Practice for the Continuity Assessment

For this assessment, I was lucky of finding a suitable model for my character. I needed a beautiful blonde girl for Jane Eyre's character and I found one. Anyway, before the assessment we met once to practice. I didn't need to practice on my model more than once because the looms are quite simple.

HAIR

MAKEUP

Everything took me about an hour and after that I knew everything I had to do in order to achieve a better version of the look for the assessment. 

Dirt & Dirty Teeth

Step-by-step (dirty teeth)

I put my model to smile for me with the teeth out. Using tooth enamel in black and a cotton bud, I gently applied the product on the teeth. The product has got a nail polish texture and dries really fast. It gives the illusion of dental caries and missing teeth. 

After that, I used the same product (tooth enamel), but in a yellowish color to give the illusion of rotten teeth. 

It looks gross, I know. But this is very easy to apply, as well to take off by using surgical spirit and a cotton bud. 

Step-by-step (dirty, muddy hands)

To create this kind of look on the hands, you won't need proper mud, of course! All u need is water and clay which is used for sfx makeup. Mixed with water, the product has a mud texture and color. 

To create the muddy hands look, I applied the product on my model's hand using my hands. 

I dried the hand with the hair drier for 1 minute and then I applied some color spray and fake blood. 

It can be easily taken off by washing everything with water and soap.

Products used:

tooth enamel

surgical spirit 

water

clay

color spray

fake blood

Health and safety: 

- None of the products are allergic, but make sure to work clean. 

The Monster Mash

VAMPIERS

Vampires are a perennial favorite around Halloween, but they can be found year-round in movies and on television, in books and on blogs. The public's thirst for vampires seems as endless as vampires' thirst for blood. Modern writers of vampire fiction, including Stephenie Meyer, Anne Rice, Stephen King and countless others, have a rich vein of vampire lore to draw from. But where did the vampires come from? The most famous vampire is, of course, Bram Stoker's Dracula, though those looking for a historical "real" Dracula often cite Romanian prince Vlad Tepes (1431-1476), after whom Stoker is said to have modeled some aspects of his Dracula character. The characterization of Tepes as a vampire, however, is a distinctly Western one; in Romania, he is viewed not as a blood-drinking sadist but as a national hero who defended his empire from the Ottoman Turks.

The vampires most people are familiar with (such as Dracula) are revenants — human corpses that are said to return from the grave to harm the living; these vampires have Slavic origins only a few hundred years old. But other, older, versions of the vampire were not thought to be human at all but instead supernatural, possibly demonic, entities that did not take human form. 

Ref: http://www.livescience.com/24374-vampires-real-history.html

GHOSTS

In folklore, mythology, and modern media such as literary fiction, a ghost (sometimes known as aspectre [British English] or specter [American English], phantom, apparition, spirit, spook, or haunt) is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an being less presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to realistic, lifelike visions. The deliberate attempt to contact the spirit of a deceased person is known as necromancy, or in spiritism as a séance.

The belief in manifestations of the spirits of the dead is widespread, dating back to animism or ancestor worship in pre-literate cultures. Certain religious practices—funeral rites, exorcisms, and some practices of spiritualism and ritual magic—are specifically designed to rest the spirits of the dead. Ghosts are generally described as solitary essences that haunt particular locations, objects, or people they were associated with in life, though stories of phantom armies, ghost trains, ghost ships, and even ghostanimals have also been recounted.

Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost

ZOMBIES

From "World War Z" to "The Walking Dead" to "Shaun of the Dead" to "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" and countless brain-dead rip-offs, zombies — re-animated corpses with an unstoppable craving for human flesh, especially brains — have invaded pop culture like never before. For staggering, slow-moving monsters, zombies have become quite a force in the entertainment industry over the past decade.Though George Romero's 1968 film "Night of the Living Dead" is often considered to be the original modern zombie film, the first actually appeared nearly 40 years earlier in "White Zombie," starring Béla Lugosi as an evil voodoo priest in Haiti who zombifies a beautiful young woman. In the years since, only a handful of zombie films have returned to their Haitian origins — most notably "The Serpent and the Rainbow."

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word "zombie" first appeared in English around 1810 when historian Robert Southey mentioned it in his book "History of Brazil." But this "Zombi" was not the familiar brain-eating manlike monstrosity but instead a West African deity. The word later came to suggest the vital, human force leaving the shell of a body, and ultimately a creature human in form but lacking the self-awareness, intelligence, and a soul. It was imported to Haiti and elsewhere from Africa through the slave trade.

Ref: http://www.livescience.com/23892-zombies-real-facts.html

WEREWOLVES

The legend of the werewolf is one of the most ancient and wide spread. Stories of werewolves can be found as far back as history has been written. These shapeshifter myths can be found all over the word from China to Iceland and Brazil to Haiti.

