Wantin Adaptation – Make Up Trial
The Artistry of Make Up
Enigma Series Trilogy - Short Film Adaptation
Post the engagement of Professional Film and TV makeup artists Daphne Goulter and Carly Lennon we organized a day of hair and beauty trials. The objective for the day was to establish whether the time allowance planned for the filming of the adaptation of Wantin would be ample to achieve the defined character styling.
There was an immediate sense of staggering enormity associated with the volume of equipment and supplies that these ladies possess to execute their job. It's tough to fathom the amount of product carted to each location.
I enjoyed watching Daphne and Carly unpack their gear in a manner that demonstrated that it had become a fine-tuned methodical process. The brushes were sprawled out to the front left, and foundation shades stacked neatly behind. One by one, the eye shadow pallets were opened and placed onto the portable table.
“The gratification comes in the doing, not in the results.”
~ James Dean ~
I am not an expert at applying beauty products, but I wanted to give it a go. Initially, I contained the urge to interfere. However, as the day passed, I succumbed to the desire. I straddled Eden (much to his horror) while I applied a few choice brush strokes to his forehead that I would like to think added to his look. On the sideline, Carly patiently observed utterly amused.
Once my inner artist was sated, I let Carly continue her mastery. I took the opportunity to sneak away to update my Star Now profile to reflect my newly acquired skill as a makeup artist.
Actress Sue Radchenko was first up in the chair with Daphne. The assignment was simple, darken her pale complexion to be a dirty olive sun-speckled variation. Then weather her features to add a decade or so while you're at it. Easy peasy.
Daphe was excited by the challenge of transforming Susan into our wise old beloved Romany palm reading gypsy. Something was humbling about observing her emphasize every single wrinkle on Susan's face, neck, and hands. Varying shades of brown were used to accentuate the lines. From a distance, it looked like the outline of a road map was overlaid on Sue's face. Daphne's magic touch of skilled blending came in handy. Patiently she alternated between creating liver spots and other age identifying blemishes. Layer upon steadily applied layer was cleverly added to build toward the desired effect. The results were staggeringly good.
“An actor is at most a poet and at least an entertainer.”
~ Marlon Brando ~
Make-up tests in preparation for filming. https://t.co/kJAXz2Ue28#actor #scriptchat #smashwords #truthdevour pic.twitter.com/9DfETGRB8e
— Author: Truth Devour (@TruthDevour_) March 12, 2017
“Be so good they can't ignore you”
~ Steve Martin ~
Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, Eden was just getting acquainted with Carly when I switched focus to them. His appointed role is Enzo, who is submissive to Mistress Le Vour. As part of the costume styling, Eden must wear a leather half mask. Carly placed this on him to mark the position and then wasted no time in getting him ready for a bit of creative experimentation and play.
I shared with Carly the starting point for the palate. It was essential to ensure Enzo's makeup complemented the set design while contrasting against his scene counterpart Mistress Le Vour. Aquamarine blues, greens, and pinks were laid out on the table at the ready.
Carly let loose and began creating an outline on Enzo's face. It did not take long for a transformation to emerge. She framed his face, accentuating his jawline. The cast and crew stopped to watch Carly apply white eyeliner to make Eden's green eyes pop.
“All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players.”
~ William ~
Actress Ella Crotty, who is playing the lead role of Talia, assumed the position in the chair. Daphne's assignment was to create a balayage effect on her lips. With a paintbrush in hand, she began.
Meanwhile, Carly was standing at the rear of Ella with a picture of an intricate French side braid. I wanted to test out the look for a scene.
Fifteen minutes later, Carly called me over to take a look at her first attempt at the braid. I glanced at the picture and then at Ella, then back at the image before looking at Carly and secretly wondering if she was a magician. The result was picture perfect.
Always learning
As the day was drawing to a close, I recognized the measly thirty minutes allocated per actor for hair and makeup on the adaptation film shoot draft plan was not going to cut it. The safeguard is to replan and bolster the time allocated to each actor. An hour minimum is required and in some cases, an hour and a half for the more sophisticated looks.
All in all, we agreed the time spent was well worth the effort. We now had a greater appreciation for what it was going to take to achieve the looks. It was a valuable confirmation that the character styling and makeup were on point.
Sue transformed into the gypsy. Eden became the submissive gimp. The hero effect of the day got awarded the visual impact of the balayage lips on Ella. It was hypnotizing.
Another day in the life of the Wantin adaptation sizzle reel was complete. A necessary pre-production activity that contributes to validate the plan.
I look forward to our next rendezvous Mistress Le Vour @LeahBaulch #energytribe #Screenplay #truthdevour #movies pic.twitter.com/GABfiGKpyE
— Author: Truth Devour (@TruthDevour_) February 18, 2017
Photography & Article Written By Truth Devour
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.