themakeupgallery blog

I have just discovered that one of the participants, Laurent Richier, is an actor: check out his Blog.

The same thing happened with Black.White. — Bruno Wurgel, teacher, turned out to be Bruno Marcotulli, bit part actor and teacher, and Rose Wurgel turned out to be Rose Bloomfield, wannabe actress.

I’m not sure what that means for the honesty of the show but it sure doesn’t do much for it’s perceived integrity. Anyway, it’s starting tonight on Canal+ (France) so you can judge for yourselves. Please let me know what you think of it if you watch it.  

The XXI Premios Goya (Spanish Oscars) ceremony is being broadcast this evening.

There are three big movies in contention for a number of awards: El laberinto del fauno (Pan’s Labyrinth); Volver; Alatriste. Most of the major awards are still to be announced but Pan’s Labyrinth has won both Best Makeup & Hairdressing and Best Special Effects awards.

Best Makeup & Hairdressing
El laberinto del fauno (Pan’s Labyrinth)
José Quetglas & Blanca Sánchez.

Best Special Effects
El laberinto del fauno (Pan’s Labyrinth)
David Martí, Montse Ribe, Reyes Abades, Everett Burrell, Edward Irastorza & Emilio Ruiz.

Azuloscurocasinegro, a movie I haven’t seen yet, has won three awards (Best New Actor, Best Supporting Actor & Best New Director) so far: sounds like I ought to look out for it.

Penélope Cruz has just won Best Actress for Volver; Best Picture, Best Director and Best Supporting Actress remain to be announced. Will the three competing actresses from Volver cancel each other out and allow Ariadna Gil from Alatriste to win Best Supporting Actress: no, Carmen Maura justed bagged it. So will Pedro Almodóvar win both Best Picture and Best Director: it looks on to me, but I’ll have to wait till the morning.

(Source: 20minutos.es)

ADDENDUM 29/01: So it was a good night for Pedro Almodóvar, with Volver collecting Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Original Music. Pan’s Labyrinth won Best Original Script, Best New Actress, Best Cinematography, Best Editing & Best Sound, as well as Best Makeup & Hairdressing and Best Special Effects. 

Stephen Frears must be happy too: not only did The Queen win Best Foreign Movie, but Helen Mirren picked up the Best Actress Award from the Screen Actors Guild the same evening (she also picked up Best Actress in a TV Movie or Miniseries for Elizabeth I).

For only the second time, I won’t be able to attend this weekend’s International Makeup Artists’ Trade Show (IMATS) in London. Not being in the business, its one of my main opportunities to meet face-to-face some of the makeup artists who have been helpful to themakeupgallery over the years.

I also enjoy the formal talks and demonstrations and this year I was particularly looking forward to: the keynote talks from Howard Berger and Daniel Parker; the interview with Vittorio Sodano (makeup designer on Apocalyto); the question and answer session with David Marti and Montse Ribé of DDT Efectos Especiales (Oscar nominees for Pan’s Labyrinth); and another of Neill Gorton’s silicon prosthetics application demonstrations.

If you’re going, enjoy it and let me have some feedback. 

Dans la peau d’un noir (official site & themakeupgallery feature) is a French docu-tainment TV show inspired by — or maybe franchised from — Actual Reality’s Black.White. (official site & themakeupgallery feature).

Like Black.White. it takes a black family and a white family and swaps their apparent racial identity with makeup. It then films them in ‘real-life’ situations, and examines their reactions using the standard tools of reality TV (video diaries, the hot-house environment of sharing a house, etc).

Having, at last, seen Black.White. on DVD I remain as unconvinced about its serious, investigative value and less convinced of its ‘reality’ than I was when I originally posted. How Dans la peau d’un noir shapes up remains to be seen: though not by me as I don’t get Canal+.

If anyone watches it when it shows next week, I’d be interested to hear your views (or to see better images of the makeup.). I’d also like to know if there are any other international franchised versions forthcoming.

The ‘blogroll’ on the right includes a selection of makeup artists’ websites and blogs. The key word here is ’selection’: websites come and go far too frequently for me to hope to manage a comprehensive listing. 

In making that selection, I have tried to give consideration to: ensuring coverage of makeup artists outside the USA and UK; sites that include good quality images; sites that are reasonably up to date; sites that casual visitors might expect to see; and hopefully not forgetting those makeup artists who have been kind enough to provide information and/or images for themakeupgallery.

Blogs are even more problematic. A fair number of makeup artists seem to have a presence on MySpace but few of them seem to use it on a regular basis. Otherwise blogs covering movie and TV makeup seem thin on the ground — at least, on a semi-casual browse around.

If I’ve missed anyone who wants their website or blog include, let me know.

And if you’re looking for a more comprehensive listing, I heartily recommend you have a look at the links page on Lars Carlsson’s website.