Low/No-Budget Movie Makeup Tips

By ErinJennifer Dunn

Looking to make that next indie hit? And suddenly realizing you’ll need makeup for your actors? You frantically look at your budget, and you only have maybe $100 to put toward the makeup/hair/wardrobe department. Is it possible to make your actors look the part with $100 or less? Of course! These few easy tips and links can help you meet your makeup needs on a low-to-no-budget project.
First, figure out how many actors you have. Male actors usually require little to no makeup. Women, however, do require makeup. If your movie is set in a certain era, you'll need to add about $50 more to your budget to help get the right looks. It is always important to match makeup with skin tone. Most female cast members will have their basic foundations that match their skin tone. But if you are going for a classic look and a cast member has dark eye shadow for a dramatic clubbing look, you'll have to invest in lighter tones.

Consulting with a makeup artist before buying anything is a good approach. Offering a small fee or buying them lunch can be an easy way to get a good consultation out of the deal. A makeup artist can take a look at the headshots or photos of your actors and suggest what products to get for each look, depending on time period your movie is set in. For special-effect makeup such as bullet holes and gore, fake blood is a must, along with molding wax and liquid latex. These items are easy to find online and at good prices. A little bit of each goes a long way.

To create a custom makeup kit at a reasonable price, check out:

http://www.youravon.com/edunn

http://www.cinemasecrets.com/

http://www.eyeslipsface.com/Default.asp

Key items to include are: (1) a gentle cleanser and moisturizer; (2) face primer, and (3) translucent powder.

For special effects makeup kits:

http://www.mehron.com/default.asp

http://www.fxsupply.com/

Ben Nye Special Effects foundations are widely used, but some may find them overly oily. They often are highly recommended for Halloween makeup and photo shoots.

Special-effects kit essentials are: (1) molding wax; (2) liquid latex; and (3) translucent powder.

More and more moviemakers are shooting in HD, and there are many HD makeup items out there, but they can be expensive.

http://www.makeupforeverusa.com/runaways/
Look for their High Definition line of products, which run about $40 apiece.

http://www.smashbox.com/
Smashbox's Photo Finish FX is the best HD coverage. However, all Smashbox products should work well in an HD environment.

http://www.maccosmetics.com/
Supplies many HD products, but at A-list prices.

For makeup artistry consultation:

Austin, TX:
http://www.rawkstarglam.webs.com/

National:
http://www.nomausa.com/artists_please.htm
http://www.makeupartistdirectory.com/country/33/United_States/
http://makeupmag.com/web/

When putting together your makeup/hair/wardrobe department, remember that it is best to simplify your looks and use what your actors may already have. You don't have to hire a makeup artist or a hair specialist to get the looks you want. (But you definitely should if you can afford it!) Check with your cast and your friends to see who has a willingness to help out. Always be sure to credit people for their help, including any kind of consultation you may get. Never forget the “little people.” Even with just a hundred-dollar budget for makeup and the help of your cast and friends, your indie movie could become the next hit on the big screen.

ErinJennifer Dunn is a makeup artist, consultant, writer and actress in Austin, TX.

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The One-Trillionth Picture of the Eiffel Tower (poem and photograph)

The One-Trillionth
Picture of the Eiffel Tower

Yes, I took it.

This is it. Look

at it. What do

you mean “Give

or take a few

hundred billion”?

This is it. This one

image. I swear it:

The one-trillionth

picture. How do I

know? Because

all of my life, and

well before it,

I have been keeping

very, very, very

careful count.

                   -- Si Dunn







From the forthcoming book of poems and photographs by Si Dunn:
The One-Trillionth Picture of the Eiffel Tower
(Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.)

Still Life with Life Still? (Poem and Photograph)

Still Life with Life Still?

Not for long. The blossoms
Soon will discover their blood

Miraculously has changed

Itself to tap water. And their roots

Have voted to remain
Behind with their own kind.

The fruit, fortunately,

Does not yet know how to scream.

Yet, if you listen very carefully,

You may hear it attempt

To sing.

                        -- Si Dunn



From the forthcoming book of poems and photographs by Si Dunn:
The One-Trillionth Picture of the Eiffel Tower
(Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.)

Now at the Louvre (Poem and Photograph)

Now at the Louvre

What does art see

When it stares back at us,

Sculpting its own blindness

With framed eyes?

Are we the vision

Or merely the stone?

The murderous paintbrush

Or the reticent chisel?

What does art see

When we blink? When

We think we understand

Yet never listen

To the endless shapes

We incessantly create?

               -- Si Dunn

From the forthcoming book of poems and photographs by Si Dunn:
The One-Trillionth Picture of the Eiffel Tower
(Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.)

Heading into Notre Dame (Poem and Photograph)

Heading into Notre Dame

Some days,

It's the best you can do.

Indeed, it's all you can do:

Grip your head

In your hands

And wonder

What the holy hell

Just happened?

                   -- Si Dunn

 
 

From the forthcoming book of poems and photographs by Si Dunn:

The One-Trillionth Picture of the Eiffel Tower

(Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.)