ELCARIMAT FX® – BIO
ELCARIMAT FX® is a creature design and special makeup effects studio led by Christian Gruaz, Sculptor and Special Makeup FX Artist with over 30 years of international experience creating animatronics, puppets, prosthetics, and cinematic creatures for film, advertising, television, and live productions.
Founded in 1989, the studio combines classical fine art training with hands-on technical innovation, delivering character-driven practical effects grounded in performance, physical realism, and storytelling.
Christian Gruaz began his career in Buenos Aires, studying at the National Schools of Fine Arts Manuel Belgrano and Prilidiano Pueyrredón, before joining international FX teams on feature films such as Highlander II, working alongside industry figures including John Richardson, Chris Corbould, Nick Finlayson, Geoff Portass, and Guillermo Smith.
Origins
The origins of ELCARIMAT FX trace back to De Ogros, Duendes y Alquimia, an award-winning independent short video film written, directed, and produced by Gruaz between 1988 and 1990. The film received multiple distinctions, including awards for Production and Creativity at the SAVI Festival and Art Direction at UNCiPar, and was also exhibited at the Biennale for Young Art.
This early project laid the experimental and conceptual foundation of the studio, establishing a creative approach rooted in handcrafted effects, fantasy, and visual storytelling—principles that continue to define ELCARIMAT FX today.
Film & Visual Storytelling
As a Makeup FX Designer and Creature Artist, Gruaz has contributed to landmark Argentine films such as El lado oscuro del corazón, Comodines, Fuego gris, and El día que me amen. His international credits include Jennifer’s Shadow, AROG, Now Add Honey, The Last Matinee, Deus Irae, The Muglur, and the Korean television series Pandora: Beneath the Paradise (tvN).
His work spans genres from fantasy and horror to comedy and drama, always prioritizing practical effects that support narrative and performance.
Advertising & Iconic Characters
For more than three decades, ELCARIMAT FX has collaborated with leading global brands including Toyota, Fiat, Telecom, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Nestlé, McDonald’s, Unilever, DirecTV, Telefónica, BCP, Arcor, and many others across Latin America, Europe, and Asia.
Gruaz is widely recognized for the creation and on-set performance supervision of iconic advertising characters, including La Llama que Llama for Telecom, overseeing design, fabrication, puppetry systems, and live manipulation across long-term campaigns.
In Peru, he led the design, animatronic engineering, and puppet supervision of El Cuy Mágico for BCP, contributing to some of the brand’s most emblematic campaigns.
Stage & Live Productions
ELCARIMAT FX has played a key role in international musical theatre, with Gruaz serving as Head of Makeup and Prosthetics for productions such as The Phantom of the Opera, Beauty and the Beast, Les Misérables, and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert across multiple continents.
Vision
At its core, ELCARIMAT FX is driven by a belief in physical performance, handcrafted detail, and the emotional power of practical effects—creating characters designed not just to be seen, but to be performed.
Beyond FX
Alongside his work in visual effects, Christian Gruaz is the creator of La Torre de Praetorius, an original transmedia fantasy universe spanning literature, original music, and immersive audio storytelling.
🔗 https://linktr.ee/sagapraetorius
