Cheating!

Task 1 

Investigate the changes in practises and the demands of the industry, you say? well let me treat you, in true blue peter style "heres one I made earlier"

The History of Hair and Make-up in Theatre and Film

In this essay I will explain how hair and make-up has developed over time and how past practices have influenced today’s techniques. I intend to do this by researching the history of hair and make-up in film and theatre.  My approach will cover their formal characteristics, the major developments that have taken place and the influences of social, economical, technological, political and cultural factors.  

Throughout history make-up has been used worldwide to paint faces for performances. Originally in Greek theatre make-up was unnecessary and performers wore painted masks to represent characters; however Thespis the Greek actor painted his face using white lead and wine in order to stand out from the rest of the chorus. He is considered the first performer to do so.

The use of make-up in theatrical performances became much more common in the 1500s and 1600s. Actors in medieval religious dramas would use different colours to portray different characters, such as a gold face for playing the part of god. There were few ways to change the hair of an actor in early theatre and it was rarely seen as necessary although during the renaissance performers from France began to create beards moustaches and sideburns from lamb’s wool. Performers in Elizabethan England would use flour chalk to whiten the face for certain roles and in others, use soot to blacken the face.

Early stages were lit only by candles and oil lamps but by 1840 most theatre stages were lit by gaslights. Previously, make up was messily applied using burnt cork to darken the face, red lead for lips and cheeks, India ink to create wrinkles and folds, and flour and powdered pearls to whiten the face. And it had to be removed by using butter. With brighter lights, the stage was much more visible and this allowed the audience to see poorly constructed costumes, sets, and low quality make-up. This called for more skilled application and new make-up products.

Greasepaint was then invented by a German actor. The paint was created by mixing lard with colour pigments, It resulted in a smoother texture than the products used beforehand was moderately waterproof , However, it was not perfect it smudged, it was heavy and also it could melt under lighting. Make-up has progressed a lot since the invention of greasepaint, but despite these advancements, make-up today is still not too far from the original idea of blending pigments with fat.

With the introduction of electric lights, make-up appeared blurred and the colours washed out. This, coupled with the audience’s distance from the stage, is the reason that theatre make-up is over exaggerated with bright colours and dark contouring. To offset the effect of this lighting, a straight make-up for the theatre was developed and is still used today. It is applied to both males and females for an everyday look. A warm toned cream-based foundation is applied to both men and women to achieve blanket coverage and it is important. Shader and highlighter are used to contour a face in a much stronger way than every day wear to emphasise the faces features. The face also must be heavily powdered to set make-up, as greasy patches will be evident under hot lighting.

When creating make-up for theatre there are several things that need to be considered. Firstly the budget; make-up will have to be cost effective and the budget will determine the quality of products you use and the number of make-up artists hired for the production.

As previously mentioned, the distance from the audience will also affect the make-up design. In a small theatre where the audience is close to the actors the make-up must be more realistic and well blended, as the audience will be closer to the actors and see more detail. However in a larger theatre much of the make-up will be lost on the audience it should be bold so that it can still be seen at difference distance. As a rule make-up is applied mostly with the first fifteen rows in mind as these are the most expensive seats.

Understanding the lighting is vital for a theatre make-up artist. It must be considered when designing a performer’s make-up due to its effect on various shades and pigments. The make-up can lose its effectiveness under stage lighting, not only can it wash colour out it can also alter the colouring.

It is also important to consider the actor’s performance and movement. For example wax noses may not be suitable for a character that is very active and who carries out leaps and jumps. Also, wigs would have to be very securely attached or may not be suitable at all.

In theatre timing is key; it is common for several roles to be played by one person therefore it is important to know the times of acts and the time allowed in between for quick changes. These are minimal make-up that is fast and easy to change to get the actor back out on stage.

When the film industry began, stage make-up did not transition well to film. Heavily applied make-up did not appear natural in close-ups, and the range of colours failed to convert to film as until the 1920s they used orthochromatic film. This was a blue sensitive film in which light blues registered as white, and as it did not pick up reds or yellows, they registered as black. This caused problems for film productions, such as blonde hair appearing dark, blue eyes were white and cloudy skies pictured flat white.

Theatre actors who branched out into film were comfortable with the theatre style make-up and had to learn entirely different techniques for film acting. Faces without make-up appeared very dark and the actors tried to respond to this by covering their face with heavy make-up, this is why in early silent films the faces of heroes and heroines are so pale.

Through the 1910s motion pictures became more sophisticated and the mask-like faces faded out as directors began to insist on a more natural look.

There are many factors to consider when designing and creating make-up for film. A film’s budget will limit control over the quality of make-up and wigs used, as well as the size of the make-up department and staff.

Unlike theatre, there are no quick changes with filming, however timing is also important as the application of large prosthetics to a high standard can take hours.  

The film and lighting being used will affect choices of products. For example, powdered eye shadow is better than cream as it does not melt under studio lights and some lipsticks and blush are not suitable as they have an underlying blue hue that can become purple when filmed. It is also important to consider the shadowy areas under the eyes and under the lower lip can become very dark on camera, and should be corrected with highlighter.

In film there are three categories of make-up. There is Basic make-up applied to both male and females to avoid the studio lights emphasising the oil in natural skin that can be noticed in close-ups. Also used is Corrective make-up, which consists of both contouring (downplays overly prominent features) and highlighting (emphasizes areas). Lastly there is Character make-up, which changes the actor’s appearance such as aging or horror make-up using prosthetics.

   That's as much of it I could find, I got a distinction for this essay when I submitted it though = )