This humanoid creature of myth and folklore had the incredible ability to shapeshift. They are said to shift into the form of a wolf or a human-wolf-hybrid. Some legends have them being able to shift at will and others after being cursed, scratched or bittenThe most widely know story of the werewolf would be “Little Red Riding Hood”. The origins of the Little Red Riding Hood story can be traced to a time, likely preceding the 17th century,and various European countries. Making this tale relevant to the werewolf-trials of the time (similar to the witch trials). There are many ancient were legends to worn the fragile, small and easiest of targets — children. “Little Red Riding Hood” features a wolf who talks to Little Red Riding Hood and then dresses in grandmas clothing to fool the innocent little girl. Not something any regular ‘ol wolf could doSome of the first accounts of werewolves come from Ancient Greek literature. Ovid, in the Metamorphoses, told of the Arcadian King, Lycaeon. King Lycaeon was visited by Zeus. Not believing him to be a true all-knowing god he decided to test Zeus by serving him human flesh in one of the many dishes served at a banquet in their honor. And not just any flesh — Lycaeon served up his own sons’ flesh. Yikes! His son Nyctimus was just one of 50, so I guess Lycaeon felt he had plenty more where that came from.

Unsurprisingly, this was not a very smart move… Murder and cannibalism was a major slight indeed. Upon discovering the tainted dish, Zeus changed King Lycaeon into a werewolf — since he obviously liked human flesh, the wolf form would be a more acceptable form to take part in such a vile activity. Zues then brought his son Nyctimus back to life.

Ref: http://mythicalrealm.com/humanoid-mythical-creatures/werewolf/

Ref: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxcM3nCsglA

Sweat, Fever and Black Eye

Step-by-step

Apply moisturizer on the face. This way, it allows to blend better, it also will provide with a shiny surface. There's no need to powder. Then, apply concealer on the red spots or blemishes and under the eyes as well.

With a stipple sponge, apply Supra Color (red) mixed with moisturizer on the face and neck and blend very well (no hard edges) using the fingers. Don't go too hard, as it has to look natural. Then, using a small flat brush, apply on the eyelids as well to create the fever eye look. For good results, apply the color as close as possible to the eyelash. Use the fingers to blend. 

To create the black eye look, start applying from the inner corner of the eye, with dark purple and red cream colors. Create a dark circle under the eye as well.

To create the sweat, use the same stipple sponge and pour some glycerine on the back of the hand. Then tap on the sweaty areas such as forehead, upper lip, around the nose and neck. 

 Also, to create a more sweaty look, you can spray water on the hair and on the back of the neck.
To apply fake tears, you need to ask your model to lay their head back and you just drop in one or two fake tears.

To create the dry lips effect, just apply latex on them, let it dry and color the hard edges with red.

Products used:

supra color

latex

fake tears

glycerin 

concealer

moisturizer 

Health and safety: 

- Clean your hands and the model's face before using the products. 

Understanding of continuity

As most of you know, there is never enough time to leisurely complete your work when you are on set and there is a workflow of 4 actors deep. When you are working on a multi-day commercial where the scene needs to have a look where it is shot in the same day, then you should keep a log of what you used on each actor to keep the continuity of the look you established.

If you are new to working in film, video or television, the concept of continuity may be an unfamiliar term. Continuity in the makeup department is specific to keeping the look of the actor in the scene consistent when it is shot over several days. As the makeup artist, it is your job to provide the EXACT same look every time that scene is shot regardless of the day, time, location or conditions when you are working with that specific actor.

What I have learned is continuity of clothing, hair and makeup can jumpstart your day if you have properly documented your choices. Having a good worksheet to document the actor or model’s face can help you quickly reach for the product you need without requiring you to think about what you would LIKE to do and get you to do what you MUST to do.

It saves time knowing straight away the exact product you need to apply to achieve a look. Pre-planning is the key to making your workflow easy and consistent. Every makeup artist is different with how they create their continuity worksheet and because of this I will give you the basics of what I think is a good foundation for creating a worksheet. (In a future post I will create a resource section that has a copy of my continuity worksheet. But for this post the basics will get you started in creating your own.)  

Having a good memory is the key of creating the same makeup and hair look all over again. Also, take notes, make face and hair charts aaaand take loads of photos of the first making of the look. 

Ref: https://suzettemariel.wordpress.com/2011/05/26/how-makeup-continuity-on-set-can-help-your-beauty-workflow/

In depth analysis of my chosen character (Jane Eyre)

The development of Jane Eyre’s character is central to the novel. From the beginning, Jane possesses a sense of her self-worth and dignity, a commitment to justice and principle, a trust in God, and a passionate disposition. Her integrity is continually tested over the course of the novel, and Jane must learn to balance the frequently conflicting aspects of herself so as to find contentment.

An orphan since early childhood, Jane feels exiled and ostracized at the beginning of the novel, and the cruel treatment she receives from her Aunt Reed and her cousins only exacerbates her feeling of alienation. Afraid that she will never find a true sense of home or community, Jane feels the need to belong somewhere, to find “kin,” or at least “kindred spirits.” This desire tempers her equally intense need for autonomy and freedom.

