CAPA 380
Makeup
Before going into more production of our short films we went through some workshops to gain practical skills around dressing characters to make them look different such as Hair and Makeup
Facial Hair Application
For our first workshop in this unit we where playing around with fake hair and attempted to apply some facial hair to volunteers from our group
To do this we had to first check the person's not allergic to the glue we would use by putting a bit on there skin. Once we determined it would be safe and the person wouldn't have any bad reaction. We learned that to apply the hair we should cut it straight with scissors so that it's not flailing about. Put some glue on the skin where you want it and then apply it head on from the end of the section where you just cut it so it looks like its growing out your face as much as much as possible
We gave Rueben a long wispy beard and a bit of an unkempt looking moustache which ended up being a bit messy to do as it came with with a lot of loose looking hairs and some going up Ruben's nose tempting him to sneeze which wasn't too helpful for the process but it worked in the end and definitely taught us to be careful with it. We also tried applying a small bit of hair in-between his eyebrows to create a mono brow which went quite well.
For Leos look we gave him a thin twisted moustache which was quite easy as it prevented hair from flailing around whilst your trying to put it on though the style would probably only be good for certain characters as its a lot less unsuspecting than trying to apply more natural looking facial hair. The long chin beard we gave Leo was probably one of the better ones as it went on a lot better and ended as more believable than rueben's which looked quite stuck on when you focused on it.
Tilly made a bushier version of Leos beard and moustache with some of the black hair we had which also turned out quite well and managed to stay on the longest out of the three.
Click on the play button
to watch a Timelapse of the whole process!
Straight Makeup
Before
After
For our introduction to Makeup for camera we where shown through a workshop and then given the task of creating a basic clean makeup look.
We tried this on Ruben to a moderately successful result but as we had little experience in makeup it definitely should've been better.
We completed this process by first moisturising and priming the skin. Then we picked a shade of makeup that we thought matched Rubens skin pigmentation and applied it to any areas that had blemishes or wrinkles
Beauty Makeup
Inspiration
Copy
To do this beauty makeup we started by moisturising and priming the skin and adding a base layer of foundation that matched Harrys skin tone.
Then we used eyeshadow to paint around the eyes in pink and create the pattern that we could see in our reference photo we were attempting to recreate.
Lastly, once we'd done the pattern and blended it out a bit we added glitter under the left eye.
Aging Makeup
To do aging makeup we made harry and Leo look older with the use of contouring to create wrinkles and fake shadows so the face looks more boney and old.
We started by moisturising and priming the skin and then adding a base layer of makeup to the face with a slightly pale colour that makes them look flushed out. Then we use a darker contour brush to darken areas of the face such as the cheekbones and given bags under the eyes to give the face a sunken look. We did this by asking them to scrunch up there face as much as possible to highlight the wrinkles on there face allowing us to create thin lines where the wrinkles where painting in the dips of the wrinkles.
After the cheeks and eyes we drew lines on the forehead and blended them in the same way asking them to scrunch up their forehead by raising the eyebrows.
Prosthetic Finger Making
1. To make these fake prothstetic fingers you first need to grab a cup of water at body temperature. this being a temperature that doesn't feel particularly hot or cold either way.
2. Add the pink moulding solution to the cup of water slowly whilst stirring until it mixes together.
3. Once the solution is mixed it will begin to harden when it gets cooler so when its no longer a liquid you should stick your finger in it to make the mould making sure your finger doesn't touch the bottom of the cup.
4. When the mould is hardened enough that it feels tense to remove your finger you can slowly take it out
5. Then you need to put a block of gelatine in a microwave safe container and heat it for 5 seconds at a time, checking the consistency in-between. 6.When the gelatine is runny pour it into the mould so it fills to the shape of your finger
7. Finally you can put the cup in the fridge and wait until the gelatine is hardened. Once it is you take it out of the fridge and try to peel apart the mould to reveal the finger.
After we did this we wanted a bit more to make it seem more like a severed finger so we painted it with makeup to give it a more skinny colour and then the applied some fake blood to the bottom and posed for some photos.
Fake Wound application
In finding out about fake wounds we were first given some pre-made wounds to apply. Before applying them we did a patch test on the subject to make sure they won't react badly to the glue. Then we applied the glue to the persons skin and to the bottom of the fake wound prosthetic. When the wound was properly stuck on we used gelatine to blend round the edges and then did the same round the edges with a skin colour matching makeup to make the wound blend well into the skin and look real.
After applying some pre-made wounds we then learnt how to make our own original wounds which we did by mixing together cornflour and vaseline to create a doughy mould once the mould mix was ready we pressed it into a good size to fit this gash in his hand once it was pressed over the hand we pressed down the edges to smoothen and stick it.
We then cut a hole to form the wound and used a pen to make the flesh part more bumpy.
Then we painted makeup on the wound to match the skin colour of the hand and used concealer to blend round the edges. Lastly We put blood in the wound to distinguish the flesh from the skin.
