Special Effects Makeup Summer Camp in the Adirondacks
Turn your teen’s creativity into movie magic this summer at Long Lake Camp Adventures.
Our special effects makeup summer camp gives campers ages 7–16 the chance to live like Hollywood artists.
They’ll design, sculpt and transform imagination into jaw-dropping effects.
Under the instruction of professional makeup artists with film set and haunted attraction experience, campers don’t just observe how it’s done. . .
They do it themselves.
Campers will:
- design prosthetics and masks
- make realistic blood and gore
- learn to use the same materials the industry uses
Each of the sessions is practical, rapid and hyper-innovative. Campers will get to know how to create complete characters, combine art with storytelling and develop their own ideas ending with a haunted spooky trail.
It’s important to note: Technique and safety are secondary. Creativity is the driving force behind the experience.
This isn’t your average makeup summer camp. It’s where future artists discover their voice, build confidence and experience the thrill of seeing their work come alive.
If you’ve been searching for a special effects makeup summer camp or a truly immersive SFX makeup camp in New York, you just found it.
At Long Lake Camp Adventures, your teen won’t just learn the art, they’ll live it.
Camp highlights include:
- Prosthetics & Sculpting: Learn to mold, cast and apply realistic effects.
- Mask Making: Create and paint custom wearable masks.
- Blood & Gore Effects: Master tubing, pumping and stage blood techniques.
- Character Creation: Design and execute full character transformations.
Each session ends with the Spooky Trail . . . a live haunted attraction where campers showcase their makeup, designs and story telling in a real performance setting.
What could be more fun than giving campers a chance to show off their creative flare?
Learn How They Do It On The Big Screen
There is so many unique things for campers to spend their days doing at Long Lake Camp Adventures! Want to tap into the creative side of the adventure? Look no further than our special effects activity. Every year we make sure special effects is staffed by amazing professional makeup artists with formal education and experience working in diverse environments such as films and haunted houses to ensure that our campers have a plethora of activities to learn about and create in. Whether transforming into a creature from their wildest imagination with a specially crafted mask, creating realistic injuries for a horror scene with blood tubing, or learning how to do professional quality prosthetic makeup, it is your camper’s choice what kind of new crafts they get to try every day. At the end of each session, the campers have the opportunity to use their skills and creations to participate in the Spooky Trail, our unique open-air haunted house performance! Read further below to learn more.
Professional SFX Makeup Techniques for Teens
Mask Making & Prosthetics
The most popular SFX make up activities hosted on a day-to-day basis are prosthetic makeup and mask making. Under the guidance of our staff that are hired from diverse SFX make up backgrounds, the campers learn to create professional quality fake wounds, exaggerated features, transformative face paint, specially molded masks and so much more. Campers can recreate their favorite character from a movie, bring their favorite character from a book to life, and showcase their wildest imaginations. Our especially diligent SFX make up enthusiasts help the counselors to coordinate the Spooky Trail at the end of each session and assist in doing the makeup and fitting masks for the cast of the trail. It is an amazing hands on experience that gives campers a taste of the creativity and teamwork that is so important to us here at camp.
Blood-Tubing & More!
One of the most exhilarating SFX makeup activities we offer: Campers learn how to use fake blood.
Under the guidance of our kind and supportive staff, campers learn how to use professional-quality fake blood to achieve realistic splatters, drips and spurts.
Using hidden tubing and hand pumps, campers master the art of simulating dramatic blood effects for both live performances and set pieces, combining technical skill and timing with creativity, as they design their own blood effects and experiment with different techniques to bring their visions to life.
For those with a flair for the dramatic, it’s a hands-on, messy and unforgettable learning experience that showcases the magic of special effects!
