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.
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