Meet The Co-Owner Of DDT Studios David Mart

Meet David Martí, the manager and co-owner of DDT, a special makeup effects studio in Barcelona. DDT studios first opened its doors in 1991 and has ever since dedicated time and passion to create sensational, scary and captivating creatures for both Spanish and international films: Bad Education, Talk to Her, The Sea Inside and Crimson Peak, to mention few. Together with his colleague and co-owner Montse Ribé, David won an Oscar for the best achievement in makeup for Guillermo del Toro’s film Pan’s Labyrinth (2006). You can find David on Instagram – meanwhile read what David shared with us.

What is the most unusual request you’ve had’

Well, that was back in 2001 when Pedro Almodóvar (All About My Mother, The Bad Education, Volver) asked us to make a giant vagina for his film Talk to Her. It appears in the movie inside a movie called The Shrinking Love, a fake black and white mute film. That was the weirdest thing we have ever done, for now.

What advice would you give to someone who was trying to break into the business?

Well, you need to be a sculptor, a painter, a makeup artist, a mold maker, a chemist and almost a therapist. So think twice before you get involved in this field, this is not a Face-off TV program. It’s about passion and sacrifice. If you are ready to sacrifice your social life, friends and family to create all kinds of characters and monsters, well, then we can sit down and talk about it.

What’s next?

We just saw the opening of the last Guillermo’s movie, Crimson Peak. We finished A Monster Calls, the new J.A Bayona movie. And we are currently making an orca whale for a Spanish production and are preparing a lot of other projects too. Sadly, all the big projects are strictly confidential. So I can’t really talk much about it for now.

What is your dream project?

A fantasy film! Pan’s Labyrinth was a dream come true. But we want to be involved in more fantasy!

Tell us something no one knows about you?

Mmmm, if no one knows that about me it’s because I don’t want to let them know. LOL. But… Ok…That I’m willing to open a coffee shop business in Barcelona. But cafés are really hard to open here.
If you could have dinner with anyone in the world, dead or alive, who would it be?

Steven Spielberg, no doubt.
How would you describe DDT Studios?

I would describe DDT as a big family-team where nobody has the arrogant pretentious behavior of ‘artists’. We do everything together and everyone here knows where his/her place is. We love to have brainstorming meeting processes, where everybody can share their ideas and thoughts. We are more like a group of friends that gets together to work and try to have as much fun as possible, doing something creative that is basically a new challenge in every job.

Scarface or Taxi driver? Taxi Driver.

Alfred Hitchcock or Stanley Kubrick? Alfred Hitchcock.
Hellboy or Fauno? Fauno.

New York or Paris? Paris.

Sea or Mountain? Sea.

Water or Wine? Wine!

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.