Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Men's Grooming

Several years ago, when I went to makeup school, they taught us a ridiculous "corrective male makeup". It was a very old school technique of applying foundation, cheek color, and even mascara and lipstick. I remember the first time I did a man's makeup was for an industrial shoot. I really wanted to do a good job, so I broke out my notes from class and began to apply makeup the way I was taught. I have to laugh now, because looking back he looked like a girl! The reality is that men's grooming (or makeup) should be as little as possible. Your job is to make sure he looks clean cut, awake, and his best. This means you should only apply makeup where its needed. Make sure his eyebrows are groomed, his lips are moist, and there aren't any visible dark circles or blemishes. Most men will tell what they want and that is, "as little as possible". Mostly this means you are there to powder them and make sure their hair isn't sticking up. That's a far cry from the "corrective male makeup" they taught me in school. My best advice is to understand what medium you are working in and ask your talent what they feel comfortable with.

Makeup Maverick
http://www.hmartistsnetwork.com
http://www.mymakeupart.com

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Working with celebrities

Last year I got the honor of working as a Makeup Artist for Ms. Geena Davis. It was my first time working with Geena and her hair stylist of fifteen years. Its a strange to be the newcomer in a long standing relationship. Obviously Geena had and her stylist had a natural repore with each other (which made my position even more awkward). I learned very quickly how territorial artists can be with with the talent. However, I learned a few interesting things that morning about working with high profile celebrities. I watched very closely how Geena's stylist pampered her. He combed her hair a million times, made sure the lighting was just right, and waited on her hand and foot. The reason movie stars chose a personal artist is because of the relationship that is built between the talent and the artist. You have to remember that you are providing a service and its the extra touches that make you stand out. So working with stars means giving star treatment. Being a hair or makeup artist is a very personal job. You are the first person they see in the morning, and the last person they see before they leave. Its care that you give to your client that makes them keep coming back. Its up to you to determine the situation and add your personal touches.

Makeup Maverick
http://hmartistsnetwork.com
http://mymakeupart.com

Friday, August 15, 2008

Negotiating your rate

Its so important in this market to understand what the going rate is for the type of work you are doing. We are living in tough times and schools are pumping out more and more hair and makeup artists every week. Rates are usually affected by several factors: supply vs. demand, your experience level, the budget, and your reputation in the industry. The one thing freelancers hate is negotiating money. There is a delicate emotional balance between wanting or needing the job and standing your ground to get paid what you are worth. The problem is that most people under-bid themselves because they don’t want to lose the job. However, every time we say yes to low pay we drive the price down. I know there is a lot of competition out there, but we all need to stop undercutting each other. Know what the rates are and don’t accept anything less. After all, your time is valuable, stand up for what you are worth!

Makeup Maverick
http://www.hmartistnetwork.com
http://www.mymakeupart.com

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Networking with your peers

It always amazes me when makeup & hair artists tell me that networking doesn’t work. For some reason its like introducing a completely foreign concept to them. I might as well be talking to them in Japanese when I tell them to network with their peers. Most artists see other hair and makeup professionals as their competition. "Network with them, why would I do that???" The truth is that if you want to work on commercials, music videos, film, or television, you absolutely must network with your peers. Most things that are filmed or taped for broadcast have more than one makeup/ hair artist. This means that you have a higher likelihood of being hired or referred by a Key Artist than you would a producer or director. Makeup Department Head, Jori Jenae said it best, “It’s the only way to get work." She receives hundreds of resumes for the hit show Boston Legal. Because she gets so many resumes, she only reads the ones that say, “referred to you by xyz artist” or “I met you somewhere." Networking not only works, it’s the difference between getting work or complaining that you don’t have any.

Makeup Maverick
http://www.hmartistsnetwork.com
http://www.mymakeupart.com

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Organizing your union paper work

I have recently had the joy of organizing my union paper-work for Local 706. As most hair and makeup artists know, if you want to join the union, you have to either work thirty days of union projects or have sixty days each year of non-union work over a three year period. I have taken the 60/60/60 route. To do this, you have to prove your employment with call sheets, pay stubs, and verification letters from the production companies you worked for. The biggest mistake I ever made was waiting until the end of three years to get my letters of employment verification. Not only is it extremely time consuming to contact everyone you have worked for over the last three years, in some cases its IMPOSSIBLE to contact them. Production companies come and go in the drop of a hat in the entertainment world. In my case, not only did some the productions companies go out of business, so did one of the payroll companies that provides the employment letter! So save yourself a lot of time by getting the after each job or at least at the end of every year. It will save you a lot of headache and younwon’t lose credit for the union days you worked.

