger after their work on Evil Dead 2, making it the longest-running effects company under original ownership.

Greg Nicotero met George Romero at age 15 in Italy, which led to his career entry on Day of the Dead as Tom Savini's assistant and ultimately to him showrunning Creep Show decades later.

Nicotero argues practical effects never left the industry — CGI, practical, and physical effects are all tools in a filmmaker's toolbox, and good directors use them judiciously based on project needs.

Foam latex degradation is a real preservation challenge: softer foam (more air-whipped) deteriorates faster, and the only thing holding aging pieces together is often the outer paint layer.

Nicotero advocates for deep documentation of creative work — he filmed behind-the-scenes footage on Evil Dead 2, Halloween, and Nightmare on Elm Street sets in the 1980s when no one else thought to, creating an irreplaceable archive.

Collaboration across departments in person is critical — Nicotero criticizes the modern trend of siloed Zoom meetings, arguing that creative breakthroughs happen when people share physical space and can react to tangible work.

Actionable insights

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Document your creative work constantly and with dedicated hardware — Nicotero's archive of classic film sets exists because he brought a Beta camera when no one else did. A phone clip is not the same as rolling continuously.

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Foam latex conservation tip: the outer paint layer structurally holds aging foam pieces together — patch deteriorating areas and detail-repaint rather than stripping original paint jobs.

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When building puppets with budget or mechanical constraints, design the set around the puppet — Nicotero added scaffolding above sets so operators could run rods through the ceiling and simply erase them in post, combining practical and digital efficiently.

Notable quotes

“Practical makeup effects is a tool in the box. CGI is a tool in the box. Physical effects, smoke, rain — that's a tool in the toolbox. So the practical stuff is always there and it's really never going to go away.”

“I look at CGI as another tool in the palette, right, in the artist's box.”

“You can't do meetings on Zoom because you're never going to have that same creative energy that you have when you walk into a studio like this — and you smell the clay and you see the sculptors and you see the guys painting and grinding and making molds.”

Worth watching?

✅

Worth watching the full video?

Watch if you love behind-the-scenes filmmaking craft — seeing Nicotero physically handle the Mist spider maquette and Predator suit while explaining foam chemistry, paint conservation, and puppet rigging tricks adds real visual value beyond what this summary captures.

Topics

Personal Development The Walking Dead

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