Make-up Artistry in motion pictures is an exciting field. It offers many challenges and rewards. There are many things to consider if you want to pursue this career. Lets look at the pros & cons. First I am going to give you some straight talk about the downside of doing make-up in motion pictures and television. WARNING If you are not tough, this could burst your bubble.

1.) Supply and Demand There are more make-up artists then there are jobs.
At this time make-up in the United States, England, and Canada, is a very crowded field. If we did not get a new artist in the next ten years, every movie, TV show and commercial would still be made with the make-up artists we have now. Please don't be shocked or discouraged. I will explain. It is similar to sports. Only pursue being a professional athlete if your passion for it is so great that you don't care if you make a living or not. The same goes for make-up. Using the same analogy, if you are going to train and compete, your goal, like the athlete, is to beat your competitor. When you "make the team", someone else gets cut. In essence, Which make-up artist working now shall I replace? It is survival of the fittest. Many artistic people don't understand the principle of "supply and demand." This may sound a bit harsh, but when you remove all the warm fuzzies, that is the reality of it.

2.) You will not work all the time.
Most make-up artists do not have as much work as they would like. You might be off for weeks or months.

3.) Long hours
When you are working, plan on a 12 - 16 hour day, 5-6 days a week. These can be day or night maybe both. Working in film can be like joining the army. They own you till they are through with you. You don't know when you can go home until it is time to go, also that's when you find out your call time for the next day. You cannot plan for anything in your personal life during the week. If you work episodic television, you will work about 70 hours a week. Many nights you will just get your turn-around. That is a union term for the minimum time between your wrap and your call time. Usually 9 hours for crew. That means you have 9 hours to drive home, sleep, shower and drive back ready for work.

4.) Location
You may have to live in a hotel away from family and friends for up to 6 months - year. This may sound exciting at first but after a month or so, your opinion will change. Ask any salesman who travels.

If this is not what you had in mind, there still many jobs for make-up artists outside the entertainment industry Print and photography, salons, retail, manufacturing, just to name a few. Another option is volunteer work. You can get the fulfillment of the art without the hassle. Theatres, churches and student films need make-up artists all the time. If after hearing all this and if you still want to do make-up in motion pictures and television for a living, I encourage you to do the following:

1.) Be an excellent make-up artist.
We don't need any more mediocre ones.

2.) Make sure you get good training.
The best schools in the U.S. are in Hollywood. But even more important are the instructors. The school is only as good as the teachers. Often they change from week to week. Many schools use professionals who work in the field. Of course teaching doesn't pay as well as working on a film or TV show, so the best time to get an education is when it is slow at the studios. Make sure you see the resume and if you can the portfolio of the instructor who will be teaching you, when deciding on a school. You can get a pretty good idea on our message board of who's hot and who's not. See our links page for a list of schools.

3.) Be informed.
Get these for your library:
Books: See www.makeupbooks.com
Videos: See www.makeupbooks.com
Magazine: Make-Up Artist Magazine: The voice of the make-up industry.You should order back issues 4 & 9. Read The article on Dan Striepeke (issue 4) & Ronnie Specter (issue 1) These are great interviews, packed with insight and wisdom about doing make-up in the entertainment industry. All the books and videos above and more can be ordered through the magazine's online store: www.makeupbooks.com
Internet: Our web site, makeupmag.com has many resources, on our site and links to many others.
Message Board & Chat Room: You can learn a lot from other artists. Being apart of our online community will helpful in learning, networking and just sharing with others who are passionate about make-up artistry.

4) International Make-up Artist Trade Show.
It is THE make-up event of the year. There are seminars by the best in the business. You can get more education in one weekend then a month anywhere else. All of the major schools will be represented. The best networking possibilities are at this show. I can't stress this enough. This is not to be missed. It can make a major difference in your career. See our web site for more info.

I trust that by reading this it will empower you with all the information to make the best decision for you. My desire is not to crush anyone's love of the art of make-up, but to help you find what's the best outlet for that passion. I hope this helps.