Prop maker for 'Wednesday': That sword that killed somebody could be three weeks of work

Odyssey Studios CEO and creative director Mark Maher with Irish Film Board CEO Désirée Finnegan and arts minister Patrick O'Donovan in Troy Studios.

On the edge of Limerick city, there’s an unusual treasure trove filled with a full-scale alligator, monsters, and fantasy miniature models.

Founded by Mark Maher, Odyssey Studios is a sanctuary for the Tipperary native, who recently worked as the prop-making head of department on the hit TV show 'Wednesday', season 2.

One of Europe’s largest permanent model-making studios, Odyssey specialise in creating miniature models, props, prosthetics, large-scale set pieces, costume, as well as custom special effects pieces.

Over the years, the CEO and creative director has worked on numerous high-profile projects, including The Hobbit, Tim Burton’s Alice Through the Looking Glass, Penny Dreadful, and The Pope’s Exorcist.

For Wednesday, which was filmed in Ireland, Mr Maher and his team created props many fans of the show would recognise.

Some of the creations include Nevermore Academy’s biology lab set, the helmet put on Fester Addams during an electro shock therapy session, masks worn by Wednesday’s stalker, props used by Morticia and her daughter during an epic sword fight, or even Thing’s bachelor pad — which combines the aesthetics of Wednesday and her roommate Enid.

“It’s one of the biggest TV shows to hit Ireland, ever. It was great fun to work on,” Mr Maher told the Irish Examiner.

“They had contacted me to go to Romania for season one of Wednesday and it just didn't work out. So I ended up taking it on then for season two.” 

On working with Tim Burton, he said: 

It's a dream to work with someone like him, it's like with Peter Jackson. I was delighted to work with him. 

As far as he can remember, he always had an interest in makeup and prosthetics. And his father’s love for horror movies rubbed off of him.

“I was 15, covering my friend's face in makeup and blood, making them going around Thurles in Tipperary.

“I loved the behind the scenes stuff, looking at Rick Baker, who would've been the kind of key prosthetic person for all these massive movies,” he recalled.

When he was younger, one movie did leave a mark.

“When I was seven, my older cousins were watching The Shining. I was standing behind the couch watching it. Excuse my language, but I was fucking traumatised from it,” he laughed.

After studying in Dún Laoghaire’s Institute of Art, Design and Technology, he worked as an architectural model maker, which he found “boring”. 

That’s when he reached out to Gino Acevedo, who was the senior prosthetics supervisor in Peter Jackson’s The Fellowship of the Ring.

“I put the feelers out. He liked my work, so he said, ‘come on over to New Zealand’. So, I went to New Zealand. 

“We did some small movies, then the movie came on and he introduced me to the right people because I was working with him for a while.

“I got in there as one of the key model makers for the art department with Dan Henna. I was there for years doing that kind of stuff.” 

Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams in a scene from 'Wednesday' which was filmed in Ireland. Picture: Courtesy of Netflix

After meeting his partner, he moved back home before moving again, this time to London. 

He developed Odyssey Studios after his miniatures were used on The Hobbit and Alice in Wonderland.

“While I was there I got a phone call from an art director called Philip Murphy, he had this TV show called Penny Dreadful, which is Victorian-horror type of stuff.

“He asked me to be the head of department for the prop making, which was before set decoration. It includes working with action prompts, anything that the actors are gonna put into their hands.

“It’s Victorian horror, so just millions of skulls and there's whatever set dressing to do,” he explained.

Maher enjoys the variety brought by each project.

“It’s always different. It's never like every week you are doing miniatures or bigatures.

“On The Hobbit movies, it was cool to see, we were making miniatures lake towns or cities,” he said.

They would take them and make the larger versions of them.

In Odyssey Studios, you can stumble upon everything from mummified bodies featured on The Pope’s Exorcist to taxidermy, weapons, and an alligator.

But at home, Mr Maher enjoys a more casual decor — and there are no monsters in his house.

“Debra, my partner wouldn't allow me to have it,” he laughed. “It’d just be horrifying in our house.

“I do have sculptures of my own and bits and pieces around the place. I know friends of mine who are avid movie collectors and their houses are covered in it.” 

According to Mr Maher, people may not realise the amount of hours that goes into the smallest details they see on screen.

“They see it on screen, they're like, ‘oh cool’. But that sword that just killed somebody could be three weeks of work.

“People don't really see behind the scenes, and how hard the film workers work.

“If you look at the model making construction team, it's the stunt department, the VFX department, the costume, the art department, the set department. That's how hard they all work to get something across the line.” 

Mark Maher at a workshop at the Corpo Sculpture Studio in Florence.

But Mark says they don’t work hard just for the sake of “being in a movie”.

“We just do it because we love it, and we love seeing the end result. And when the actors deliver it really good like they do in shows that we just worked on, it's amazing to see,” he said.

The Limerick studio supplies blockbuster film and TV productions with miniature models, weapons, armour, props — making it an attractive one stop shop for productions and individual artists alike.

He might have founded it, but Mr Maher said it takes a team to make something. And his team works tirelessly.

To make it in the industry, he notes the importance of leaving your ego at the door. And egos wouldn’t make it past the front door in his studio.

“People wouldn't get territorial over their work because it has to be passed on. We're artists, egos follow artists. I had to battle that one away myself a little bit.

“You have to be a team player. If somebody walks in and they're very high and mighty, they might be the best sculptor, but if their attitude is wrong, I don't care if they're Leonardo da Vinci, it just won't be working for Odyssey.” 

Helping hand for those with small budgets

He said Odyssey Studios try to help those working on smaller movies, who may not have the budget.

“We have a rental thing, so it's not as expensive for a young fellow if they can't afford big creatures and bodies and all that, that we would have in stock.

“But they'd have to be kind of going with our stock as opposed to a bespoke make.” 

As AI is slowly being introduced in some industries, Mark is wary of the dangers that come with it. For him, nothing beats human trials and errors.

“We don't use it; we don't allow it. You're putting people out of work that have been working for years.

“But there’s a soulless element to it as well. I don't know what way that's gonna go, but I prefer if it’s a human error, the human faults in it are nearly better.”