Professional Identity
Claire Golby
Johnson, K. (2014) The Mercenary Makeup Artist: Breaking into the Business with Style. pages 37-38 United States: Createspace
Debrecini, T. (2009) Special Makeup Effects for Stage and Screen: Making and Applying Prosthetics. pages 28-29, United Kingdom: Focal Press
Portfolio Images
Q&A with Kirstyan Mallet
- a new trainee every month.
- portfolio: use of different materials, moulds, hair punching, seaming. A BROAD RANGE.
- a CV and one sheet of A4 paper with images that you choose. Up against 300 graduates per year. Versatility. You will be in a workshop at the start, so mould making etc
- recommendations are how the industry works
- cleaning moulds, mould shop.... Trainee etc. Esteban Mandoza
- do all the over time, extra hours, keep head down, do your own thing, try to learn
- mark Coulier: expect to be knocked back. Keep in touch - often an extra pair of hands will be required on the off chance.
- specialist title doesn't matter so much. People that aren't qualified in some way generally don't know their way around a workshop do well
- include artwork in portfolio. Explain process. Be critical.
- not many people run foam anymore. It's a dying art. If you do it you are more hireable.
- introduce yourself to other units on the film. "Is there any way we could put a filter on this to fix this?" With lighting etc....
I would currently consider these top four images to be the best in my portfolio. They showcase a range of my abilities but also specify my work to the special effects and prosthetics genre. I will subtely annotate images at the bottom of the photos when I go to get them printed so I can explain what work I have created in the image. The first image showcases wig work and prosthetics work and while I was not overly happy with my prosthetics for this piece, it is at a distance enough so that the overall effect is obvious and the bad edges cannot be seen. The second image does hint slightly at the avant garde fashion genre, but I made the prosthetic horns and it also showcases dramatic makeup and hair work. The third image is very professional looking and although it doesn't shocase a large amount of skill, it shows that I am capeable of working in a professional environment and create effective, professional work. In comparison, the fourth image is not professional, but showcases my prosthetic work nicely.
I would also include this image below of the dead meth addict makeup, as I do really like the paint job and I think it looks realistic which is very important in makeup. I would also include the alligator skin below, as it showcases my sculpting and painting skills. I may also include one of the fish skin images, but I'm not entirely sure which one. I really like that you can see the shine on the far right image, as its realistic and effective, but I also think the staples look better than the string in comparison.
As I have learnt from talking to people in the industry at events such as IMATS, The Prosthetics Event and Creaturegeddon, I will most likely be going into a workshop environment initially. Because of this I think it would be a good idea to showcase some of my moulds in the portfolio. Unfortunately none of my moulds from level 5 are any good, but for my Specialist Practise I plan to try out some new mould making techniques which I think will make for good photos and showcase my skill. So I shall be including them once they're done.
These are other images of my work which I really like but I feel aren't necessarily relevant enough to prosthetics to be worth putting in my portfolio, nor are they so outstanding that they are worth putting in despite this. The first image is airbrushed which showcases that skill, as well as artistic colour theory and shapework, but its not over any prosthetics. It is also not in a professionl environment, so I am undecided about this one. The middle image is from a fashion editorial shoot and while I consider the photo pretty flawless, it does not comply for the context of my portfolio. Again with the third image, though it is slightly more exciting, I don't think I can condone it to be in a prosthetic makeup portfolio.
Sadly the makeup from this film I worked on was not very good close up, but I really like this photo of me on set, though i'm not sure if it's appropriate for a portfolio. I also dislike the look of the horns (which I didn't make) but I could annotate that at the bottom of the photo.
When looking through Kristyan Mallet's portfolio (obviously I didn't take any photos) I remember there being quite a few small images, and less big printed images. It was quite informal, though obviously the work included was outstanding. Also once you are in a position such as his, I shouldn't imagine many people actually ask to see your portfolio.
Having now handed in Specialist Practise, I now have some more images for my main prosthetic based portfolio. However, I am quite wary about which images to include, and how detailed and specific I need to be about the editing that was involved in the images.
