Make-up for Film

At the last minute, I got the chance to go along on a student field trip to the Middle East International Film Festival in Abu Dhabi. We went to a workshop on make-up for film done by artists who worked on Lord of the Rings and 30 Days of Night. Here’s a sample of how they turned an ordinary guy into a vampire in 1.5 hours.
Above, they have prepped his face and hair and are about to glue on the forehead appliance.
They added nose, lip and chin pieces.
They painted him and also put nails and paint on his hands. One has stunt nails that are flexible (won’t put an eye out), the other has harder nails meant to look good in close ups.
Here’s a close up. Notice he has blue eyes above. Below, his right eye has a contact lens that makes it look black. Left eye is still blue.

In goes the second contact lens. They also put in dentures, but my pictures of that did not come out well. You will have to imagine.

During the whole process they talked about the work they do, the products they use, and working with actors and directors. It was good to hear them tell the students that they are constantly reading and doing research and draw a lot from the medical field. What? Life long learning?

Godot

God bless British public transportation! We were able to take a train and the underground from our hotel (out near Heathrow Airport) to the theatre in the heart of the city. It wasn’t necessarily cheap (29 pounds, approximately $47 for the two of us), but it was easy. Actually, cheap is a relative term, based on our previous taxi experience, it probably would have been around 80 pounds ($130) one way by taxi.
We walked through Trafalgar Square on the way to the theatre. I just love people who see that I am taking a picture and stare vacantly into the lens. GET OUT OF MY PICTURE!

Trafalgar Square

Here it is. The theatre where the magic happened. Taking pictures inside was forbidden, although I saw several others do it anyway. I behaved myself, so this picture will have to serve.

Theatre Royal, Haymarket, Waiting on Godot, July 2009

The play was marvelous. We both had trouble staying awake due to sleep deprivation and the stuffiness of the theatre. McKellen and Stewart were charming, funny and as excellent as one would expect. I was very sad when it came to an end. It was a once in a lifetime experience.