Stop Motion: A Makeup Artists First Attempt
In June 2011, my boyfriend and I decided to make a stop-motion short for my website. We had no idea what we were getting in to. We came up with the idea one afternoon over lunch, sketching quick ideas and notes on napkins. We discussed the mood, the coloring, the lighting and background, and the length. That evening I contacted my friend and actress, Laura Catalina Ortiz and asked if she’s be interested in helping out. She seemed excited to be part of the project.
We were all set, we had our idea, a model, and Greg (my boyfriend and Director of Photography for the shoot) knew exactly what he needed to use for the lighting and camera package. Now it was up to me to design the hair and makeup as cost-effectively as possible. Special makeup prosthetics were out of the question for this one (we had no budget), wardrobe and props were limited to what I had in my closet.
When the day finally came to shoot this little video, we felt like we were as prepared as we possibly could have been. We’d spent hours pouring over YouTube videos explaining different techniques for stop motion animation and had the confidence that only years of experience in the film industry can give you.
We started the day early. Around 8 a.m. we went to the store to pick up a few last-minute items and snacks for the day. We set up a few lights, a backdrop, the camera and my makeup station in the living-room and kitchen of my tiny apartment in Studio City, CA. Around 10 a.m. Laura arrived, bare-faced and excited to shoot. I asked her to change into a tube-top shirt so we could begin.
Things were going smoothly, as I smoothed her hair back, and started to airbrush the makeup onto Laura’s skin a half inch at a time; the fantasy Ice Queen I had sketched on a napkin started coming to life. For every half inch of makeup applied, we took a picture. Thanks to digital technology, we would go back and check the last few frames for continuity and consistency in the makeup.
After a few hours, we broke for lunch. As we reviewed the footage, I noticed the makeup was missing depth. It was really too late to start over, so we decided to continue on with the base makeup and add contours as we went along. So you can see the makeup work it’s way from the top right corner of Laura’s face and make it’s way around and down to her neck, chest and shoulders, then get progressively more detailed in the same order.
The video took us roughly eight hours to do, and after editing, we realized the video ended up being much shorter than we had anticipated. We learned that there is a reason that stop-motion artists usually work with clay, miniatures and toys vs. real people. Real people get tired of sitting for too long. They move. They breathe. They eat. It was difficult to control the body position and make sure everything lined up. We also learned that instead of shooting every half inch, we should have done more frames, probably reducing the size of the “growth spurts” to a quarter inch, perhaps.
We’re still learning and looking forward to making our next video. If any of you readers have tips or tricks you’d like to share- please post them below or email me. I’d love to hear from you!
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