Makeup artists are the magicians who can transform your face from "Nay" to "Yay" with their sleight of hand. Their dexterity in highlighting your beautiful features and enhancing the visual appeal of your face is something to hold in awe. While it is true that any conscious person can handle fixing up their faces on their own, there are some situations that demand professional intervention. This article will take you on a walkthrough of when and how to choose a makeup artist.
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When do you need to hire a makeup artist?
Everyday business requires just little makeup, which is more or less basic when you are attending a casual gathering. Some amount of foundation to even out your skin tone, a basic eyeliner outline, a nude eyeshadow and some lipstick usually does the trick. However, for the events listed under, since they demand dressing up considerably, you need a professional makeup artist to make you look extra gorgeous and get that wow factor rolling for you:
• Weddings - whether it be your own or one of your friend's, weddings are a special event. Not only do you need to pick out a dress very carefully, but you also need a makeup artist to help you look your best.
• Company dinners - s he makeup there are many working women around the globe who are required to attend company dinners and other celebrations, where many important people are invited. Hiring a makeup artist for these events will ensure you don't overdo things yourself. A professional yet fit-for-dinner look can be easily had with a little assistance from a professional.
• Galas - Many of us are part of greater causes and socially responsible activities. Gala dinners are usually held for members, sponsors and clients, making them a sensitive platform. Getting the right look becomes important, and for an amateur, things can easily get out of hand during makeup.
How to hire a makeup artist
There are so many makeup artists out there, but not all of them are professionals. Here are a few things you can consider to help you hire the right one.
• Interview - this is the best way to find out how much an artist knows about what he/she is doing. Makeup techniques should be their second nature. They should know which palette would suit your skin tone and eye color, for starters.
• Tools - ask about the tools the artist uses. Sometimes, skill allows them to create better results with basic tools. Swanky is not always good - especially because the artist who does not have much skill will try to cover it up with a lot of automated stuff.
• Products - no one knows your skin better than yourself. Ensure that the artist agrees to using products of your preference on your skin - make sure he/she has them.
The above tips should have you sorted.
The special effects work of John Knoll's special effects team has certainly raised the bar in believability of a fictitious character. His Industrial Light and Magic team created Davy Jones for Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man's Chest. In this sequel, Bill Nighy is the actor who portrays Davy Jones' movements and voice. He wears a dark grey motion capture suit, and two motion capture cameras were used as opposed to the 16 needed in the past. The process of Computer Generated Imaging (CGI) then morphed the actor into a convincing depiction of a cursed pirated who because he lives underwater, he literally becomes a creature of the sea.
This special effects "makeup" of this film was fascinating to watch and it really does trick your eye into thinking Jones' is "real". But does this mean that special effects artists need to trade in their brushes for a computer mouse any time soon? The answer is thankfully...no!
There will always be a need for makeup artist to apply their special skills to film, television, or theatre. There is one "living" character on the Flying Dutchman, actor Stellan Skarsgård, who plays Bootstrap Bill...he had wonderful "live" barnacles protruding from his face.
By the other side of the coin Michael Chiklis was transformed into Fantastic Four super hero "The Thing" through a time consuming and detailed process.
"Sixty pounds (27 kg) of latex, it was hellish." said Chiklis. But he did the project because of the potential the movie had to being a franchise. "It's employment potentially for 10 years. It gets your name out there in an international context that puts you on all those lists that you must be on as an actor in order to get movies green lit. That's why he was willing to go through the "hellish" process of being the hulking Thing for the film.
Then on the other hand, I understand that Bill Nighy was disappointed that he didn't have to wear the pirate costume for any of the film shooting. Just the grey motion capture suit...so he didn't have to endure the heavy makeup appliances or masks required in the past...but it didn't let him "play" act in costume as if he were Davy Jones either. This is testament to Nighy's acting abilities, because he gives a terrific performance as the character.
Although Industrial Light and Magic will always strive to "wow" audiences with the newest visual effects, the basic need for the "human" factor helps ground the movie experience. E.g. the whole last three Star Wars movies were visually incredible but fell far short of the first three films that had "real" characters, actors in suits and makeup interacting with each other. Otherwise we have a movie that is not much more than a video game, lacking our own ability to control the plot.
I think makeup special effects wizard Rick Baker put it best when he said "I still think a marriage between the two techniques is the best way to go. They each have their strong points." Baker is absolutely right! It's important to move forward and push techniques to new limits and respect the place that both technologies have in this field. So as with most professions the integration of computer knowledge creates advantages with a mixture of honing in on physical skills of makeup effects. Baker also says "...I do all my design work on the computer now. It's like my favorite tool. I can do so much more and it frees me up so much more because I can save it anywhere down the line, so I'm not afraid to screw it up." Perfecting bloods, latex appliances, and skin blends will have a place within the movie making world. Thank goodness there are many movie makers who simply can't afford expensive visual effects in the first place.
That fact harkens makeup artists back to the days when makeup artists have to use their problem solving skills and creativity to create physically realistic effects. This is the fun in special effect making. Creating something that audiences say to themselves "wow!" or "gross!" or just smile.
Article Citations
"Interview with Creature Creator, Rick Baker" From Rebecca Murray, Your Guide to Hollywood Movies.
"Michael Chiklis a bigger Thing in Fantastic Four", By Christy Lemire