raindance.co.uk: Starting out in make-up: collaboration

When I first got into make-up, I couldn’t imagine any thrill greater than being on a film set as an official crew member. The crew consisted of me and a couple of blokes and the set was the lead actor / producer’s living room but it was the closest any of us had ever been to Pinewood. There are film crews everywhere working with this kind of energy yet under the pressures of business it can be mixed with financial trauma. Nowhere is this a more critical subject than the hair and make-up department where enormous competition further concentrates the issue. How does one balance the equation of thousands trying to claw their way into an industry, mixed with a heady dose of creative passion and constrained by the very budgets which make all of this possible?

Making even a short is expensive, so when looking for that first make-up job in film it is not surprising that most come in the sub-micro and unpaid category. Without some experience on those, it is really hard to get a make-up job on a production well funded enough to yield a salary. The chance to work collaboratively is essential but how much free work is really feasible for those without private funding? Legislation governing voluntary work, work experience and the minimum wage exists but it is usually unenforceable on all but the largest productions. More draconian laws would not only be hard to enforce but some believe heavy measures could stifle rather than nurture fresh talent. With this in mind, voluntarily building ethical working practice at the bottom where anything goes might be more beneficial to the future of British film. It could lead to sustainable careers and working partnerships which produce quality films at all levels, keeping skill in the industry rather than losing it to retail, debts and legislation.

Reasons to get involved with collaborative work at all levels:

•   It allows people to build up portfolios and get hired on what they can actually do.
•   Low budgets force creativity, stretching an artist to make the very most of materials and learn about the camera in new ways.
•   It provides an opportunity to trial and hone skills without the pressure of premature responsibility.
•   It enables a budding make-up artist to experiment with different areas of speciality to develop into expertise.
•   Successful working relationships can be forged that bear future artistic and financial rewards.
•   Smaller productions can still achieve big things with volunteer skill on board meaning that low budget can still launch careers, showcase new talent and produce important work.

Working in a creative field is hard to do for money alone if it is part labour of love and there are always heartfelt reasons to enter into a collaboration. However, there does come a time when skills have been attained, the rent is due and then you might remember you read somewhere that making films is supposed to be a business.

Artists still living under the Van Gogh shaped shadow of driven creative genius are often met with distain on request of a living wage. How many city traders or plumbers spend years competing to the death for every unpaid chance to prove their passion and show commitment? Whilst some would like to see minimum wage enforced on all projects, this might not solve the problem of people who simply cannot afford to stay in the industry long enough to get the better jobs. Minimum wage is available dishing up lattes if that is the only concern and it does not afford a lifestyle of luxury or even housing, so many people would rather keep up a better paid day job whilst building up experience. By and large this may be a healthier situation than one which forces micro budget projects into closure because they are forced to spend 90% of available funds on a minimum wage skeleton crew. It is also important to maintain freedom for people to join collaborative projects as this is an excellent way for those who cannot afford the high price tag of a posh make-up school to get an education.

But when does this line of budgeting and day jobs cross over to exploitation? Film by necessity has a unique hierarchy compared to some other types of creative endeavour such as being in a band or an artists collective. With producers and directors, members of a film crew are most certainly working for somebody and this alters the very notion of collaboration. It is precisely here where things get a bit tricky; the balance of power (and often a share of the profit) is not equal by default.   When starting out in make-up there always seem to be two kinds of collaboration on offer. One is a group of people trying to make a film in their spare time, maybe to break into the industry. Here everyone rolls their sleeves up and payment is often a post shooting pint. The other kind is on a film that actually has some funding but maybe not enough for what it needs to achieve. These aim to have all the trappings of a higher budget affair such as constant make-up set cover but do not have the money to afford it all. This is not down to bad producers or to greed or wastefulness, rather that most films in this category need to look good in order to be financially successful - a perquisite of the funding they have obtained. Of course that glossy Hollywood polish that makes us go to the cinema often comes from peripheral things such as make-up, hair, costume etc. It is a difficult situation for film makers because their own futures depend on achieving financial success for the backers. Rewarding hard work with decent conditions, deferred payment and/or proper credits might be a way to discourage exploitation on profit making productions that rely heavily on teams of volunteers who would in another job be classed as employees. It might also prevent the current situation from escalating and becoming over regulated; something which would possibly kill off lower budget films. Even if it saves a lot of staff from being exploited, that will be no consolation without a job at all.

Negotiating the world of collaboration in make-up:

•   Never underestimate expenses. Cutting corners with unsuitable methods creates poor quality work. Worse than this is realising the above halfway through a job and then having to go buy a lot of kit with personal money. Get used to tailoring the work to the expenses and having an accurate idea of the price of products and labour needed before discussing money. Getting into the habit of going overboard will not necessarily land the plum job which makes up for years of credit card debt. Success in make-up can come over night but for most it takes sustained effort, so budget for this even when working on a no-budget basis.

•   Be honest. The effects of platinum silicone will not usually be achieved with flour and food colouring. Being desperate to beat the competition, it is easy to promise too much. Most film makers will understand the limits of a £30 expenses only budget if this is explained properly by the specialist he or she is hiring. This is where ingenuity, an understanding of basic visual techniques and a love of materials helps to produce make-up designs that do not rely on cash alone.

