Help needed: Making a mask - CSI: MIami style

[MadMike]

Hey guys,

first of all, I know that not everything shown on any installment of the CSI franchise is realistic (or even possible), but since I'm curious about this one, I thought this would be the right place to get an answer.

In one episode of CSI: Miami (Urban Hellraisers, S04E09), they show the how to make a cheap and easy plastic mask

The process I see (and understand) is this:

1. a mold of the face (with either alginate or silicone)
2. mothermold (using plaster bandages)
3. casting (probably using plaster or hydrocal)

after they have a finished casting of the face, they get a sheet of plastic, push it onto the plaster and it stays in place.

Is this possible? And if yes, how? I mean, normally I would think of a vacuum former, or at least heating up the plastic, but nothing like this is shown (and honestly, I don't think you could touch plastic that is hot enough to be formed and form it over the mold without any burns when only using latex gloves).

As I said, not everything on these shows is realistic, but they managed to make this mask somehow, so what am I missing here? Some special kind of plastic?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Contec]

They cut before "removing" the mask and that mask is not the mask they "made" with the plastic sheet. You would need to vacuum-form over the plaster face.
You can see how thick the plastic sheet is that they places over the face and then how much thinner the mask is that they remove. It would be a little thinner with vaccumforming ,but not THAT much thinner.

Just Movie magic.... they used vacuumforming over the face.

 

[MadMike]

They cut before "removing" the mask and that mask is not the mask they "made" with the plastic sheet. You would need to vacuum-form over the plaster face.
You can see how thick the plastic sheet is that they places over the face and then how much thinner the mask is that they remove. It would be a little thinner with vaccumforming ,but not THAT much thinner.

Just Movie magic.... they used vacuumforming over the face.

Yes, I have noticed that. But still, the thicker plastic seems to be pliable, even if it doesnt hold the shape

 

[Contec]

Yes, I have noticed that. But still, the thicker plastic seems to be pliable, even if it doesnt hold the shape

Could be some sort of clear rubber.