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• 7/11/2007 8:15 AM Erica wrote:
  I'm very impressed with your work and admire it so much. I really want to do spefx one day when I can afford the training. In the mean time, I do a lot of beauty/fashion work. I was interested and wondering, how do you solicit your work to become part of television/film/commercials? How do you go about getting your contacts and what are you providing them to solicit your work. I live in the Wash, DC area and for some reason it's like the biggest kept secret to work on television/film/commercials. I just needed some small guidance to send me in the right direction of what type of companies to call and what to provide for them. Any advice would be appreciated and thanks for taking the time to read my email. Again love and admire your work.
  
  Thanks,
  Erica
  Make-Up Artist
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  1. 7/17/2007 1:12 PM Dawn Subhasiriwatana wrote:
     
     Hi Erica,
     Thanks so much for your kind words!  Sorry it's taken me forever to respond I was just out of town for a bit and didn't have a good moment to sit down and write you back.  I checked out your website and you have some beautiful work there 
      
     Starting out finding film & t.v. work I went to craigslist.com and searched under tv/film/video jobs and also under creative and crew gigs.  Another good website for film work is mandy.com (also on mandy.com there are regional listings for production companies that you can contact with your info and just let them know you are in their area and are available for work).  In the beginning I would take non-paying jobs for the experience of being on set and most of those lead to paying jobs.  I will still take a non-paying job if I feel that the make-up job will be a new and challenging experience -and of course I will at least require a kit fee and travel compensation.
      
     When I first contact a production company for a job it's usually through e-mail and I direct them to my website for them to review my resume and portfolio online.  I don't know how the market is out in D.C. but in Chicago it is funny because though its a decent size it seems like it has a close knit circle of crew people that work on productions and most of them are alumni from Columbia College, the film school here. 
      
     That is another resource you may want to tap into to start out, student film projects from the Universities and/or Art Schools in your area.  There are some students out there that are super talented and are usually working on very creative projects where, though the pay is low to none, you will get a chance to really experiement with make-up effects.  Also student films will usually have former students helping out who are now working professionals out in the industry great for networking.  A lot of my work I get now is through word of mouth.  Just always make sure you have your business card on you and you are handing it out. 
      
     As for SPFX make-up to start out I would suggest you pick up Kryolan's Makeup Manual and Dick Smith's Do-It-Yourself Monster Make-up Handbook.  You can order these books through www.makeupmag,com under Books and Videos.  Kryolan's book has some dated pictures in it but I feel that they give some nice basic instruction for spfx make-ups and character make-ups.  Dick Smith is the godfather/grandfather/pioneer of spfx make-up, you may have heard of him before, most spfx make-up artist revere him and his work.  He also has an at home course that you can take- I haven't but I've heard great things.  A lot of it's about experimenting with materials and it's the thing I love most about it - I am always learning something new. 
      
     Well I hope that I've been helpful.  Please feel free to ask me any other questions!  It's great to have another make-up artist to talk to about work
      
     Dawn
     
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