Overall it is safe to say that I have learnt more about not only prosthetics, but also working on a large scale film, during this project than I have throughout my entire time at university so far. Upon taking on this project I had no idea how much time, money and work it would really require, even with the constant support of Paige and our make-up supervisor for the film, Jack, and I'm sure that Charlie didn't either.
Regarding the practical element of things I am certain that this experience will inform my projects during level 6 invaluably. I now have an in depth understanding of the processes required and exactly how long they all take; enabling me to time manage highly effectively next year and judge exactly how much I can achieve. The smaller mistakes that we made along the way have all been learnt from and will therefore (hopefully) not be an issue next year. I also now have a more informed knowledge of the types of products that are available and which work best for each specific section of the process. I still wish to challenge myself next year, however, and not just rest upon all of the safer lessons that I have learnt this year. I have come to find that I am a little bit of an adrenaline junkie when it comes to prosthetics and thrive best when I really challenge myself, so I will have to give some serious consideration into what to tackle at level 6.
Regarding the organisational aspects of working on a larger scale film with a much larger crew than I was used to, these lessons have been equally as valuable to me as a make-up artist. With hindsight, things could have been organised much more efficiently and professionally, both from the perspective of myself and Paige, and from Charlie's. The first lesson that we learnt, the hard way, was that it is always necessary to ask for money upfront for budget requirements if the funding of the film is at all in question. This reduces the risk of purchasing items that you may not be refunded for at a later date, although, thankfully, this was not the case. Secondly I learnt the importance of constantly staying in touch and up to date with developments with the director, and forming a working relationship with all departments, particularly in our case with costume and model making departments, from an early stage in pre-production.
The most difficult lesson to learn on this film was the difficulties that come from working with actors. The issue of hair and beard cutting may have initially seemed petty, however, I don't think that the actors every fully comprehended that if they did not follow Charlie's wishes regarding physical appearance it then fell upon Paige and myself as the make-up department to make beards/wigs/hair extensions or to the costume department to make hoods to compensate. In the case of my assessment this theory could also be applied to the attitude of my actor towards alcohol. Despite having known previously that any alcohol on the skin could potentially cause problems for me, he was still quite happy to drink excessively the night before the make-up application. This should really come down to the director to ensure that things like this did not happen, however, as Charlie had chosen to work solely with his friends on this project it made all the issues a little bit more sensitive.
Working on this film has provided such an incredible opportunity for me to learn both negative and positive lessons and I am very grateful to Charlie for that. Unfortunately, however, Paige and I both agreed that given recent circumstances and the way in which the funding and time management of the project has been approached, we do not feel that we can continue with it. It will be very difficult to let a director down at this stage, however, I am happy to still provide him with all of the moulds, head and everything he may need to recreate the prosthetics with another artist if the production of the film does eventually go ahead, rightfully so as he has paid for the materials to make them. As much as it is important to create a reputation for yourself in industry as someone who can be relied upon, it is perhaps even more important to establish a reputation as someone who will not tolerate certain attitudes and circumstances and to know when it is OK to walk away from a project.
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