“Good morning girls and welcome to week four!” This was Louise’s greeting to us on Monday and it brought home with a thud just how fast this course is progressing. We had a full week ahead putting into practice all the basic principles we had learned so far. We had spent the weekend researching our looks for our television character. We then put up our research photos and set about turning each other into a Nurse Ratched type, a down and out prostitute, a stressed mother caught out shoplifting and a school teacher who was in jail for inappropriate behaviour! After completing each character makeup, we dressed our models accordingly and photographed them. We were all very pleased with the results.
Tuesday was about creating, a “no make up look” like what you might see in “Pride and Prejudice” etc. We soon learned this is the most difficult type of makeup to get right, especially for High Definition film! Perfect blending technique is required and it took much longer to achieve than other make ups.
We were very excited to see the wonderful Jane again on Wednesday who taught us all about colour wheels and the types of colour and its uses. She did a fabulous demonstration showing how this relates to makeup using warm and cool colours correctly. In the afternoon we were able to start on our paper mache masks after a quick demonstration and explanation of the techniques and tools required. I don’t think the class has ever been that quiet as we all sat, heads bent over our moulds, gluing madly! It was all very therapeutic!
On Thursday we were back out in the workshop with our clay friends. With encouragement and words of wisdom from Nick and Paul we were soon underway again and making great headway towards the finished sculpt, refining forms, making wrinkles look realistic and adding details we never noticed before. Once again the end of the day came all too quickly and some of us opted to stay longer and keep working on this fascinating component of our course.
Another component of the Master Class is “work experience” and I was lucky enough to be asked to work on a film shoot during the weekend. It was a fascinating adventure to work with professional Actors on make up and hair and to see how a film set operates on location. I worked with another makeup artist who was a graduate of Makeup Effects Group Master Classes and who guided me through the process and showed me how “standby” was put in to practice. We even did a little special effects work!
Candy Burgess - Student
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Down to Make-up Basics
Where do all the days go?
The knowledge, information and experience we've gained in just a few short weeks makes my head spin! Couldn't have been possible without the wonderful teachers guiding us with their expert tuition... Having fun while learning is a unique part of this experience!
This week has been a mixture of components! Monday was all about the lips, learning the techniques of correcting and enhancing them to achieve the ideal lip shape. Tuesday was our first hair lesson with Tanya, a qualified hairdresser with years of experience, who taught us the basics about hair. We learned about different hair types, how to shampoo hair, working with different hair products, as well as going through the components of our well equipped hair kit. We each had a go at shampooing and prepping one another's hair.
Wednesday was focused on bases and foundations, choosing the right one for a specific occasion and look. We experimented on each other with our aqua colours and grease foundations to get a feel of the materials and to become familiar with their consistencies. To get a better idea of what it felt like to be made up, we got into pairs and painted each other's faces with an experimental design of our choosing. Finally we were each given a picture of a newsreader as reference to replicate, so once again we got into pairs and made up one another, and for the first time styled the hair as well.
Amy Merhi – Make-up Student
The knowledge, information and experience we've gained in just a few short weeks makes my head spin! Couldn't have been possible without the wonderful teachers guiding us with their expert tuition... Having fun while learning is a unique part of this experience!
This week has been a mixture of components! Monday was all about the lips, learning the techniques of correcting and enhancing them to achieve the ideal lip shape. Tuesday was our first hair lesson with Tanya, a qualified hairdresser with years of experience, who taught us the basics about hair. We learned about different hair types, how to shampoo hair, working with different hair products, as well as going through the components of our well equipped hair kit. We each had a go at shampooing and prepping one another's hair.
Wednesday was focused on bases and foundations, choosing the right one for a specific occasion and look. We experimented on each other with our aqua colours and grease foundations to get a feel of the materials and to become familiar with their consistencies. To get a better idea of what it felt like to be made up, we got into pairs and painted each other's faces with an experimental design of our choosing. Finally we were each given a picture of a newsreader as reference to replicate, so once again we got into pairs and made up one another, and for the first time styled the hair as well.
Amy Merhi – Make-up Student
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Make-up Shape & Detail
They say time flies when you are having fun and that is how we all feel in week two of the Master Class. It was all about focusing in on the details and nuances of each face. We analyzed face shapes and looked at each other to determine the sometimes tricky job of defining someone’s face shape. We then learnt ways to correct, enhance and change the shape of a face with highlighting and shading techniques, using both crème and powder products. Tuesday was all about eyes and eyebrow shapes and how to correct, enhance and accentuate the different eye shapes we studied. We are all still extremely excited when it comes to getting into our amazing makeup kits and experimenting with colour and product.
