22 February 2009
Meet the Crew: The make up artist
Posted by admin under: Black Site; Filmmaking; Indiependent Film; Movie .
I been a little busy cutting some shorts and helping out on my feature and haven’t updated my crew post in a few weeks. Today we will spotlight my make up / special effects make up artist, Brenna McGuire. I was going to post some pictures from my film on here but when I went to Brenna’s site, I saw she did that for me. She recently did a viral video that shows how great she is at her job, so check it out below go to 2:00min in, on the time line to see the carnage that is Brenna’s bread and butter.
What’s your job on this film?
My position was as the makeup artist and hairstylist. I also did all of the special makeup effects, blood, bruising and all!
How did you get into this position?
When I was a little girl taking ballet, there was a man who came in every summer and did a makeup demo. He showed us some injuries, old age makeup and other stuff like that. I would be jumping out of my seat to volunteer as a model because I wanted so badly to have a fake injury put on me. Later on, I got involved with theatre and makeup just came naturally to me. Also, my mom is an ER nurse which explains my ability to stomach certain images enough to recreate them.
What do you like best about it?
I love the art of illusion. Being able to create an injury effect that gives people the chills makes me so happy. I also really enjoy helping someone to look totally glamorous and beautiful. I love it all!
What do you like least about it?
Like any freelance career, it can be hard to find consistent work. There are also long hours on set when you aren’t doing anything.
What advice you have for somebody who wants to get into this?
Be prepared for anything! A lot of times a director might not know exactly what they want or how to describe it. Being flexible and being able to improvise are huge assets. Also, you are selling yourself more or less so be a hot commodity. Be courteous, professional, polite, someone people will want to be around.
How can people reach you or see more of your work?
You can view some of her work on her temporary website and you can email her here.