In her search for freedom, Jane also struggles with the question of what type of freedom she wants. While Rochester initially offers Jane a chance to liberate her passions, Jane comes to realize that such freedom could also mean enslavement—by living as Rochester’s mistress, she would be sacrificing her dignity and integrity for the sake of her feelings. St. John Rivers offers Jane another kind of freedom: the freedom to act unreservedly on her principles. He opens to Jane the possibility of exercising her talents fully by working and living with him in India. Jane eventually realizes, though, that this freedom would also constitute a form of imprisonment, because she would be forced to keep her true feelings and her true passions always in check.

Charlotte Brontë may have created the character of Jane Eyre as a means of coming to terms with elements of her own life. Much evidence suggests that Brontë, too, struggled to find a balance between love and freedom and to find others who understood her. At many points in the book, Jane voices the author’s then-radical opinions on religion, social class, and gender.

THE MAKEUP:

For this character, I chose a quite simple makeup, like an every-day one. She was physically described as a plain, simple girl, so I had to follow 'the rules'. 

THE HAIRSTYLE:

I hate drawing, I'm not even good at it, but I tried to put on paper what I imagined the hairstyle would be. 

Two front hair pieces fixed in back plaited bun. 

What is High Definition Broadcasting and how does it affect make up and hair artists?

HD Broadcasting provides a resolution that is substantially higher than that of the standard-definition television. As a future makeup and hair artist, whenever I watch a movie, especially a horror or a sci-fi one, I always pay attention to the character's makeup and hair, to see if there are any mistakes or to figure out how the makeup was done.
For instance, the latest really good movie I watched is the famous 'The Revenant' with Leonardo DiCaprio in the main role. I must say that I payed more attention at the makeup (from nails to face) than the actual action. I was fascinated by how realistic the makeup was done, so I made some research.

I mean..just look how realistic this looks like! 

I found out it's very important the makeup is flawless, without imperfections because the audience will watch the movie in HD.

<A scene from The Revenant which shows the main character being savagely mauled by a bear is one of the most gruesome you're likely to see all year.

And to make Leonardo DiCaprio's wounds look realistic, it's been revealed that the actor had to spend up to five hours in the chair with Duncan James - a make-up artist from Watford, Hertfordshire.

Now an image of Leo, 41, having his prosthetic wounds applied by Duncan has been viewed more than 2.8 million times on Imgur. >

<Duncan's previous work includes Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2, The Grand Budapest Hotel and The Last Samurai, and he was key part of the prosthetics team on The Revenant, which tells the true story of legendary fur trapper, Hugo Glass. 

Glass is brutally attacked by a bear and left for dead by his hunting partners, but he miraculously survives and embarks on a quest to escape the wilderness and get his revenge on the men who betrayed him. >  

Ref: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3406685/How-make-artist-created-Leonardo-DiCaprio-s-bear-attack-wounds-Revenant.html

Late Victorian hair

Queen Victoria was a fashion icon in her own right. In the early years of her reign, she inspired the “Apollo Loop” in which a plain or coiled plait of false hair was attached onto wires to create eye-catching loops worn vertically on top of the head.  But the use of elaborate wigs made way for cleaner, gentler looks. The Victorian period of fashion  was about living more simply than the previous era. Hairstyles eventually became more natural and demure with hair parted in the middle, drawn into a bun or coil with curls allowed to fall loosely at the sides of the head. Hairstyles mirrored the aspirations and social changes occurring  within society during this era.  The Industrial Revolution saw the rise  of the middle classes and brought new fashions for clothes and hair.   By the 1850s women wore hairstyles incorporating hairpieces  purchased from the new department stores.  Additionally, women  began using soaps to clean their hair, but this act would strip away oils, leaving the hair stringy and dry.  Products to restore hair’s lustre included vegetable oil and even bear grease. Towards the end of the 19th century, the Marcell Wave invented by Marcel Grateau’s “curling iron,” became a popular hairstyle which enabled to create a more natural looking wave as opposed to a curl. Victorians associated hair with life and love, therefore, it was traditional for women to incorporate lockets of hair into mourning  jewellery after the passing of a loved one.  Also, after 1860, hair was off the face and hair decorations were popular (feathers, flowers). There was a lot of height and short curly fringes were worn by the most of the Victorian ladies. The wealthy ones used to buy hair pieces which were very expensive, but popular at the same time. 

Source: http://chertseymuseum.org/hair

Below, there is my step-by-step hairstyle for the late Victorian period: 

- I made a center part in the front using a comb. 

- Then, using hot rollers, I rolled four pieces of hair each side. 

- After that, I fixed the hair in two pony tails, living some pieces on the sides. 

- I twisted the first pony tail in a bun, the using a curler, I started to curl the sides and the second pony tail. Then I fixed the curls in a loose way, using hair grips.

- I released then the front hair from the hot rollers and I fixed it as I did with the other ones. The fact that I used hot rollers in the front, gave the hair more volume. 

- I also curled the hair from the back and I fixed it as I did with the other ones. The final result:

Elegant, simple and Victorian.