3 Reasons Why You Need a Make-Up Artist on the Set of an Independent Film Production

There are many elements to producing a good independent film whether it be a short or feature. Due to the nature of the business it is common place for some of the key personnel on the production to perform multiple tasks as I have done on multiple films. I've performed the duties of writer, producer, production manager, director of photography, art direction, still photographer, grip, and sometimes even catering but one of the duties I have never done is that of the make-up artist. Although I can fake my way through some of the previous duties (as some of us have come to do many times over and over again), that of the make-up artist is a duty to which I leave to the professional. The sad truth is that on many other the productions I've been on have dropped that position from there crew list altogether which can produce disastrous results.

In the following article I will describe how having a professional make-up artist is crucial to the success of any good film and what can happen when one's services is not rendered on set. Although my outlook will be from that of the many shorts and features I've produced or production managed, these same reasons can be applied to any film production of any size.

I've worked with many make-up artists before and some of the names that will be mentioned are the following (all of which are based in Georgia) - Toby Sells (The Signal, Dance of the Dead, Zombieland), Renonda Anderson (both print, beauty, and special fx make-up), Ron McLellen (Jack O'Lantern, Bad Land), Ondie Daniel (Bad Land, Netherworld Haunted Attractions), and Dave R. Watkins (Stragglers, Jack O'Lantern), among several others that will be mentioned.

Beauty make-up may seem like a simple thing to most young filmmakers but in fact it is the most standard make-up needed for any actor within a scene. The camera is a lens that can see every pore within someone's face. By having a make-up artist to be on set to apply simple beauty make-up you can ensure that everyone in front of the camera looks beautiful (or not if you're producing a horror or thriller). This is also important to lighting as lighting can magnify the flaws in someone's facial features without the help of make-up. Unlike live theatre, film is a medium in which the subtle movements in an actor's face can tell a story and the absence of make-up can only draw attention to something that you would rather be left hidden. On the Southlan-Films production of Creatures of the Night I was added as a last minute replacement for a scene when an actor failed to show up on location. The only problem is that I'm a young, bald, African American and what was needed was an older man to play a pale skinned gypsy. Through the magic of the Toby Sells Studio I went through three hours of make-up (in addition to a wig) in order to be transformed into an eighty year old gypsy crone. No one even recognized me on set. On the set of the CenterSeat Entertainment production House of Secrets, Anderson was the chief make-up artist for the cast of five women who all had to look their best in a dramatic thriller. The film is all about the beauty of these women and how it can be corrupted by the lies and secrets they bond them. Although many of the scenes required standard beauty make-up, there were even more scenes that required Anderson to transform some of the women into women who have gone through great emotional pain and torture and I needed that to show in their faces and sometimes on their hands and other times on their bodies. Beauty make-up can not only include an actor's face but all facets of the body and any other place that can be seen in front of the camera.

It may come as a surprise but having a make-up artist on set to handle all the practical special effects make-up is also beneficial to a film production. In an age where so many effects are digital and done with a computer through the use of CGI it is still good to know that indie film productions rely of practical make-up effects to bring to life the film. These can include gunshot wounds, scratches, facial deformities, blood splatter effects, and all other similar appliances. On the Southlan-Films productions Hell's End and Creatures of the Night, Sells was required to produce a multitude of gunshot wounds and effects due to the fact that these two companion films were period WWII horror films. He was also required to design and execute the half-human/half-beast monster of Hell's End and the vermin/vampires of the later film. The special fx make-up requirements were great as the director did not want to use any CGI effects in either film. On the Southlan-Films production Bad Land director Ron McLellen (who also did a majority of the make-up) and Watkins and Daniel created the looks of the brain dead lobotomized farmers in addition to all the killings and blood splatter throughout the film. We had three make-up artists on this film to accommodate all the film's requirements. Without the make-up artists to handle these films' requirements the effects could have become less than satisfactory rendering the films less than effective to the audience.

The greatest contribution that a make-up artist can have on an indie production is in terms of continuity. This is an element that goes missed repeatedly on indie productions. When the services of a make-up artist is rendered it should be for every day of principal photography and not just the days that require practical special fx make-up. It is very common to ensure the services of a make-up artist for just those days rather than the length of the production not only because of costs but then it becomes common to see in the final product that in some scenes the actors have on make-up while in other scenes they do not which can become distracting to the audience. I've seen this happen on many short films I've worked on. On the Harlaque Films production of Breaking Through no make-up artist was used because the director relied on the actors to do their own make-up. In the club scenes it was very apparent that all the women had make-up own whereas in any of the scenes outside of the club none of the actors had make-up on and because the film was shot in HD the scenes drew attention to themselves. On the Interstate Films production Mourning Road Daniel (who also produced and stars in the film) provided the make-up so there was a make-up artists always on set. This was imperative as one of the actresses in the film needed to be paler because she represented a more angelic presence in the film that had to be seen throughout every scene she was in.

I hope that by examining why you need a make-up artist on set at all times you will be able to see their contribution to any indie production. Although several of my earlier shorts did not afford me the luxury of having a make-up artist, I've come to value their contributions and additions to each and every one of my productions from beginning to end. On several occasions I've even collaborated with them during principal photography (especially in the case of any film with elaborate practical special fx make-up). There is no limit to how a make-up artist can enhance the visual of your film, so, the next time you think about producing and indie film make sure to put a make-up artist at the top of your crew requirements.