Filming - Day One

My first day of filming is complete and to make sure I've remembered all the days events, I took a diary with me so that in filming breaks I could write down important things that I can then use to reflect upon the whole process.

I arrived at the filming location at 8 am prompt and set up my make-up work station on a small table with a single chair, no mirror and dimmed lighting. I haven't worked in a location with such little facilities but I made the best out of what I was given and pressed forward. Within a short amount of time of me being there, I was given the first zombie make-up to complete and I used the face chart I had created as my guideline. I felt confident at the time however being slightly under pressure I used too much white paint for the base and the zombie looked much more pale than I wanted, I didn't notice this so much until he was under the camera's lighting and in a darker setting; I now know in future just to use a small amount of white paint and to use this small amount to spread it across the face and neck. 

On the first day of filming I had only one make-up assistant instead of three as it was anticipated not to be a busy day. She was very keen to get stuck in and went ahead with elements of the make-up without my consent, it was great that she showed such enthusiasm but I did feel that sometimes she ignored my directions, this became quite frustrating at times and resulted in me having to speak to the producer whereby he pulled her to one side for a private talk. After this we appeared to work together well and completed 2 zombie make-ups in a total of 15 minutes for each, as I have struggled in the past with my make-up timings I was pleased that I had managed to complete the looks in such a short time scale and it put my mind at ease for the remaining days of shooting.

As well as making up the zombies I also had to make-up the 3 main characters of the film, Rick, Alice and Ash with just basic touch ups and natural make-up as they are meant to resemble university students. The make-up changed slightly through filming as they were meant to be being chased by the zombies, at this stage the actors came back to my work station so that I could make them slightly redder on the cheeks and a touch of glycerine on the forehead to give the appearance of a sweaty forehead. During a break from touch ups and zombie make-ups, I spared some time and was allowed on set to watch the filming taking place, this was a great way for me to see the make-up under lighting, it was also more convenient for both me and the crew as if the actors needed any touch ups like powdering a shiny nose or forehead while filming I was there on hand with my products to jump in. It was a real insight into how it would actually be on set and for somebody that has never experienced a film set and production it began to get very exciting.

After the day of filming had finished both the producer and the director complimented me on my work and expressed their happiness with the looks which left me feeling confident about the filming that would take place the next day. Before I left the filming location I cleaned all of my equipment and packed away, by having more than one person to make-up and not enough time to clean equipment between actors, I have now realised how useful it would be to have two sets of brushes and this is something that with a larger budget I would look into for the future.