How to be a Film & TV Makeup Artist

The makeup department of any production takes on an essential role in giving characters a three-dimensional identity, enriching the distinctiveness of the actor/actress’ looks. However, jobs within this sector suffer a fierce competition, often together with a frenetic environment and long working hours.

What is the Job?

Depending on the production’s needs and budget, four different positions can be found in a makeup department:

• The Key Makeup Artist, who is in charge of the makeup department. Their job is to design the makeup for each actor/actress and assign individual makeup artists to apply it.
• The Makeup Artist is the individual who actually takes care of applying the makeup to the actor/actress.
• The Makeup Effects Artist designs and create special makeup effects using prosthetics, latex, and animatronics. They are not always needed in movies or TV production, as their presence relies on the amount of special effects and CGI in movies.
• The Makeup Assistant helps with some of the minor tasks requiring less experience, like body makeup and organization. This is usually a good position to obtain some practical experience in the field.

Key Skills

Being a very specific field, knowledge and practice of specialised techniques is essential. Makeup schools and courses can teach the basis of corrective, glamour, ageing practices. However, practical experience is fundamental to perfect your craft.

Additional techniques required include applying bald caps, facial hair, fake scars, bruises, marks, tattoos and body art.

Knowledge and experience of hair and wig dressing, and continuity hair cutting is also mandatory.

Additional Skills

As most jobs in the entertainment industry, being a makeup artist requires ability to work within a team under supervision. This translates into teamwork, communication and presentation skills, ability to work under pressure, respecting deadlines and commitment to long and variable working hours.

How to get to work as a Makeup Artist

As most specialised creative freelance jobs, experience is vital to gain credibility and obtain recognition. A good starting point for a career as a Makeup Artist would be participating in low budget production and student projects, even not necessarily in the same sector you would like to work in (i.e. cinema, theatre, TV, photography…).

As you start building a good portfolio and good connections, it will become easier to land better positions in bigger productions.

Education and training

Despite not being mandatory, makeup school/college is usually an important step both to learn theory and practice of the craft and to gain connections. Also, student projects will usually constitute the majority of a portfolio in the initial stages of a makeup career.

Additional courses can look good on a CV, especially if they provide a specific qualification which is important to the chosen production.

After cosmetology school and courses, most Makeup Artists kick off their career with assistant roles, which provide both experience and connection with the work environment.

Where it can take you

Especially in the initial stages, working hours are very long and the job itself can be stressful and demanding. While being talented and creative is a requirement, communication skills are essential too, in order to understand the directors and producers and achieve their desired results.

However, progressively building a very good portfolio, very talented artists can progress towards higher budget productions, landing very good positions with excellent salary perspectives and the chance to work with the stars of the industry.

Turn On, Tune In Speaker Profile: Andy Brereton & Sebastian Grant

We look ahead to tonight’s ProductionBase Turn On, Tune In event at The Hospital Club. Our speakers on the night will be Andy Brereton (Head of Comedy Entertainment, Tiger Aspect) and Sebastian Grant (Executive Producer, Tiger Aspect) who’ll be discussing BBC Three’s high-concept reality show, I Survived A Zombie Apocalypse – described by critics as “a cross between Big Brother and The Walking Dead, pitting housemates against an outside world of flesh-hungry zombies.”

I Survived A Zombie Apocalypse (Tiger Aspect/BBC Three)

Described as ‘the toughest reality show on TV’, the first 7-part series of I Survived A Zombie Apocalypse debuted on BBC Three in February this year. Set six months after the population was exposed to damaging radiation, the show initially features ten contestants, who must survive for seven days in an abandoned shopping centre which has been overrun by zombies. The contestants have to complete various tasks each day, including making a base, and securing food and supplies. The key rule is to avoid zombies at all costs as even a slight touch results in death and elimination from the game. Each 60 minute episode covers the events of 1 day of the game, interspersed with commentary from presenter, Greg James, and diary room-style one-to-one footage, taking reaction from the contestants.

Student View: Extracurricular Activities…

Being at university is about more than lectures and the local pub! ProductionBase blogger, Sharon Boyd, looks at the range of activities and events available for TV and film students.

In the UK there are plenty of opportunities to find events and activities related to film. In Scotland there is the Edinburgh Film Festival that took place in June of this year. The Festival promotes the very best of international cinema. Films such as Little Miss Sunshine, Billy Elliot and The Hurt Locker premiered at the Edinburgh Festival, so it’s a fantastic place to catch some high quality filmmaking. Recently Sheffield’s Documentary Festival took place which included documentary film screenings, debates and talks. In Northern Ireland some upcoming events include a talk by Catherine Geary who is the location manager of Dracula Untold, taking place in September. Northern Ireland has also previously had the Game of Thrones exhibition available to visit. The UK is full of places to go to watch films as well as learn about them. Carrying out research will assist you in discovering what your local area has to offer in terms of film based activities and events.

