Costume and Makeup
This is for indie film makers more than anyone else.
Does anyone bother with costume and makeup for their actors. Obviously horror and SF films require some.
I'm talking about normal Hollywood style makeup artist work to make your actress look better or your action hero to more interesting.
How about wardrobe? Do you just see what clothes your actors turn up in and make teh best of it?
I do realise that a thread about clothes and make up is a little unexpected in this community but it is a consideration.
Often for industrial films the cast will be asked to bring a couple of outfits for the director to choose from. This is fine for a project consisting of talking heads and interviews, but narrative films are seldom that "boring."
It would be extremely unprofessional to ask actors to provide their own wardrobe and then expect them to run, fight, fall down, take a pie in the face, etc. Even if you're using family and friends as opposed to budding professionals, my feeling is if you don't have the budget to provide actors with meals and costumes, you don't have the budget to make a film.
Makeup is a bit more complicated, especially since in HD it has to be quite subtle to avoid looking like makeup (an ever-increasing number of makeup artists are switching from sponges to airbrushes for this reason).
Finally, it really comes down to your own standards as a movie maker: do you care about your project enough to write a script, dress a set, build a prop or make a costume? If not, maybe radio is a better medium for you than video!
Good point about asking actors to do something that might damage there own clothes I hadn't even considered that.
It's not really a money issue though. I'm just as poor as the next shooter but I'm happy to raise some kind of budget I just have absolutely no idea how to go about dressing actors.
And when it comes to what makeup to wear...
I am pretty interested in that gritty, dogma 95, everything real asthetic and so the idea of makeup and wardrobe people is a no go.
I don't buy the idea that everyone has to be dressed and airbrushed to perfection although I absolutely understand the importance of wardrobe and makeup.
I was just wondering how people deal with this on their own. I've seen plenty of shorts that suggest most people don't bother at all even when trying for something a little more polished.
Of course, it's possible to ignore all issues of production design and still make a compelling movie (like a documentary). If you're a narrative filmmaker, however, you should definitely think twice about leaving all those decisions up to chance, or whatever the actor decides to wear that day.Originally Posted by HCoremark
For a start, what if someone spills a drink or falls down and rips the knee of their costume? Do you shut down production for a few hours to find a replacement, or reshoot every scene that actor is in? A professional recognizes that in the long run it's a lot less expensive to have "backup" wardrobe.
Similarly, you say makeup is a "no go" for your type of productions. So, nobody needs to look glamourous, or tired, or sick, or sweaty, or injured? What, if anything, beyond deciding where to stick the camera are you prepared to do to reinforce the points of your story: is lighting out the window too? And why use good microphones, it'll sound more "real" if the camera's onboard mic is picking up footsteps in the hall and the traffic outside, right? Heck, why even direct, just let the cast improvise their blocking!
You don't have to be an expert in any of these areas, but the biggest favor you can do for any production is to find someone who is an expert (or more of an expert than you) to help: a friend of a friend who's studied costume or fashion design and always wanted to do movie work, the girl working behind the cosmetics counter who would like to expand her skills, etc.
Erik
I think that's a little unrealistic frankly.
Makeup is not as important as lighting, sound and direction.
And a cheap mic certainly doesn't sound more "real" than a good one.
I am simply asking how people deal with this. In the past I have shot on film (16mm) without makeup and been happy with the results. Would they have been better with pro makeup and costume? I imagine they would but that was never an option.
I absolutely believe there is a case for paring back your crew to the least number of people, not because I think you can do just as well without makeup, costume, designers, assistants, runners and stunt and FX crews but because you can survive without and still make a compelling, moving piece of work.
I will say, however, that I think you're right about backup wardrobe and other contingencies and the girl behind the makeup counter is a really good tip to finding makeup artists. Not only are they trained but they may have access to cheaper makeup. Never considered either of these.
Make-up is essential for any professional-looking production. First off, different lighting conditions can either wash out an actor's face or darken it to the point that the actor's tools, like ... oh ... expressions, become useless. Perspiration will make an actor's face shine, often in the most inappropriate places and times in the film, distracting from the story.
Absolutely StuOS
Also, the Make-Up Artist is the first point of contact on the set with the performer, usually at some ridiculously early time in the morning and last thing at night.
Make-Up Artists (and Wardrobe) are always the production psychologists
Are there tipps available on the net. I imagine the type of make-up a film requires differs from everyday make-up. I got a make-up artist at hand if needed, but will what she does in her day job be enough to serve a movie?
The basic theory is the same, but in most cases beauticians overdo makeup for film. If she can tone it down from the typical shopping mall counter beautician style, then yeah she should be able to make it work.
Mostly it's about evening out skin tone and keeping off the sweat and shine (or creating sweat/tears as needed)
This is a photo of the prosthetic I made for the film I've been involved in since October:
And the remains of the silicone finger I made for one of the scenes:
I'm not a make up guy, but I am in charge of the special effects, so it just made sense for me to create the prosthetics too. (This stuff isn't cheap though, so if you're going to do it budget accordingly)
Don't forget that even pancake makeup can ruin clothes, and special effects makeup is almost guaranteed to get everywhere.
That said, when I've had a makeup artist present (I had one from the Playboy channel one time that was interesting) the women often want to do their own makeup because they want it a certain way and men don't want to look unnatural.
As a result it's usually concealer and powder to keep down the shine. Oh and HMI lights are a godsend over tungsten since they don't get so hot. (Maybe 30 watts per light instead of 500 watts.)
Duke
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