Even though this images is obviously quite photoshopped, I will be including it in my portfolio, as it demonstrates a range of my makeup skills as well as my technical level of transformative makeup. It shows I have an understanding for subtle makeup.
I really want to include this makeup in my portfolio, but I really don't think the makeup in the un-edited image is to a high enough standard. I will ask my tutor's opinion on whether I can include the edited image. Obviously I would annotate in my portfolio that the image is edited, I just don't know if its too edited to take credit for. I would insert the image below in the corner if I did include this makeup so that the transformative element of the makeup was obvious.
I will not be including this makeup from SP in my porfolio, pre or post-edit. The makeup was badly done (due to unforseen time constraints) and the editing is good, but too obvious to take credit for and include in a portfolio.
However, I will be re-doing this makeup in the next couple of weeks to a much better standard so that I am able to include it in my portfolio.I will also include the above image as an insert to display my transformational ability.
The making process from SP has definately given me some good portfolio images, even if the final makeups weren't as successful as i'd wanted.
Images of this forehead sculpt show my sculpting ability and mould making knowledge.
I also have images (below) of the mould-making process which shows my knowledge of a range of materials, fibreglassing and moulding processes. I think including some of these 'making of' process images would be good to include as a lead up to the final image. This is a technique i observed in my showreel research, and so I shall apply it to my portfolio.
I also have an image of a small fast-cast mould I made during this project which shows more material knowledge and precision mould-making.
I also knotted this beard for SP, which I think shows really competant knotting work. I'm aware this is not really directly relevant for a workshop job, and so I don't think it would be one of the first images i'd include in my portfolio. However, i will definately include it, as it shows a diverse range of skills and you never know when unforseen opportunitites requiring specific skills might be required.
I have also been working on a maquette for some time now which I started on a maquette short course in university. I plan on finishing it to completion so that I can also include it in my portfolio. It will show that i've worked with more diverse materials, as well as demonstrate more of my sculpting abilities and creature design and creation.
I also worked on a grad film recently called "Cactus Man", where some images were taken on a professional camera so I can also include that in my portfolio.
If I manage to finish a zbrush design in time, then I may also include that in my portfolio for the interview. If not, then it will be added afterwards.
List of Images for Portfolio
- Fujin and Geisha, 1 portrait image
- Meth addict overdose, 1 portrait image
- Skin graft, collage of 4 images. 1 portrait image total
- Line-up from SP, 1 landscape image
- Collage page of 4 mould-making images for criminal forehead, 1 portrait image
- Image of forehead sculpt and postiche beard both on same page
- Final image of criminal with smaller Oliver in corner, 1 portrait image
- closed mould nose from SP, 1 landscape image
- Cactus Man, 2 images on one page
- devil horns and capricon next to eachother both as small portrait images
Digital or Physical?
I would have assumed prior to research that both a physical and digital portfolio would be necessary. That way if potential employers want to see your work but distance prevents them seeing a physical portfolio, they can simply access it online. However for an interview setting, a physical portfolio may be a more professional way of presenting your work.
Kristyan Mallet 2015. Kristyan Mallet Makeup Effects. [online] Available from: http://www.kristyanmallett.com [Accessed: November 5th 2015]
In my search for portfolios, I found that some makeup artists, such as Greg Cannom and Frances Hannon don't seem to have their own websites or online portfolios or even instagram. I think that because they are slightly older and obviously very established in the industry, they probably don't feel the need to promote themselves. This may also be because they are both American and word of mouth is an effective enough tool of self-promotion.
Fashion Portfolio
These 2 images were designs I drew for a horoscope themed fashion shoot. Again, I don't think they're professional enough to include in a physical portfolio, but I would include them in my online fashion portfolio work.
This image is the result of the horoscope themed shoot and was capricorn themed. I sculpted, moulded, painted and applied the horns and did the hair and makeup. I personally really like this image and it would be one of the best in my physical portfolio.
These 3 images are all from a horror/beauty themed shoot. All are very high resolution and high quality images, but I think this one on the left is the most effective and also shows off the makeup better than the others. This is definately an image i would include in my physical portfolio, and I would mayeb include the others on my online portfolio also.