Breaking Down the Script - Makeup
This part is quite a strong image so hopefully if we do it well we can use a large amount of fake blood in the bath to make it dramatic and get shots of it dripping onto the floor etc
Sid is a tragic character as he is disconnected and depressed, he is a lanky, pale and worn out man that probably doesn't do the best for himself, something which we could highlight by using makeup to add darkness and bags under the eyes using a dark eyeshadow, as well as contouring on cheekbones, around eyes etc to make him look more battered, malnourished, fragile and perhaps psychotic
Here we can use some prosthetics to help us in the gore of this scene in a terrifying moment when our main character is faced with his own dead body in front of him. As this is the main payoff of our script the more gory we make it look the better, so to make Sid look as bad as possible we should use some slit wrist prosthetics
Health and Safety
When applying makeup on a film set it its always important to ensure all of your brushes, sponges and applicators are cleaned. Before applying any makeup or prosthetics to people they need to do a patch test to see if the person you are applying the makeup is allergic to the product you're about to use on them. You can use Hypoallergenic Products as they are designed for sensitive skin. When applying the makeup, You should wear PPE such as masks and gloves to prevent spread of germs and wash your hands thoroughly before touching the subjects face.
You need proper lighting to accurately apply the makeup and you need to be aware that you aren't cross contaminating any products, to increase the chances of this going well make sure your tools and equipment are labelled and that your products are labelled and use pallets to keep everything separated.
Product safety is essential and you would need to use Non-toxic products that are free from chemicals and toxins. It's a good idea to have emergency contacts to the nearest medical facility and family and friends incase anything happens. Assure the comfort of the subject your applying the makeup to by regularly checking on them and allowing breaks, especially during long shoots.
to avoid legal and ethical problems if things go wrong you need to obtain informed consent from the subject for any makeup application especially for special effects makeup that may involve more invasive techniques and keep their health and personal information confidential.
Some risks when dealing with hair on a film set can be, Frequent contact with water and shampoo which can irritate the skin leading to dermatitis.
Some dusty products like per sulphates, henna and hairsprays which can worsen the risk of an asthmatic attack.
To prevent this Keep the workplace well ventilated. Wear disposable non-latex gloves for shampooing, colouring and bleaching. Dry your hands thoroughly, Moisturise and Change your gloves between clients.
As well as this to be responsible to your clients you should check your skin regularly for early signs of skin problems.
The safe use of solvents and paints in application removal
When removing makeup you must make sure you are aware of the risks with using the solvent products and how to use them safely.
Some ingredients in beauty and cleaning products for example solvents in nail varnish removers can irritate the skin leading to dermatitis,
Some ingredients such as liquids and powders in acrylic systems for artificial nails cause skin allergies and asthma.
As well as this Dust filings from artificial nails can cause wheezing, chest tightness and asthma and Acrylic fumes can cause headaches, dizziness and nausea.
HOWEVER there are simple things you can do to prevent this
All you have to do is provide a combination of some of the following controls:
1. Keep the workplace well ventilated.
2. Use good work techniques that avoid or minimise contact with harmful substances and minimise leaks and spills.
3. Remove contamination promptly by washing hands properly, drying and moisturising regularly.
4. Provide an extractor hood or down draught table for nail work to minimise the amount of fumes and dust fillings staying in the air.
5. For some tasks, you may also need to use personal protective equipment like protective gloves, aprons and eye protection.
Makeup On the Shoot
To understand how much it would cost to get the makeup necessary to use on a shoot we made a Kit List
We only used two makeup products on set but the first one we used was in order to make our Actor Max look more worn and tired so that the audience would get some inference into his character and feel more as if he was unwell. To do this we fairly heavily applied some eye shadow to accentuate the darkness under his eyes. We made sure to keep the products clean for health and hygiene purposes. In makeup ventilation is important to prevent asthmatic attacks, however we didn't have to worry too much about it on this shoot as the set was open and not cramped and we weren't using and products which where super powdery to create dust particles etc. We had to do this at the start of every shoot day to keep continuity and as well as this it was useful to us to reapply it at some points where it'd been on for a while and was looking faded.
The second product we used on the shoot was intended for the scenes where Max's character is dead. So we used fake blood on his face and hand to convey his attack while he is led in the bathtub. We dripped some on his forehead running down his face to look like a head wound. This was done okay but it couldve been a bit more splattered as it looks quite painted on and unrealistic. Most members of our group agreed with this afterwards which led to us using Adobe Aftereffects to superimpose a proper looking wound onto the forehead which made his appearance look more brutal.
For the hand slung over the bathtub we continued to use the fake blood and managed to get a lot more of a splatter on it making it look more natural. For the shot we wanted to see the blood dripping from his finger. We waited to see if any would drop as Max had his hand down but the blood was to sticky. To get around this we tried dabbing some water on the hand running down onto where we wanted the blood to drip which allowed the blood to flow with it and drip off the finger.
eyeshadow
