Working in the entertainment industry is supposed to be fun. We play make – believe for a living and sometimes get paid quite well for it, too. However, it is still a business, and a certain sense of decorum can and should be maintained while still having a good time. Being well prepared and well organized is a good start.
Specialty makeup cases abound in a broad price range to keep your supplies organized; there are also inexpensive cases for tools or fishing tackle that are com – partmented and will work well. Rather than putting all your supplies together into one kit or even several kits through which you have to search to find things, consider organizing your kits separately: one for straight makeup; one for injury and wound effects; one for hair. I strongly suggest investing in plastic containers for your liquids, gels, and powders. Be able to store your materials so that they won’t spill, break, leak, or be damaged. Keep potentially messy substances such as adhesives, artificial blood, glycerin, and dirt powders such as Fuller’s Earth (Pascalite) separate from other items in your kits. Before storing liquids such as acetone in plastic bottles, be certain that these materials can be safely stored in plastic. Otherwise, stick to leak-proof glass or metal containers.
I can’t say this too many times: There’s no such thing as being too prepared. Be certain you have enough of everything in your kit to handle unforeseen circumstances, because they will arise. Do you have sufficient adhesive for your appliances? Remover? The right remover for the adhesive you’re using? Do you have sufficient cleaning materials? Sponges? Cotton pads? Create a checklist you can use for each production and each day. Are all your materials clearly and correctly labeled?
When purchasing new or replacement stock, be sure it’s what you need for the production. Do you know of any special skin-care needs of any of your cast? If you will be working out of town or abroad, make advance arrangements to ship sensitive or hazardous materials—well packed—by air or ground. Traveling by air with many items, even ones in checked baggage that nothing could possibly happen to, can create major headaches, even if you believe you are prepared for them. Trust me. I’ll give you an example; I pass along this information because it is a lesson I learned and a mistake that will not be repeated if I can help it. Once, when flying to a remote location out of the country, baggage inspectors painstakingly inspected every individual creme foundation in both of my large studio kits; there must’ve been close to 100 of them in all. The inspectors unscrewed each lid and stuck a gloved finger firmly into the center of each creme disk and then replaced them in the drawer where they were stored, many of them upside down and all of them without the lids. Every one of them was compromised. This happened both when I left the United States and when I came back through different airports; I don’t know if it happened within the United States or at my foreign destination. Nobody claimed it as their handiwork, and there were no witnesses.
Regardless of the culprit, be forewarned. Before leaving on a trip, ensure that the materials you cannot take with you are available at your destination. If they’re not, advance ship them. I could do neither and was forced to use the inspected foundations, but I tossed them all when I returned home. It was an expensive lesson. Ship your kit by ground or by one of the express companies, if possible, for early arrival. This would be the most convenient choice, though not inexpensive. And it’s not always possible. Since September 11, 2001, sweeping new rules have been put into play governing what can or cannot be brought on board a commercial flight, even in a carry-on bag.
Your makeup area and workshop should be sanctuaries from the anxiety and stress that often pervade a set. Models and actors need a peaceful environment. Though your workshop environment might not be exactly a model of calm, Grand Central Station during the evening rush is not what you want to emulate for your working environment. When people rush, mistakes are made and everything starts to go downhill.
Without some sort of protocol in place, a large set would be utter chaos. On smaller shoots departmental lines are often blurred, but certain rules of etiquette always apply. Every craft has its own protocol for on-set behavior, but there are some universal standards:
■ Show up early for your crew call.
■ Be polite. Manners you learned in kindergarten still apply when you’re an adult.
■ Learn and use people’s names.
■ Ask questions if you’re in doubt about what to do.
■ Pay attention to what is going on in your department.
■ Make your supervisor and everyone on your team look good.
■ Stay near the action. Don’t leave the set, or wherever you’re meant to be, unless you tell one of the assistant directors first and have permission to do so. If you can’t be found when something goes wrong in your department
and someone has to go looking for you, you might well have cost the production significant money while everyone waits for you. If this happens more than once, don’t expect to be asked back.