60 seconds with the BBC’s Robert Price

What was your first big break into the industry?
I regularly checked the websites of some of my favourite production companies a few months prior to graduating from university. When I saw Tiger Aspect advertising for a Drama Runner on PB, I knew I had to give it my best shot. One written application and two interviews later, and feeling I’d flunked it, I got a call whilst at my graduation ceremony to tell me I had got the job.

You’ve worked on a lot of great BBC dramas including Sherlock and Merlin – what do you enjoy most about working on location?
Often the production office works from a central location, and supports the production and crew from there. So I find it’s important to get out to location when I can, to speak to the crew to get all the information I need to do my job. It also brings a refreshing change from the four walls of the office, and it’s great to see everything you’re working for coming together.

After being a runner, you moved into becoming a Production Secretary. What were your responsibilities in that role?
The production secretary is the co-ordinators right-hand man. Some of my main duties involved arranging all cast travel and accommodation, script administration using Final Draft, finding a readthrough venue, as well as clearing the use of brands or props seen in shot.

60 seconds with Keo Films’ Ciara Spankie

How long have you been a production coordinator at Keo Films?
I have worked at Keo for exactly 2 years.

Have you always wanted to pursue a career within the television industry?
I studied Marketing at university, however I always had an interest in media. My first job was a production secretary for a broadcaster in Glasgow and I’ve never looked back since. I love the film and TV industry!

What preparation did you do for your interview at Keo?
It’s always important to do your research – that meant reading up on what Keo’s flagship programmes were, and recent commissions. I spend a lot of my spare time watching documentaries, so I believe it helped I had a passion for this genre of film making Keo are known for.

You have recently worked on ‘The Century That Wrote Itself’. What was the first major project you worked on at Keo?
When I first started at Keo there were, of course, projects in various stages of production. However, BBC2’s Terry Pratchett: Facing Extinction, was the the first project I worked on from day one. This film followed on from the Bafta and International Emmy award winning film Terry Pratchett: Choosing to Die so it was a great privilege to work with Sir Terry and the same production team.

You also worked on ‘Skint’ for channel 4. What kind of preparation and research went into producing this?
This was a really interesting production and I enjoyed every minute of it. It was a very demanding and often stressful time for the crew, and it was important I touched base with them everyday. I also spent a lot of my time negotiating filming access in local supermarkets, bars, and other retail outlets.

What would your advice be to other aspiring Production Coordinators?
Find out what interests you – whether its gritty documentaries or studio game shows, and just go for it. Jobs often snowball and shape your future roles so it’s important you have passion and energy for what you’re doing.

Where would you like to see yourself in 5 years’ time in your career?
At Keo of course! The company really invest in their staff and have put me on numerous training courses over the past 2 years. I plan on working my way up to being a Production Manager and Keo are helping me do this.

You are based in Glasgow – what advantages do you think there are for production companies that have offices outside London?
Having offices outside London allows companies to gain nations and regions commissions. It also opens up opportunities tapping into new film making resources and involving talented freelancers from around the country.

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ProductionBase – Insider Network for TV Jobs, Film Jobs and Commercial Production Talent

Q&A With Runner of the Year, Jack Whitney

We talk to BroadcastTECH Runner of the Year winner, Jack Whitney, about his career so far and his aims for the future.

What made you want to pursue a career within post production?
I’ve always wanted to work in sound in some shape or form, and so I decided to move down to London 2 years ago to find a job that involved working in audio. I was really curious to see how the TV & film industry worked, so I applied and got a job as a runner at a post production facility and there I learnt about the many avenues of Post Production. But since being at 5A Studios, I have learnt about the ways in which audio is used in post production, and this has really made me want to pursue a career in audio post.

What do you think made you stand out to be nominated and win Broadcast Tech’s Runner of the Year Award?
I don’t know, maybe it’s because I’ve done quite a lot during the short time I’ve been working in the industry. I’ve been quite hungry for it, and have managed to juggle quite a few other roles whilst maintaining a good standard of running.

60 seconds with Pioneer Productions’ Shaheera Ali

Pioneer creates a lot of factual and ob doc programmes with quite fast turnarounds. How important is it to keep up to date with the news?
It’s really important – obviously so with fast turnaround documentaries about very recent events. But it’s also important to keep up to date with current affairs in general, and advances in scientific research and theories. It’s important to have a holistic approach to this, as ideas can be generated from many different, often at first glance unrelated, events in the news.

