The Revenant‘s Oscar-Nominated Makeup Artist Sian Grigg Talks Dirtying DiCaprio
There’s a certain kind of person usually acknowledged in an actor’s acceptance speech: parents; significant others; publicists and agents; perhaps even influential teachers or directors; but rarely are fellow crew members honored in the quite the same gushing way. Not so for Leonardo DiCaprio, who thanked longtime makeup artist Sian Grigg at the Golden Globes after his recent win for his fabulously dedicated performance in The Revenant. But take one look at the transformative work Grigg contributed to turn “L.A.
The Revenant’s Oscar-Nominated Hair Stylist Talks Frozen Locks
The Revenant, Alejandro González Iñárritu’s epic wilderness film currently being treated to a deluge of well-deserved Oscar buzz, has formed a reputation for its long and harrowing production that now nearly precedes the film itself. Filmed in below freezing temperatures in natural light and by the tenets of Inarritu’s now-trademark long shot structure, the shoot required constant attention and a crack team of extraordinary crew members to keep it running smoothly.
The Hateful Eight‘s Makeup Dept. Head on Making Pretty People Ugly
Makeup department head Heba Thorisdottir has been working with Quentin Tarantino since Kill Bill: Vol 1, and hasn't missed one of his movies since. With The Hateful Eight, she might have just put in her most impressive work yet, tending to the grizzled faces of characters living hard lives in the late 19th century, none more so than Jennifer Jason Leigh's sociopathic, bloody-faced Daisy Domergue. We spoke with the Icelandic makeup maestro about what it was like working on Tarantino's claustrophobic,
Killer Looks: A Q&A With Camille Friend, Hair Department Head on The Hateful Eight
Camille Friend, Hair Department head on The Hateful Eight, will be celebrating twenty years in the business in 2016, and her filmography contains a bevy of memorable character looks which stand out in our movie culture. She has been department head hair stylist on several Eddie Murphy pictures including Dr. Doolitle 2 (2001), his Academy Award nominated role in Dreamgirls (2006), Norbit (2007), Meet Dave (2008),
Made in Maryland: Hanging With the Crew on the Set of Veep
It was a cold, blustery Tuesday in December when we were on the set of HBO’s Veep in downtown Baltimore. On the production front, however, It was a relatively calm day of filming by Veep standards, but a calm day on the set of this show still requires dozens of crew members to work their butts off. Whether it was Kim Bogues in craft services, costumer Constance Harris or assistant property managers Jamie Bishop and John Bert,
2014 in Review: Lensers, Designers, Makeup Artists & More – PART II
The end of the year brings a few reliable reactions; promises to do x, y and z more consistently in the new year, reflection on all that you accomplished (and failed at, and regretted) this past year, and 'Year in Review' lists. Yesterday we published Part I of our look back at some of the filmmakers we interviewed in 2014. On Monday, we published an interview with cinematographer Robert Yeoman, looking back on his work in Wes Anderson's
Oscar-Winning Makeup Artist Robin Mathews on Wild
Robin Mathews is on a bit of a roll, having won her first Academy Award last year for Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling for her work on Dallas Buyers Club, where she helped Matthew McConaughey complete his physical metamorphosis into Ron Woodroof, the Texas electrician who was told he had 30 days to live when he diagnosed with AIDS in the mid-1980s. Mathews has a way with helping stars morph right in front of our eyes;
Space Creators: Building the Guardians of the Galaxy
James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy opens on Earth, where a young Peter Quill sits alone in a hospital corridor, listening to his walkman. Prop master Barry Gibbs lead the search for the perfect cassette player, which took four months of internet searching and yielded only 16 cassette players in various states of disrepair that would be suitable for the film. Every detail in the film was chosen on purpose, often at great effort. In our opening scene,
Hairstylist Aldo Signoretti Wigs Out on Set of Hercules
He’s done hair and makeup for the epic battles between ancient Greeks (Troy) and warring Mayans (Apocalypto). He’s created wigs for the sordid characters scheming and seducing their way through the 15th century Vatican (Borgias), 19th century gangsters vying for supremacy in the Five Points (Gangs of New York), and 20th century bohemians reveling and raving in a Paris cabaret (Moulin Rogue!
Looking Back on Some of our Favorite Stories of 2013
When we launched The Credits a little more than a year ago, we aimed to shed a light on the many talented filmmakers who often don’t get much press for their work. While we’ve occasionally spoken to folks who need no introduction (John Waters, for example), most of the filmmakers we’ve focused on have a little less name recognition but a huge amount of talent. We interviewed a lot of people, so the below roundup is really just a taste—there were far too many people to mention in a single post.
A Bloody Good Job: Carrie’s Makeup Maestro Jordan Samuel
Makeup department head Jordan Samuel had quite a task in front of him when he joined director Kimberly Peirce and the filmmaking team behind Carrie. "Truthfully, blood itself is one of the most difficult things for a makeup artist," Samuel says, "and the more there is the more difficult it is."
Now, add to the amount of blood Samuel would be working with in Carrie to the fact that he was a major part of making sure they could pull of recreating one of the most iconic scenes in horror film history,
Meet William Corso, Oscar Winning Makeup Artist Behind The Incredible Burt Wonderstone
With a formidable resume that includes five Steven Spielberg movies (from Amistad to Munich), eight Jim Carrey movies (from The Majestic to this Friday’s The Incredible Burt Wonderstone), and dozens of film and television projects in between (from Jackass: The Movie to Grey Gardens), makeup artist William Corso has become one of the most esteemed—and in-demand—behind-the-scenes guys in Hollywood.
Making his Mark: From Fake Tattoos to Ghastly Wounds, Meet Oscar Winning Makeup & SFX Guru Christien Tinsley
You may not know Christien Tinsley by name, but if you've seen American Horror Story, Sons of Anarchy, The Passion of the Christ or Gangster Squad, you've seen his work. A fan of fantasy and monster movies since he was a young boy growing up outside of Seattle, Tinsley is now a king in the biz: a well-regarded makeup and prosthetic artist and owner of Tinsley Studio and TinsleyTransfers,
Rock ‘N Roll Makeup Artistry: Getting to Know The Walking Dead’s Jake Garber
Jake Garber isn’t just an Oscar-nominated makeup artist; he’s a zombie guru who makes his living transforming ordinary people into Walkers on The Walking Dead with the critically acclaimed special effects crew, KNB EFX. A self-ascribed rock-n-roller, Garber has an acute predilection for crafting special effects makeup in sci-fi and horror titles, having had a hand in nearly every genre out there.
Donning his work uniform—a weathered leather jacket,