Remain composed. Occasionally crew members, even experienced department heads, behave irrationally or even unfairly. If someone bites your head off about something, don’t bite back; rise above it. Remain calm and courteous and ask them how they’d like you to proceed. If it’s your boss or supervisor doing the yelling, do what they ask quickly and without getting angry or upset. If the angry one is not part of your chain of command, check with your boss before doing anything. If you can weather the storm, it will pass. By maintaining your composure in a confrontational situation, you’ve made yourself look good.
Don’t embarrass anyone, least of all your supervisor or anyone else you directly work with.
Unless you are just making conversation or have been given the authority to do so, don’t talk to other departments. It might be frustrating, but if you have a problem or suggestion, talk to your supervisor about it. An obvious exception to this rule is when safety is involved.
Don’t brag or be boastful. Ditto for arrogance. Doing good work and being confident in your abilities are not the same as showing off. Let people find out for themselves how good you are and how valuable you are to the department and the production. In other words: Be humble. It isn’t that hard.
On-set etiquette is mostly common sense. The following list is by no means complete, nor is it new. There are probably as many variations as there are rules. For a makeup artist, it is generally acknowledged that you are expected to be on the set at all times. Ideally, you will be near the camera but far enough out of the way so as not be a distraction or blocking anyone’s view of the action. When in doubt about where to be, ask an AD.
■ Dress comfortably but professionally on set. Be subtle. Remember: You’re not the star.
■ Bathe! We work in very close proximity to actors. Though working with grips who have dirt under their fingernails and don’t wear deodorant might be tolerated, it is completely unacceptable for a makeup artist to have dirty hands and B. O.
■ Brush your teeth. This is no different than not wearing deodorant. When your face is inches away from your subject, your breath shouldn’t make them gag. At least keep gum or mints handy. As a service provider, you should want your subjects to be comfortable and at ease as much possible while you do your job.
■ Talk to your actors; when you’re applying or removing prosthetic appliances, let them know what you’re doing at every stage so there won’t be any surprises via sudden movements on your part.
■ Know your script, shooting schedule, and daily call sheets. Knowing how many scenes your actor will be in will give you an idea of your application needs. If your actor is in every shot, your application process will be different than if your actor is being shot for a small insert or short scene, and
you can adjust accordingly. The same is true of knowing what the camera setups are going to be; there is no need to do a 30-minute touchup on an actor who is partially obscured in a wide shot.
■ Be able to adapt and react. Thinking outside the box is very important, from actors’ allergies to certain materials or a director getting a new idea for a makeup that should take an hour to apply and you only have 15 minutes.
■ You are providing a service. Your makeup is for the purpose of enhancing and supporting a performance. It’s never about the makeup; it is always about the performance. Don’t forget that.
■ Take your time. Don’t dawdle, but don’t let a zealous AD or impatient actor fluster you and make you hurry. When you rush, you make mistakes, and that ultimately leads to delays, frustration, and short tempers. Don’t let yourself get sucked into a situation you can’t control.
■ Resist the temptation to insert yourself into the middle of a discussion or rehearsal to do touchups. A director’s last-minute instructions to an actor always take precedence over makeup. Wait patiently until they’re done; go in for touchups only if you’re certain it’s okay. If it appears that you’re not going to get the time you need for your finals, inform the first AD. It’s the AD’s job to coordinate these things; keep the AD or ADs informed of potential problems before they occur.
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If you’re not sure how your makeup will read on camera or you need to double-check a detail, ask the camera operator if you can look through the camera before doing it.
■ To assure makeup continuity, take notes, draw pictures, and take photographs. Polaroids or digital photos of your makeup will most likely be a necessity, and you can refer to them as you work. Keep a file on each actor and each change in his or her makeup. Every artist has his or her own way of keeping track of makeup for each actor. There is now digital continuity software called SavingFace for theater, film, and television.
■ Sometimes we must be mind readers or, at the very least, intuitive; learn when and when not to talk to your actor. Actors might not be in a talkative mood and be getting into character when you are applying their makeup.
In a theater environment (unless you’re working on Broadway or with a big touring Equity show) things will usually be a little bit different, frequently more casual, often chaotic and cramped, but the basic tenets remain unchanged.