Hair, Makeup and SFX Makeup Basics — Makeup for Camera, Continuity, Prosthetics and Wounds, Hygiene, Makeup Call Times

• Control shine — under lights, oil on the forehead and nose reflects and stands out. Blot with powder or blotting paper between takes.
• Even out skin — high-resolution cameras pick up skin texture and redness. Build up thin layers rather than one heavy one so it looks natural.
• Show the character — darken under the eyes for a tired character, add color for a healthy one, and so on, so personality and situation show on the face.
• Match the lighting — the same makeup looks different with the color and direction of light. A camera test before the first shoot day helps.
• Hair — hairstyles are where continuity breaks most easily. Photograph the direction of the fringe, the height of a ponytail, even flyaways.

Shooting order and story order differ, so a scene before an injury may be shot after the injury scenes. That is why the HMU team builds a progression chart that tracks wounds, bruises, sweat, tears and facial hair in story-day order. Bruises change color over days and cuts heal, so define the look for each stage and photograph it.

• End-of-scene photos — shoot front, side, back and a close-up of any wound, and note the products and colors used.
• Sweat and tears — match the amount every take within a scene. If it grows and shrinks from cut to cut, continuity breaks.
• Facial hair and hair length — they really grow during the shoot, so you need a plan to trim or apply hair to match story time.

Prosthetics are made in advance from a cast of the actor’s face, so schedule them in pre-production. Applying them takes time, and so does removing them and calming the skin after the shoot, so work with the 1st AD to group scenes that need the same makeup on the same day. Patch-test any material that goes on the skin on a small area first to make sure there is no reaction.

• Tools — use separate brushes and puffs for each actor, or clean them after every use. Bring plenty of disposables.
• Products — don’t apply lipstick or cream straight from the container; decant what you need.
• Skin — ask actors about allergies and sensitive areas in advance, and stop immediately if skin turns red or itchy.
• Hands — wash or sanitize your hands before and after makeup.

During the shoot, the HMU team watches hair and faces from near the monitor and steps in between takes to blot sweat and tidy hair (touch-ups, and last looks right before rolling). The same hygiene rules apply.

The HMU team tells the 1st AD how long hair and makeup take for each actor. The 1st AD backtimes from when the actors in the first shot must be ready to set each actor’s call time, and also considers how many actors the makeup artists can work on at once. On days that go from day scenes to night scenes, or from before an injury to after, build in time to change the makeup mid-day.