On Wednesday we had makeup artist and visual artist Jane come in to start us on the art component of the course. We learnt that the four main components of visual art -Tone, Line, Colour and Texture directly relate to make up artistry and how a make up artist approaches their subject. We warmed up to doing our high-lighting and contouring make up by first doing a still life sketch which we all found challenging – but it got our hand/eye co-ordination happening and taught us the importance of being confident in your brush stroke.
Thursday it was in the workshop to get back to our prosthetic. When we sat in front of our expressionless fibreglass casts to start sculpting onto in week one, we didn’t even know where to begin as we were all new to this and intimidated by the task. Coming in this week, it’s amazing to see characters staring back at you - witches, ghosts, boogiemen and gangsters that were all on paper as reference, now exist in 3-D, challenging us to keep going and make them real.
Mariel McClorey – Student
On Wednesday we had makeup artist and visual artist Jane come in to start us on the art component of the course. We learnt that the four main components of visual art -Tone, Line, Colour and Texture directly relate to make up artistry and how a make up artist approaches their subject. We warmed up to doing our high-lighting and contouring make up by first doing a still life sketch which we all found challenging – but it got our hand/eye co-ordination happening and taught us the importance of being confident in your brush stroke.
Thursday it was in the workshop to get back to our prosthetic. When we sat in front of our expressionless fibreglass casts to start sculpting onto in week one, we didn’t even know where to begin as we were all new to this and intimidated by the task. Coming in this week, it’s amazing to see characters staring back at you - witches, ghosts, boogiemen and gangsters that were all on paper as reference, now exist in 3-D, challenging us to keep going and make them real.
Mariel McClorey – Student
Monday, July 19, 2010
A Make Up Journey Begins
Candy, Mariel, Amy, and Myself all come from different backgrounds with two major things in common... a passion for make-up and special effects and choosing MEG to teach and equip us with the tools, skills, and knowledge to follow our dreams.
WOW! What a week! Day one was like Christmas as we explored the products and tools in our new make-up, hair, and stand-by kits. Then we got right down to business with Louise taking us through, step-by-step, the process of applying a basic natural look make-up. All the while advising us on such things as the different brushes and what they are used for, the differences between crème and liquid bases, how to follow good hygiene practices (and abandoning those not so good ones that we have developed over the years of applying our own make-up), and the importance of making sure the talent is calm and comfortable during the very personal process of applying make-up to a stranger.
Beauty Therapist Lian took the class one afternoon for a lesson on the importance of skin preparation prior to make-up, as well as the correct procedure for make-up removal -especially around the very sensitive eye area.
Finally, Thursday had us in the workshop with the boys - Nick and Paul - as we began the very daunting process of beginning our face sculpture for the prosthetic make-up component of the course. Although it seemed scary at first, Nick and Paul managed to ease our nerves by giving helpful instruction, demonstration, hints and tips, and words of encouragement. We began to see our creatures take form. VERY EXCITING!
Crystal Davies - Student
WOW! What a week! Day one was like Christmas as we explored the products and tools in our new make-up, hair, and stand-by kits. Then we got right down to business with Louise taking us through, step-by-step, the process of applying a basic natural look make-up. All the while advising us on such things as the different brushes and what they are used for, the differences between crème and liquid bases, how to follow good hygiene practices (and abandoning those not so good ones that we have developed over the years of applying our own make-up), and the importance of making sure the talent is calm and comfortable during the very personal process of applying make-up to a stranger.
Beauty Therapist Lian took the class one afternoon for a lesson on the importance of skin preparation prior to make-up, as well as the correct procedure for make-up removal -especially around the very sensitive eye area.
Finally, Thursday had us in the workshop with the boys - Nick and Paul - as we began the very daunting process of beginning our face sculpture for the prosthetic make-up component of the course. Although it seemed scary at first, Nick and Paul managed to ease our nerves by giving helpful instruction, demonstration, hints and tips, and words of encouragement. We began to see our creatures take form. VERY EXCITING!
Crystal Davies - Student
Monday, June 21, 2010
YouTube Make-up Master Class Video
Check out our new make-up video up on YouTube and on our Master Class website.
See the great work the students have created. It’s inspirational and a lot of fun.
http://www.youtube.com/user/MegMakeupEffects
http://www.megmakeupmasterclasses.com.au
See the great work the students have created. It’s inspirational and a lot of fun.
http://www.youtube.com/user/MegMakeupEffects
http://www.megmakeupmasterclasses.com.au
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Make-up Graduation
It was wonderful to see so many family and friends at the graduation ceremony and wrap dinner. We had parents from Tasmania and Melbourne here to celebrate the successful graduates from January 2010. The very high standard of work produced by the students made all of us very proud.