Learn How To Spook Your Friends
While Helping Put On Our Grand Finale Event
The Spooky Trail is one of our coolest activities we save for the final night of camp as part of our finale of adventure and fun for the summer. Campers spend all session long creating cool and creepy works of art in special effects, blacksmithing, and woodworking, and help craft a scary story to create an unforgettable spooky experience for anyone who’d like to be a part of it! The Spooky Trail is similar to a haunted house performance filled with scary stuff, strange sounds, and crazy monsters! With the help of the campers, our staff all dress up in make-up and get into character as each bunk walks the trail. The campers then take turns hearing the story screaming, jumping out of their socks, and laughing at their friends and counselors! Campers have the option to participate in the performance, walk through the trail, or just sit by a roaring bonfire and cook smores while they wait for the night to progress to our rock show and pizza party. As each year goes by, we add more and more to the trail with the help of your campers to make it bigger, better, and spooooookier!
What You’ll Learn at Long Lake SFX Makeup Summer Camp
Your teen won’t “just learn makeup” at Long Lake Camp Adventures.
They’ll learn how to create illusions that look straight out of a movie set.
Our SFX makeup summer camp takes fantasy and makes it a practical art form, with campers receiving actual tools, actual techniques and total freedom of imagination.
All days present new challenges.
One morning, they’ll carve out an artificial wound that would deceive a camera. In the afternoon, they’ll plan out a bespoke mask to fit one of the characters they had come up with the night before.
They’ll combine colour, texture and materials.
And have their ideas come to life right before them.
Under the guidance of professional artists, campers master skills like:
- Creating and applying custom prosthetics that change a face or form completely
- Designing masks from scratch and painting them with cinematic detail
- Crafting lifelike blood and gore effects with safe, professional materials
- Building full character transformations, from concept to final look
Not only will your teen have learned new skills by the end of the session but a renewed confidence, creative independence and a glimpse of what it would be like to work on actual film sets.
At Long Lake, every camper learns what it means to dream it, make it and bring it to life.
Who Should Attend Long Lake Special Effects Makeup Camp?
The special effects makeup summer camp is designed with artistic-minded teens who enjoy fantasizing, designing and bringing to life characters.
Provided that your teenager has ever questioned themselves or herself about how movie monsters, fantasy creatures, or realistic effects are created, this is where he or she can do it all.
With the help of real industry pros.
This camp is perfect for:
- Artists and designers who aspire to learn how to paint a story in makeup and sculpture.
- Cinema and drama enthusiasts who want to know what’s happening behind the scenes.
- Creative adolescents who prefer practical work and want to see their ideas become reality.
- Amateurs who’ve never had any experience with special effects and require a friendly learning environment.
- Young, experienced artists who want to perfect their trade with the help of professional tools and techniques.
Here at Long Lake Camp Adventures, all campers are empowered to explore, experiment and stretch their minds to greater limits.
This is the home of artistic teenagers who dream of a life working in film, or just enjoy self-expression in a summer full of creativity and fun.
FAQ
Do I need experience to attend special effects makeup camp?
Our special effects makeup summer camp does NOT require any experience to join.
Regardless of whether your teen is an amateur or already trying out makeup, professional trainers take you through everything.
Skills are taught and passion is nurtured in a supportive atmosphere that’s open to all experience levels. It’s the ultimate way for campers to learn the fundamentals of SFX artistry.
Do teens get hands-on experience with prosthetics and masks?
Yes. In our SFX makeup summer camp, adolescents deal directly with professional materials in sculpting, molding and applying prosthetics and masks. Every camper is taught how to design and create items that immediately look like they’ve been borrowed from a movie set.
Are there blood tubing and prosthetic workshops at the camp?
Absolutely. Campers have an opportunity to participate in full SFX makeup camp workshops, which deal with the creation of prosthetics and realistic blood effects. They’re taught using safe and professional equipment to design and manage blood tubing systems in film-style scenes and performances.
Do teens get hands-on experience with prosthetics and masks?
Yes. Our special effects makeup summer camp provides teenagers with hands-on experience with prosthetics and mask-making.
They carve, mold and paint their own creations by employing film industry techniques. Campers are taught to design, apply and make their own multi-dimensional characters under the guidance of professional artists.
Are the makeup products used professional quality?
Yes. All products and materials used at our special effects makeup camp are professional-grade and industry-approved. From prosthetic gels to fake blood and paints, campers use the same tools trusted by working artists in film and theater.
