Creating perfect makeup is not the only thing that you will be asked for when working for film and TV. To work with celebrities for shows and productions will require you to have great makeup skills but not only.
-Communication skills:
You will either have to communicate with the crew or the person sitting in your chair when working for film and Tv. If you work as a makeup artist for productions, you are part of the crew. You will probably build friendships and connections through all the projects you will be working but you must give the first best impression to your colleagues. You should know exactly how to address yourself and request feedback from the appropriate team member. A screen and media course teach you how to work with a crew and who is in charge of the budget and the artistic direction. Communicating is also essential to understand the request from the talent and ensure the person you will be applying makeup on is comfortable through the process. Some clients like to speak. Others prefer the calm, and some actors might even ask you to review their lines with them. It can be stressful to create makeup for celebrities but if you communicate accordingly and know exactly what they are after, you are already halfway through satisfying them with your work.
-Time management:
You will never realise all the things you can do in 30 seconds until you have worked for a live TV show. When a show is live, each second counts. A talent may arrive only 5 minutes before the show! You will need to be ready to do something really quick with just the time given to you. You will also need to do touch-ups between takes, or during the advertisements, you will need to act quick and be organised to have time to look after each guest on the show. If you enrol on a diploma of screen&media course, most of your assessments will be timed, and it is an excellent way to test and train your abilities to work fast and under pressure.
-Organisation:
Being organised is a must when working for film and TV. You might sometimes work in remote locations, and if you haven’t planned accordingly, you might find yourself in a tricky position without the products or resources you need. Creating checklists, setting up alarms, planing for the day ahead, what items you will need with you and of course, considering warm or light clothes for the weather is essential when working in a location. You will also need to organise when working in the studio, the schedule is often tight and doesn’t give you much freedom to work around. All filming days must be planned ahead to avoid disappointing situations. A screen&media course requires you to organise all your assessments and schedule in the same way you would for a filming day with a crew.
-Negotiating skills:
You will probably be asked to work on some amazing projects, but you will need to use your best negotiation skills regarding the rates and budget for your kit. When we talk about negotiating, we often refer to the budget. Often the production manager calls you to promote some interesting projects and then announce a budget that is not up to your expectations. It is up to you to negotiate work arrangements and budget based on your level of experience, current industry rates and resources for the project.
-Flexibility skills!
Flexibility is a must when working for film and TV! As much as you will be prepared for the day, things might not go as planned. Weather, budget, location, transportation…so many things can impact how you will create the looks on the talents. You will need to be resourceful and find some new ideas on the spot more often than you think. The crew and talents always appreciate flexibility, someone who can face an issue and find solutions is much needed in the screen and media industry.
-Stress management skills:
Anxiety will often come when working on a big project, but you will need to learn how to manage it if you dream of working in film and TV. As for makeup artists, we are the ones working closely with the actors and actresses. They need to focus and relax before entering the studio. If your stress level is up to the roof, it is crucial that you don’t show to the person sitting in your chair but keep calm until you have performed your makeup application.
Film and TV are wonderful industries to work for, and it is a dream of a lot of people to become an in-demand makeup artist working in the studio. A diploma of screen and media course in Sydney will be your first step to learn the makeup skills and the industry requirements and start building your network. So what are you waiting for? Make your dream come true!
