Real-Life Communication
Make-up artists are often given a script and a basic description
of the characters they'll be creating. "Star Trek often leaves characters
open," says make-up artist Paul Thompson. "For example, your script may say
bug-like creature, and you go from there."
You've just been handed
a script for an episode of the hit television series Alien Invasion. You've
been assigned two characters, a human man and an alien man. The episode is
being shot over the course of a week. With the information provided, construct
a shot schedule that will coincide with the script and character description.
Human
Man
Mid-40s, balding, medium length beard, eyeglasses and large
nose. The actor playing him is mid 30s with a full head of hair and is clean-shaven.
Schedule
- Monday, Wednesday and Saturday he shoots from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Tuesday and Thursday he shoots from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
- Sunday he shoots from 8:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Alien
Silver skinned, enlarged head,
large dark eyes, absence of other facial features, elongated digits on both
hands and feet. The actor playing the alien is of average height and build.
Schedule
- Monday, Wednesday and Saturday he shoots from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Tuesday and Thursday he shoots from 1:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- Sunday he shoots from noon until midnight
| Make-up Technique | Time |
| Human Bald Cap | 1 hour |
| Construct Beard on Face | 45 minutes |
| Alien Prosthetic Head (inc. eyes) | 1.5 hours |
| Alien Prosthetic Digits | 1 hour |
| Nose Make-up | 30 minutes |
| General Human Make-up | 30 minutes |
| Alien Silver Body Make-up | 30 minutes |
| Alien Make-up Retouch | 10 minutes |
| Human Make-up Retouch | 10 minutes |
The episode begins shooting on Monday and proceeds
through Sunday. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday have the same shooting schedule.
Tuesday and Thursday are the same. Both characters need to have make-up touched
up once half way through the shoot. You must also allow a half-hour each day
to remove all make-up.