Shooting a low budget feature [under 10k] with no make-up artist?

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filmmakerguy

Member
I'm in a bit of a dilemma. I'm getting ready to shoot a low budget feature over roughly 15 days and my budget is really tight to make it happen. I'm budgeted for $50x15=$750 for make-up but a few make-up artists I know want around $100 to $150 a day. It's a bit frustrating because I'm seriously considering the option of just having the actresses do their own make-up and shooting without a make-up artist. What do you all think?

One person I talked to said that many times make up artists make actors look too made up and it can take away from the realism of it. I've shot a number of things in the past without a make-up artist before and they still looked great...but for some reason on a feature it almost seems like blasphemy. Thoughts?
 
Honestly I'm even torn between maybe using the money to rent some better lenses instead. Or go towards beefing up art direction more.
 
On a similar note, I noticed Zak Forsman got around 38k through Kickstarter for his feature DOWN AND DANGEROUS and he was the director and he also did make-up. I've never heard of a director doing make-up before but to save $1500, I'd seriously consider learning! lol
 
I simply put a lot of women in my films. LOL. Actresses almost always know how to do their own make up. I'm kidding, but totally serious. You can call an actress and say "this is how I want you to look" and I've never had a problem with it. Normally for guys, people just use powder. In the big sets I've been on, they basically slapped me with powder or looked at me and said "you're" good.

-Nate
 
Here's what I did. The day I offered the part to any of our actresses, they were asked if they could be responsible for their own hair and make-up. Paulie Rojas in particular was actually excited by the idea of being in charge of her own look. I also asked if they would be willing to donate their own clothing to the character's wardrobe. We set up a day for our co-producer/editor/sound mixer/boom op/wardrobe coordinator to meet with each actor at their place where she took photos of them wearing different options. I gave them my parameters: blacks, greys, whites, muted blues and the occasional splash of bright yellow. No one had an issue with either of these scenarios. if they had, I would have cast someone else.

It's true I was the writer/director/cinematographer/fight choreographer/make-up artist on Down and Dangerous. I asked my wife what kind of brushes would be used for each kind of application and bought a collection of brushes and sponges at CVS. I took the lead actor to a beauty supply store and had them show me how to apply bronzer to his face properly (for the scenes after he returns from Mexico). And basically, the men just got powder, bronzer for certain scenes, and i used a bruise wheel on occasion and also shades of dark red to create a sunburned look when called for, as well as to give another actor a tweaked out drug addict look by adding a little red under the eyes. On women, I didn't have to do anything except ask for them to make adjustments. Generally those decisions were made before shooting began, or by sending them pictures of what I wanted to see.

I also did all the easy special effects make-up: blood, fake sweat, stuff like that. But we did bring a paid professional in for a day to put a bullet hole on an actor's face. And that was it. On a microbudget, I don't think I'd pay for a make-up artist. I can do their powder or whatever while we're talking about the scene. Having this conversation with your actors right from the beginning makes it's easy.
 
filmmakerguy said:
On a similar note, I noticed Zak Forsman got around 38k through Kickstarter for his feature DOWN AND DANGEROUS and he was the director and he also did make-up. I've never heard of a director doing make-up before but to save $1500, I'd seriously consider learning! lol
Click to expand...

Well, now you have heard of two directors that do makeup :) I usually try to alway's hire a make-up artist. But if there's no budget, then I do it. I feel a good director should have knowledge in every aspect of the process. Including make up. You should own a decent makeup kit for emergency's like your in. special efx, and regular makeup.DIFFERENT COLOR POWDER IS CRUCIAL!!

You can try different schools to find a student that may do it for the cost of makeup to gain valuable experience. try some COSMETIC stores, cosmotology schools, or even a friend thats female, and wears makeup everyday. Granted it's a different ballgame between movie makeup, and regular everyday makeup. But it can still help hugely. There's nothing worse than a greasy, forehead, when the scene doesn't call for it. it actualy makes the footage unuseable as far as i'm concerned.

Make up to me is as necessary as craft services. you get my point.:)
 
Actually, I'm learning that a lot of actors and actresses are starting to carry their own make-up in our space. As weird as this sounds, I believe they're just taking charge of their looks and how they want to be represented, and most of the times they actually are REALLY good at doing their own make-up.

I think you'd fair well paying each fo them a kit fee (20.00 extra maybe?) and then learn how to powder guys and you'd be good to go. CAse by case basis.
 
On a $10K budget in particular, every single penny counts. So if you don't absolutely 100% need it - chop it off. Makeup - depends on your movie. Is it effects heavy as far as make up, like zombies, or some other complicated thing? If not, then a makeup artist is completely dispensable. And if you absolutely need one, be creative - visit a makeup school (if you are near one, there is one in LA), or get in touch with people who may want to do it for free just for the credit (many SFX makeup guys in my experience are willing to do that to break in)... but remember, "free" is rarely that - every extra person on set has a cost associated with them: it is (in my opinion) mandatory to feed your team no matter the budget (or no budget), so right there you have an extra cost in another mouth to feed, provide coffee, perhaps provide transportation, and it costs you in extra time to keep tabs on them and administer (the job of the AD). Thus, even if you get someone to do it for free, it may still cost you. Whereas if you eliminate that position completely, you save money. On a $10K budget, that's mandatory. The other posters gave you excellent suggestions about how to handle it. But really, this is the mentality you need to adopt across the board. Every time you want to spend a dollar ask: do I really have to? Believe me, there are always more things you could spend money on.
 
I thought all filmmakers knew how to do make-up! Heck, I even do all the prosthetics. Get a make-up book and make it happen! Or just ask one of your girlfriends or girlfriend's girlfriends to do it.
 
I wouldn't work without a make-up person. When I'm on set, there's more than enough things for me to concentrate on as it is, and enough people who calls for my attention. When I'm directing, I want to be able to focus completely on the actors and have people I trust focus on things like framing, lighting, make-up and sound.

I would hate for the acting in my film to suffer just because I couldn't find someone to keep track of the make-up for me.
 
Speaking as a DP, I'd rather give up my lens budget so that the production could have a decent makeup person.

What's the point of having a good 85 or 135 if you don't have anything worth pointing at?
 
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