You recently transmitted a doc about the Oklahoma Tornado. How did you go about gaining access and incorporating sometimes sensitive content?
As Pioneer have long made programmes about such events and the science behind them, we have strong well-established relationships with scientists and experts in the field who often work very closely with authorities in the aftermath of such disastrous events. Most professional and expert entities involved in such events are keen that people are educated about such phenomenon so gaining access is usually relatively easy (though not always!). We ensure our production crews are sensitive, and experienced in dealing with sensitive subjects, especially when communicating with people who’ve suffered first hand. We also have a responsibility to ensure we are always factually correct and work hard to ensure experts in the field can approve of what we say.

60 seconds with Endemol’s Chloe Samwell-Smith

You have been at Endemol for a number of years. How has your role of Talent Manager evolved in that time?
I started in HR at Endemol in 1999 and one of my first jobs was typing response letters to people who had sent in CVs! Technology has moved on drastically since then, and we now have an online database, so that’s been a big improvement. I would say that the role has become more challenging over time, because the talent pool seems to have shrunk and it seems harder to find available people that fit the bill.

How did you become a Talent Manager? Was it a chosen career path?
I started as HR assistant and my role evolved into a Talent Manager role. Having studied psychology at University, working with people was hugely important for me, so I feel very lucky to have this role.

We understand that have a new addition to the Samwell-Smith household – congrats! Your time management skills must come to the fore?
Yes, indeed. As a mum of three, you are constantly juggling and good time management skills are essential! Some days can be challenging, but with a good support network anything is possible. I do think mums and dads make great employees, as they are usually very focussed at work and used to getting things done quickly. Parents are constantly problem solving, and those skills are particularly useful in TV.

60 seconds with ITV’s Liz O’Neill

How did you start working in the HR department at ITV?
I originally applied for a position as an Assistant in the HR Pensions team on the ITV careers page and worked within ITV for a year before moving into the new in-house Recruitment team as a Co-ordinator, to support a new team of six.

Is talent recruitment a career you always wanted to pursue?
Not initially, as I didn’t really know what it entailed. However, since joining the in-house Recruitment team at ITV I love talking to and meeting people, which is the key part of the job, and as a result I would like to develop my career further within recruitment.

How many job applications do you get through in an average week?
Each Recruitment Manager looks after around 20-25 roles, and on average we receive anything between 30-400 applications per role.

PB Live Careers Forum

Our 2nd Live Careers forum attracted a whole range of queries. Thanks to everyone that joined in – here are the responses so far!

The Panel

Paul Crompton

Paul is an experienced factual producer with 20 years’ work in TV. Executive Producer and Co-owner of Barge Pole Productions, Paul’s specialties are popular factual television, observational documentaries, formats, legals, scriptwriting, dramatic reconstruction, pitching and development.

Nicky Searle

Nicky is Talent Executive at NBCUniversal International Television Production, looking after companies as diverse as Carnival Films, Monkey Kingdom and Chocolate Media. Prior to that she managed talent for Optomen Television. She has been in the industry for nearly twenty years working her way up from her first TV role as an unpaid intern at MTV Networks.

Paul Merrick

Paul is an experienced Producer/Director with over 12 years specialising in observational documentaries and factual entertainment, including extensive self-shooting. Creative and highly motivated, he’s dedicated to making great television across all genres and passionate about storytelling.

Joe Mahoney

Joe is Managing Director of ProductionBase. Prior to joining PB, Joe spent a number of years at BBC Worldwide as a senior commissioning editor, before moving on to Channel 4 to become their Head of Commercial Development.

The Questions

Q:  I’m a British P/D and planning on moving back to UK with my cameraman partner in December after what will have been almost 4 years away. During this time we’ve been working on international docs, mainly for National Geographic. I’m just wondering what advice you can give us in terms of finding work in the current climate back home? Have things changed significantly in the past four years? It’s also worth mentioning that most of our contacts were based up north before we moved away and we’re now considering a move to London.

PM:  I think things have changed significantly over the last 4 years, with an expectation of PD’s being able to self-shoot, do sound and sometimes edit. Having to be a ‘jack of all trades’ probably means ultimately the quality of the final product is likely to suffer, whereas each specialist brings their own expertise to a production. As for working out of London, I don’t feel that matters too much as long as you are willing to travel and work away from home.

PC: If you’ve got that on your CV you shouldn’t find it too hard to get work. It will help to know where you are based and what channels and companies you worked for. Most of us find work from the contacts closest to us. Reputation is the biggest single factor in finding work in TV, in my experience.