Essay Sample: Working as a Special Effects Makeup Artist

From fake blood to making someone look older than they normally are, Special Effects Makeup Artists (SFX MUAs) use their imagination to picture and create the directors' ideas into an actor. As well as working with many other artists to accomplish their assignments. To be fitted as an SFX Makeup Artist, people are required to be creative, work with colleagues, as well as have a lot of patience. Being an SFX makeup artist is a job that usually requires going to a cosmetology school as well as requiring someone to have great creativity and patience. It is a job that has a good salary which is enough to provide a person with a good lifestyle and more if you work hard for it.

No formal education is required to become an SFX Makeup Artist, but most people who have become one already have a lot of experience in the industry. To become an SFX MUA, someone needs to take theatrical make-up lessons or complete a cosmetology program. Although a degree is not necessarily required to work in this area, it is recommended.  Most of the time, you may practice at home by purchasing tools and learning how to utilize them properly. Someone can also have the decision to enroll in a special effects makeup program. There is a wide range of options for learning SFX Makeup (“SPECIAL EFFECTS ARTIST”). For example, in Los Angeles, there's The Cinema Makeup School. Students learn the most up-to-date techniques in Special Effects Makeup at this institution. There's also the Online Makeup Academy, which lets people master everything they need to know while they are online. Both of these schools provide an outline of what an SFX make-up artist could encounter daily and educate them for any obstacles that may exist (Singh). It might take a long time and a lot of effort to become a licensed SFX Makeup artist. Although it may be difficult, having these certifications will help someone establish trust with clients and increase their chances of landing a job in this sector (A Complete Guide).

SFX Makeup artists have daily opportunities to use their creativity and help make the world a little brighter by bringing anyone's imagination to life with makeup. SFX MUAs are usually in charge of producing an actor's appearance on time and to the director's specifications. Working in this sector requires not just creativity, but also teamwork. When working in this area, it's important to know how to interact with coworkers as well as the individual who is getting their makeup done. These makeup artists wake up early in the morning to create these looks and it takes them most of the day. Although this work does not directly benefit society, it does amuse and serves as a means of diverting people's attention from other concerns. Several of the shows/movies people see would be tough to develop without the help of many SFX MUAs (Extraordinary Life).

Being an SFX Makeup Artist is lucrative, but flexibility is limited, and they generally work long hours. Working in this field will allow you to earn enough money to live a comfortable life. People can earn an average of 64,250 per year. An SFX MUAs pay depends on the project's budget and location, as well as the quantity of days/hours they work and their total expertise (Redding). Usually, entry-level workers will be around 40,000 per year. The top-paying states are Oregon, Alaska, Washington, and New York (“SPECIAL EFFECTS ARTIST”). The life of an SFX MUA can be different for everyone. Some people might work from really early in the morning to late at night, and some people might work at one specific time every day. There will also be times where you work on weekends, but the times can be flexible once in a while. There are plenty of breaks that can be taken during the job since it is a job that requires much energy (Extraordinary Life).

In addition, SFX MUAs often earn good wages that can provide them with what they need. Working in the field of an SFX MUA will give you the chance to be creative, as well as time to collaborate with others. This job is not as easy as it seems though. There are times where you will need to work late and early, which is not always good for others since it can make them tired. This job requires a lot of your time but you do get to have fun on the way through it. I would still want to be an SFX MUA since in this job you get to be intuitive and get to work with others who are like you as well. I think that this job would give me a chance to express who I am, and will give me the chance to collaborate with others.

Work Cited

“SPECIAL EFFECTS ARTIST”. Zippia. 18 August 2021. https://www.zippia.com/special-effects-artist-jobs/. 27 Oct. 2021.

Singh, Gurpreet. “A Complete Guide to Becoming a Special Effects Makeup Artist”. Pixpa. 15 Oct. 2019. https://www.pixpa.com/blog/special-effects-makeup-artist. 27 Oct. 2021.

“A Complete Guide to Becoming a Special Effects Makeup Artist”. MMA. 18 Dec. 2020. https://www.mma-makeupacademy.com/a-complete-guide-to-becoming-a-special-effects-makeup-artist/. 27 Oct. 2021.

Extraordinary Life. “Day in my life as an SFX Makeup Artist - The early makeup morning. Part one of two | Astrid Hughes''. Youtube. Sep 9, 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-471NYbsE8. 27 Oct. 2021.

Redding, Kevin. “What Is an SFX Makeup Artist? Job Description, Salary, Responsibilities + More”. Backstage. 28 February 2020. https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/sfx-makeup-artist-70535/. 27 Oct. 2021.