•   In larger productions, salaries will be left up to the make-up designer who manages the departmental budget. Legally minimum wage is payable on all positions with such financing and work experience placements need to be part of a registered training course. Whilst there are chances for unpaid freelancers or volunteers, it is worth seeing what is really on offer if considering one of these. Bigger name productions are prestigious but that still does not guarantee plentiful paid work for the future. Does the designer have special skills to learn? Can this exchange be part of the deal? Assisting is the best way to understand the practical application of techniques and is a fantastic extra activity for students. However for non-students starting out in make-up, this should involve more than cleaning up and doing the night shoots for the price of a travel card. The best designers will train up new assistants who can the be relied upon for future work – or at least who will be able to gain work in their own right with the skills learned. These are the designers to seek out.

•   For no to low-budget designing, it pays to go back to make-up basics. Sculpting and structuring can be done to great effect using the principles of light and shade eliminating any need to apply expensive preparations just for the sake of it.

•   Diversify. Established make-up artists from all sectors dream of getting into film. Counting those in fashion, tv and theatre as well as those already in film means that there are plenty of great hair and beauty make-up artists clamouring for work. Having a special skill helps to gain access to the less run of the mill jobs and will guarantee more paid work in the long term. There are many areas of special interest from wig making to prosthetics, special effects, fantasy body painting and casualty simulation. These are areas where there is often a shortage of skill and where hard work and learning a trade will get you noticed.

•   Make-up designing in film is as much about budgeting and administration as it is about applying make-up. Breaking down a script, mastering continuity and understanding creative writing are also essentials. Confidence with these things early will speed up the chances of getting further up the career ladder. This is where film differs from make-up in fashion, bridal, or editorial circuits. If contemplating a pricy film-specific training course, ensure that it covers all of these as well as practical techniques before parting with hard cash.

One good reason not to hire a make-up artist for free? A hygienic good quality kit. Comprehensive public liability insurance. Regular update training including health and safety with new materials. How does someone regularly earning nothing afford these? The professionalism of paying a salary justifies demanding essential standards in return that there would be no hope of enforcing on a volunteer. In the hair and make-up department it can be dangerous to cut corners so why not invest in people who may be then able to repay that investment with quality work in the future.

A happy production:

•   Offering deferred payment rewards hard work at entry level. This never guarantees cash but in the event of a film doing particularly well nobody profits gratuitously from free labour so the equation of collaboration with direction balances a bit more again.

•   For larger productions with serious budgetary issues in make-up, work experience links with local colleges might be possible. Official student placements as part of a course of study would benefit the make-up industry as a whole. Making the transition from college to film set, is usually hard for new assistants in a career where the old fashioned apprenticeship would actually be more suitable to building expertise. The gap between education and practical application coupled with competition can lead to years of working on student shorts to test out skills and learn new ones. Worse still this situation means that often only those with private funding get the chance to stay long enough in their chosen field to progress to the good jobs. Work placements would be a way to boost the standards of make-up training, making it more industry specific whilst helping to produce quality work on independent films.

•   Expenses are important for the make-up department because unless a famous designer is involved it is usually hard to get gratis and support from brands. So make-up artists often provide their own kits which can be everything from quality sfx materials to endless tissues. Making sure people are not out of pocket is a cheap way of letting make-up staff feel valued

Resources for low budget make-up departments:

• BECTU is the Broadcasting and Entertainment Cinematograph and Theatre Union. As well as offering affordable insurance with membership they can help out with invoicing problems and issues surrounding working conditions. Find out the full legal terms governing the hiring of volunteers on their site www.bectu.org.uk.

• Make-up shops hire specialised staff who can advise the micro budget film maker about basic make-up effects. Help with anything from ageing to blood effects is usually only the price of a couple of products. Getting to know a brand well can also help with finding good freelancers and students. Some brands occasionally provide free staff in return for credits as often happens in fashion. Companies particularly interested in supporting artists include Mac, Lipstick Queen and Becca.

• Charles Fox (www.charlesfox.co.uk) runs affordable workshops in many film techniques, taught at a high standard.

Recently a friend of mine came back from India where she was training as a yoga instructor and had been introduced to karma yoga. This is where someone works for free expecting nothing in return but the chance to do something necessary. As a spa manager whom I had always admired for her tough salary negotiating skills, it was a brand new and quite laudable concept to her. Enlightened, she had single handed discovered why I practically lived on her couch and never refused food for some years at the start of my career. Working in film make-up can be the best job in the world meeting interesting people, using a huge variety of techniques and all of this in an industry driven by passion, vision and revolution as well as simply money. For anyone in love with film, the excitement of being part of this far outweighs the beginning problems of finding salaried work. Freelancing and project work is one of those lifestyles which does not appeal to everybody and will usually involve a measure of financial changeability. However getting to know the basics of collaborative and low budget work is essential in making sure a make-up career is sustainable. For all of us already in the industry it would seem to be the time to think constructively about how best to invest in the talent, commitment and affordable skills of new entrants. Finding the right balance can only enrich film as a whole, leading to a sustainable and experienced workforce, better films and a stronger future for us all.

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Shefali Choudhury started out as a beauty make-up artist after studying fine art and it was an accidental career. As soon as she started working on terrible low budget horror films though she knew she had found a home. Now she splits her time between sfx make-up, prosthetic sculptures and writing. London based.

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