Be bold, creative and never lose your enthusiasm to learn and grow – you all have the talent and focus to do anything you want in this field. Find your path and enjoy the journey.
On behalf of Nick, Paul and myself, we wish all the graduates great success in their new careers.
Louise Fitzgerald – Director of Training
Be bold, creative and never lose your enthusiasm to learn and grow – you all have the talent and focus to do anything you want in this field. Find your path and enjoy the journey.
On behalf of Nick, Paul and myself, we wish all the graduates great success in their new careers.
Louise Fitzgerald – Director of Training
Monday, June 7, 2010
Prosthetic Run Down from the Make-up Chair
Thankfully the technology behind prosthetic make-up has come a long way since the original Planet of the Apes movie won an Oscar in the late 1960's. But it remains an art where patience is the ultimate virtue. Having been invited by students of the Make-up Effects Group Master Class, I enjoyed up to around 6 hours (maybe more) of being poked, prodded, glued, painted and fussed over. But it culminated in a transformation nothing short of phenomenal. In fact, the entire process was quite relaxing.
I was warned that the experience could be claustrophobic, but I found it not so. Initially, the basis of my character's face was formed by a prosthetic mask, moulded from soft foam and perhaps latex that fitted over the contours of my face like a glove. This was aligned to match my features, generously glued in place, and allowed for amazing reproduction of my facial expressions. Being restricted to the chair for so long was alleviated by the attention paid by various 'assistants' who ensured water, juice, tea and coffee was continuously offered (and consumed via a straw) as well as ample goodies in the form of gummy bears and other sweet treats.
With the basics in place, a break for lunch was called and the artists, along with their own 'beasts', retired for a time to congregate around the catering, made up of various wraps (yes, versions for vegetarians as well), soy crisps, wagons wheels and a cheese and fruit platter.
Back in the chair after lunch for the finishing touches by way of acrylic and grease paints, as well as the more traditional powder-puff. Lunch had kicked-in, and during the ensuing hours I certainly drifted off to the land of nod once or twice. I believe this is common in 'the business'. Finally, fitted with costume, it was time for photos, which never do justice to the magic and skill of the artists. Talking and performing various emotions via facial expressions is key to creating 'realism' in any film's fantasy world, and this make-up technique allows for both in spades. The blending between the prosthetic pieces and my natural skin is the real skill, and truly results in a convincing on-screen character.
So amazing was the finish, I didn't want to have it removed. It was a work of art, and I the proud canvas. Eventually though, two artists spent time slowly removing the layers of paint and powder, carefully peeling back the mask and brushing on copious amounts of fluid to neutralize the glue. Bit by bit, reality returned albeit over another 90 minutes or so, as the fantasy was finally detached, and life returned to normality... until the next shoot ...
Tim Stackpool – Prosthetic Beast
I was warned that the experience could be claustrophobic, but I found it not so. Initially, the basis of my character's face was formed by a prosthetic mask, moulded from soft foam and perhaps latex that fitted over the contours of my face like a glove. This was aligned to match my features, generously glued in place, and allowed for amazing reproduction of my facial expressions. Being restricted to the chair for so long was alleviated by the attention paid by various 'assistants' who ensured water, juice, tea and coffee was continuously offered (and consumed via a straw) as well as ample goodies in the form of gummy bears and other sweet treats.
With the basics in place, a break for lunch was called and the artists, along with their own 'beasts', retired for a time to congregate around the catering, made up of various wraps (yes, versions for vegetarians as well), soy crisps, wagons wheels and a cheese and fruit platter.
Back in the chair after lunch for the finishing touches by way of acrylic and grease paints, as well as the more traditional powder-puff. Lunch had kicked-in, and during the ensuing hours I certainly drifted off to the land of nod once or twice. I believe this is common in 'the business'. Finally, fitted with costume, it was time for photos, which never do justice to the magic and skill of the artists. Talking and performing various emotions via facial expressions is key to creating 'realism' in any film's fantasy world, and this make-up technique allows for both in spades. The blending between the prosthetic pieces and my natural skin is the real skill, and truly results in a convincing on-screen character.
So amazing was the finish, I didn't want to have it removed. It was a work of art, and I the proud canvas. Eventually though, two artists spent time slowly removing the layers of paint and powder, carefully peeling back the mask and brushing on copious amounts of fluid to neutralize the glue. Bit by bit, reality returned albeit over another 90 minutes or so, as the fantasy was finally detached, and life returned to normality... until the next shoot ...
Tim Stackpool – Prosthetic Beast
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