subject: Getting Hired For Makeup Artist Jobs [print this page] Getting Hired For Makeup Artist Jobs Getting Hired For Makeup Artist Jobs
The title refers to makeup artist jobs, but the truth is, if you're trying to make it in any line of work where people are going to be trusting you as an artist and as a craftsman, the tips you'll find here will help.They say that it's all about who you know, but the thing is... This is the age of the internet. If you want to contact Greg Nicotero, you can find him online and send him an email... He might not respond, but the point is, it's a small world, and the web makes it even smaller. Sooner or later, you'll bump into someone, online or off, that can give you the opportunity you need.But, a hand up won't help if you don't know what you're doing. So don't sit around dreaming about becoming a makeup artist professionally unless you're already a talented amateur. Here are three tips...Know Your StuffYou need to be, at the very least, the very best makeup artist you know, because the person who's going to give you your hand up is probably going to be someone inside your circle, and if your roommate does better makeup effects than you... It's obvious who he's going to ask to be the head makeup guy on his new independent film, and who's going to be the assistant. Be the best, and milk any extra skills you have be it pyrotechnics or stunt coordination or... Anything, really.Favors Go Up The Ladder...When you're just starting out, nobody even knows who you are right now, so what do they really owe you? Think of it this way: You know in movies about making movies, they always show a producer trying to get his dream project made by cashing in all the favors people owe him. That's actually how it works. You do dozens and dozens of favors on your way up the ladder, and people pass a few back down that help you get more work and more opportunities.Make a Short FilmMake a short and focus on your makeup skills but... Don't just make it a tech demo. Give it a good story, do it right. If you have friends who can write, act or direct, have them help. Otherwise, learn how to do all that yourself, because no matter how good your makeup and effects, if the story sucks, then nobody's going to bother watching it all the way through.
