BA (Hons) Make-up for Media and Performance

MAKE-UP FOR MEDIA AND PERFORMANCE GIVES YOU THE SKILLS THAT YOU NEED TO PLAY A KEY CREATIVE ROLE IN PERFORMANCE, FASHION, FILM OR TELEVISION.

Our recent graduates have worked on BBC and ITV productions (such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Coronation Street, Casualty, Granchester and The Durrells), films (such as Beauty and the Beast), theatre productions at the Royal Shakespeare Company, musicals (such as Wicked, The King and I, Matilda and Priscilla Queen of the Desert), and at Leavesden Warner Brothers and Pinewood Studios.

The make-up artist is an important member of any production team and you’ll have the chance to work with students who are studying Acting, Film Production, Costume and Performance Design, Commercial Photography, Visual Effects, Fashion and Fashion Branding and Communication to create ‘live’ collaborative projects. On this course, you’ll learn a diverse range of make-up skills. You’ll study make-up and hair design for drama, ballet, opera and music. A different perspective will give you the skills for fashion and photography shoots. You’ll also construct wigs and hairpieces, and create prosthetic make-up FX for film and television. In short, you’ll develop skills that are a real asset to a wide range of performance industries, from theatre to TV, and from the music business to the world of fashion and film.

LEVEL 4 (FIRST YEAR)

The first year (Level 4) of the course is designed to teach you the fundamental creative, practical, analytical and critical skills needed by makeup artists working in various media and performance industries.

Workshops and practical projects will help you to extend existing skills in makeup, wigs and hair design and application through learning about postiche. Interpersonal, communication and employability skills are developed through these units since you will carry out practical make-up and hair projects on one another, models and performers under direction and supervision.

The units will also introduce you to formally recording your work through developing a professional make-up portfolio.

The development of analysis, critical thinking, research, reflection and writing skills are an important part of the course and link with the development of your practical and creative work.

LEVEL 5 (SECOND YEAR)

The second year of your course enables you to build upon the skills and knowledge that you have gained at Level 4 and gives you the opportunity to consider the specialisms and career pathways that you would like to explore in more depth during Level 6 study.

Employability and professional skills are developed through exploring professional makeup contexts, digital technology in makeup, industrial links and collaborative engagement.

You’ll refine your technical abilities and knowledge of the place of the make-up artist within the creative team. You’ll work on a variety of live projects including live performances, shoots and make-up events – an important aspect of the course.

You’ll develop a contextual understanding of the art of make-up transformation and performance work though research.

LEVEL 6 (THIRD YEAR)

Your third year provides the opportunity for you to formulate and identify your particular professional and academic interests.

Risk and ambition within the field will be crucial to your individual development and intellectual and academic integrity will be further encouraged through written work and ‘thinking through practice’.

The structure of Level 6 is made up of units that will further develop your potential to become intellectually motivated and increasingly autonomous professionals.

There is a strong emphasis on balancing conceptual thinking skills, research methods, practical and technical skills, working independently and as part of a team and acquiring lifelong learning skills.

You’ll develop your specialist areas of interest such as prosthetic transformation. You’ll extend your portfolio of work within a range of professional contexts through live projects and collaborations.

You’ll investigate your own practice and develop a philosophical understanding of key critical and contextual issues.

COURSE TRIPS

As part of your course you may also get the opportunity to take part in course trips, previous trips have included:

• New York
• London