“ A Great makeup artist is well-rounded. But eventually every artist finds what type of artistry they groove with…”
When your writing your script and creating your budgets sometimes, makeup and hair get’s the short straw. Mostly because well you watch your mom, sister, and others do their makeup everyday how hard can it be? Instead of assuming, make some phone calls see what other production companies are used to paying HMUA, call some working hair and makeup artist and ask them what their rate is for a day or half day. Most of us will be thrilled you are doing some research.
There are so many different types of makeup artist out there. Here’s a few just to give you an idea: Bridal makeup artist, Fashion and editorial makeup artist, Production makeup artists, Body Painting makeup artist, and your makeup counter artist. Each one of these artist specialize in different techniques and formats, your bridal artist are going to know how to make their client feel wonderful on their special day, and although they have a time frame to stay within, bridal artist have much more time with a client then lets say your runway makeup artist. The counter artist, is focused on selling a brand or product that the consumer may already have done some research on.
A great makeup artist is well rounded, but eventually every artist finds what type of artistry they groove with and pursue that which lights their soul on fire. I think everyone should try all aspects of artistry, you maybe surprised. Some makeup artist think they want to get in to film and television and then they realize they’re going to be on set on their feet for 12 - 16 hours a day, for weeks at a time, creating the same look, day after day. Some artist prefer to do shorter days but love being on set, so they opt for commercials, or advertising campaigns. Other artist love the artistic and creative license of editorial shoots.
A makeup artist who specializes in film or television like myself shameless self promotion has to understand how 4k, 6k, even now 8k camera’s read makeup! Now I know what your thinking, well they use the same cameras at a runway show right? Well in runway you have all these bright, harsh lights, so a more dramatic look will look softer on a runway, but they don’t ever have to think about reading a script or looking for continuity.
Here is another example; Jenny is a bridal makeup artist and can make about the same as a commercial artist for the same amount of time. Jenny, doesn’t have to look into a monitor and make sure that her bride’s makeup is reading as “shimmer” and not sweat - thats a real thing. Your commercial artist we can call her Tina, doesn’t get to use her green, purple, and electric blue eyeshadows very often on commercials. Stacy works mostly doing red carpet makeup, and can get away with a heavier or bolder look then Tina can on that Toyota commercial.
When hiring a makeup artist for production, its important to make sure this artist is knowledgeable in that field. It maybe experience or training, hiring your cousin because she does her own makeup on instagram does not yield the same results as hiring a professional who has been on set and knows how to collaborate with the other departments such as wardrobe, camera, lighting, ect. a makeup artist with experience or the right training will understand how to break down a script and create a character to match the vision.
In a smaller market, it’s pretty common to find an artist who works in several areas. The busy season for Bridal makeup in Denver is May - September so that artist may also work on commercials, and photoshoots when its slow season. During the winter months production tends to slow down, here in my market anyways, so when things slow down its common to see artist pick up seasonal jobs as an artist in a mall, or offer additional services as seasonal work.
Did you know about the different kind of makeup artist there are? What kind of artist are you, or do you use?