Although this makeup was not originally intended for fashion/editorial purposes, I think it can be re-purposed to fit into that catergory. It showcases makeup and advanced hairwork the images are photographed well and of high quality so would print well. I think the below image shows off the makeup more, but I like the silouette created by the hair in the opposite image, so I may well print both and have them facing eachother in my prtfolio.
These are images taken from a shoot I participated in for The Sun, for a Slimming World article. Although the images are high quality, and i'm happy with the makeup, I don't think the photos show the makeup off particularly well, and the photos are very mundane and have nothing eye-catching about them, so I don't know whether i'd include them in my portfolio, although I would definately mention that I have done shoot for The Sun in my CV.
I really like this collection of images and I feel they would be one of the strongest additions to my fashion portfolio. I only did the hair for this look, but this is something I can add as a note when i get the images professionally printed. I think this, combined with the geisha with will exhibit my hair skills.
Kristyan Mallet has an online and physical portfolio, though his online portfolio is divided into catergories; I assume because he has such a large quantity of work that it would appear messy were it all in one folder.
Although the majority of his work is prosthetics based, he does not have a showreel. This seems odd to me, as it is an effective way to present your work and show the best of it quickly and efficiently.
His photos in the online portfolio are presented in an accordian style gallery, where you can scroll through and select the one you want to focus on. Although I quite like this method or presentation, it does mean the viewer has to make the effort to go through the photos rather than them being more readily available. However, when you have established such a reputation (and such a large amass of work) I can imagine that people would be more willing to go through your work in this method.
Mark Coulier 2015. Coulier Creatures FX. [online] Available from: http://www.couliercreatures.com/p462790634 [Accessed: November 5th 2015]
Ve Neill 2015. Ve Neill. [online] Available from: http://www.veneill.com/#[Accessed: November 5th 2015]
Ve Neil's site is very different to the previous two, the predominant diffrerence is that it contains so few images. The only way to see images of her work is to click on this 1,2 or 3 button and the background image will change, meaning she has only 3 images of her work on her website. I understand that she has also given a detailed list of her achievements, awards etc, but so did the other two sites and they both included significantly more images. The three images are very high quality, high profile photos, but I would still think that given she's worked on so many films that she would want to include more photos.
Maybe she has not included an online portfolio because she has a physical one, but given that she has taken the time to create a site for herself, it implies she has chosen no to create a digital one.
Again, no showreel is included. I'm very confused as to why none of these industry professionals have made a showreel, as it seems to me a succint and effective way to express yourself and your work.
I'm not too sure anout including this image, as its obviously not in a professional context. I think I would include it for a seperate, online portfolio, but not for a physical one.
Although I like these images, they are unfortunely low quality, and I don't think I can get them in a higher resolution. They are profesisonal looking and indicate my style well, so I was thinking of getting them printed for my portfolio but all 4 collaged together onto 1 page so that they aren't pixelated.
These two images are from an editorial style shoot themed on irridescant beetles. Although i'm not very confident about the second image, I think the first image is some of my best fashion work. The eyebrows are cut out of shiny acetate, which I think demonstrates initiative and an ability to be creative within a given theme. I will definately be using this first image in my portfolio.
I've decided that I may also create a seperate portfolio to my prosthetics portfolio for my fashion/editorial work. This is so that in the future, if i have time off in between prosthetic makeup jobs, I can use this portfolio to help me take on some fashion/editorial work. I have worked on several fashion shoots within university and think I have enough experience to take on these kind of jobs in future.
Like Kristyan Mallet, Mark Coulier's website also doesn't have a showreel. I've also noticed neiher include a CV, but do have a list of their achievements in the 'About' or 'Services' section of their websites.
Mark Coulier also divides his photos into sections but I like his method of display better simply because you can see all the individual photos more clearly and select one to focus one rather than blindly scrolling through like on Kristyan's website.
I don't know it Mark Coulier has a physical portfolio as well as a digital one.