Industry Roles – Hair, Make Up & Wardrobe

Hair & Makeup Assistant
Hair & Make Up Assistants are not usually responsible for primary actors, and instead will monitor extras or large crowd scenes. In addition they assist the Hair & Make-up Artist by making sure senior members of staff’s workstations are tidy, products are not running low, and offering an extra pair of hands when affixing prosthetics or working on complicated hair designs etc.

Hair & Makeup Artist
Hair & Make Up Artists are skilled in numerous areas including make up techniques, special effects (such as ageing), prosthetics, wigs, and facial hair. Their main role is to monitor continuity, so they are required to be on set for the same length of time as the artists they are working with.

Hair & Makeup Designer
This role starts during pre-production, as the Designer is responsible for creating the overall look the Director wishes to achieve for the characters they are working with. They must consider factors such as the period setting and the Costumer Designers interpretation. The Designer will make notes and sketches for each character as a guide for the Make-Up Artist.

Wardrobe Assistant
The Wardrobe Assistant offers support to the Costume Designer, by making sure that the characters costumes are in the correct place, helping to dress people, and keeping track of accessories and clothing. They may also be asked to help go through scripts in order to plan what each character needs in every scene.

Costume Designer
The Costume Designer works from pre-production through to production. They sometimes design costumes and other times purchase appropriate clothing. The Designer will go through the script and plan what clothes and accessories the characters will wear in every scene. An important attribute to have in order to be successful in this role is creativity and researching skills. They also must be team players as they work closely with the Hair and Make-up Designer, to make sure that a consistent look is achieved between the two departments.