Makeup Maverick
http://www.hmartistsnetwork.com
http://www.mymakeupart.com

Monday, August 11, 2008

The importance of confirmation agreements

Just recently I was booked as a Makeup Artist for a Satellite Media Tour with Tobey Keith. After I got the call from the production company I sent over a confirmation agreement. The agreement contained information on the number of talent, date, the rate, payment terms, and most importantly, the cancellation policy. I always write in a clause that states, “if they cancel within a 48 hour period, they will be charged for 100% of the rate”. Two days before the date of the job, I got a phone call explaining the SMT was canceled. The first thing I did was remind them that I have a 48 hour cancellation policy written into the confirmation agreement that they signed. They hung up, double checked the agreement, and suddenly the tour is not canceled! As it tuned out, the tour wasn’t canceled. The client just decided to bring their own makeup artist. Unfortunately, this is something that happens frequently. I have been burned too many times before to not get a signed agreement when booking a confirmed job. It’s a good thing I did send it over because earlier that day I turned down two days worth of work for this job. Always protect yourself from last minute cancellations!

Makeup Maverick
http://www.hmartistsnetwork.com
http://mymakeupart.com

The importance of confirmation agreements

Just recently I was booked as a Makeup Artist for a Satellite Media Tour with Tobey Keith. After I got the call from the production company I sent over a confirmation agreement. The agreement contained information on the number of talent, date, the rate, payment terms, and most importantly, the cancellation policy. I always write in a clause that states, “if they cancel within a 48 hour period, they will be charged for 100% of the rate”. Two days before the date of the job, I got a phone call explaining the SMT was canceled. The first thing I did was remind them that I have a 48 hour cancellation policy written into the confirmation agreement that they signed. They hung up, double checked the agreement, and suddenly the tour is not canceled! As it tuned out, the tour wasn’t canceled. The client just decided to bring their own makeup artist. Unfortunately, this is something that happens frequently. I have been burned too many times before to not get a signed agreement when booking a confirmed job. It’s a good thing I did send it over because earlier that day I turned down two days worth of work for this job. Always protect yourself from last minute cancellations!

Friday, August 1, 2008

Rate Negotiation

As a Freelance Artist it is very important that you understand how to run your business like a business. First you need to know how to market yourself. After you get booked on a job you must know how to negotiate rates, invoice, and get paid in a timely fashion.


Let's start by talking about rate negotiation. Rates can widely vary depending upon:

• The project
• The medium you are working in (print, commercial, celebrity, film, music,
video,ect.)
• The amount of people you are taking care of (how much work you have to do)
• The level of your career (are you fresh out of school or Francesca Tolot)
• The amount of hours (full day or half day
• Whether you are doing special effects, makeup, hair, or both makeup and hair

Things that can effect the range in pay are: the level of the artist and their reputation in the industry, celebrity requests, special requests or even who the payment is coming from all are factors in how the rate is determined.

Once you book have negotiated the rate and booked the job it’s important for you to send over a confirmation agreement. A confirmation agreement will clearly state the terms agreed upon in the negotiation process. You will have clarification on:

• Rate
• Number of talent you will be working with
• Kit fee
• Turn around time for payment
• Payment terms based on the amount of hours (i.e. – what the fee is if you go
turn into overtime)
• Travel expenses (if applicable)
• Assistant Rate (if needed)
• Whether you are hired for Makeup, Hair, or both
• Job number and a signature from the person who hired you
• A cancellation clause


It is imperative to have a confirmation agreement in place so that you are not taken advantage of. You must have something in writing in order to have any sort of legal recourse if you are not paid on time, reimbursed expenses, or paid at all.

In the State of California, a verbal agreement in not legally binding. You must put everything in writing!

http://www.hmartistsnetwork.com
http://www.mymakeupart.com
http://www.myspace.com/hmartistnetwork