The theater is a magical place where the laws of reality are violated and unusual events and amazing transformations occur. The image required for the role is created with the help of a costume, lighting and, of course, makeup. What is included in this concept and what secrets are hidden behind the changes in the appearance of the characters?
Makeup history
In a certain way, the faces of the actors began to be painted in ancient Greece. The primary color in which theatrical makeup existed in those years is white. Antimony was also used (to highlight the eyes in black) and occasionally blush. Modern make-up is done on a fat basis. It consists of lanolin, white petrolatum, beeswax, mineral dyes and special pigments. If in ancient times and in the Middle Ages skin actors were not very worried about actors who applied poisonous paints to create an image, now face makeup is being developed in order to not cause harm or minimize it.
From Halloween to the blockbuster
Based on the definition of the concept itself, makeup is the art of changing the appearance of an actor. For this, special compositions, wigs, plastic stickers are used. Also called make-up paint themselves used in this process. These are specially formulated compounds that can be on the face for a long time without changing the color, texture and density of the overlay.
If you decide to create an unusual image for Halloween, you can easily find on sale the so-called face painting - water-based paints that are applied with a brush and are easily washed off. This is the simplest option, so to speak, a mass market in this area. Theatrical makeup involves the use of persistent fat-based compounds.
Theater and Cinema
Creating an image will differ depending on where exactly the actor is involved - in the play or in the television series. If, when shooting a movie, the face of the hero can be shown in close-up, in which the smallest details are visible, then in the theater it will be necessary to highlight all his facial features so that they can be distinguished from a great distance. You may also need to give the actor a resemblance to a specific character. Theater make-up, in contrast to that used in the cinema, is much sharper and more intense, and upon closer examination it can even look repulsive.
In this art, there are many areas and techniques, each of which is used for a specific purpose. Professionals distinguish two main types: conditional and realistic makeup for the face.
Features of realistic makeup
The concept of realistic means that the created image must be brought as close as possible in appearance to the performed role, that is, similarity or correspondence is achieved. Depending on the tasks, realistic makeup is divided into several areas: portrait (for the role of historical characters, artists, famous personalities), national (when, for example, a European needs to play a representative of a different race), age (creating the image of an older or younger person than the actor himself) and characteristic (based on knowledge of physiognomy and creates an instant impression of the character's character). Each option has its own palette.
Theatrical makeup, called conditional, is used to develop simple and understandable images and often focuses on highlighting one part of the face. It can be images of Pinocchio, Baba Yaga, Pierrot and others. To create such images, in addition to paints, liquid latex is used - a substance that dries quickly on the skin and becomes elastic, so that you can give it the desired shape. At the same time, latex is similar in color to human skin. When plastic makeup is used, the theatrical image is especially realistic.
The subtleties of the profession
The work of the make-up artist is not reduced to the banal application of paints. Any make-up artist should know the basics of anatomy and the structure of the face - for example, when drawing wrinkles, you need to do them in exactly the places where they should be physiologically. It is also necessary to know the laws of the distribution of light and shadow and take them into account, creating an image so that the stage lighting does not blur, or vice versa, does not coarsen the face of the actor.
It is important to know the features of the color palette on the basis of which the makeup is created. Theatrical make-up artist is aware of how paints work - light colors visually increase, thicken and approximate the objects they highlight, and dark colors narrow, thin, visually remove the object. The classic palette consists of 12 primary colors - white, black, blue, green, red, cormorant, ocher and skin tones - light beige, light brown, brown, natural and tan. In the working suitcase of a professional make-up artist you can find tubes with gold or silver paint, multi-colored pencils for body art and much more, because each next image can be unpredictable.
Let there be light! What will he be like?
An important point in the work of a theatrical makeup artist is to take into account the color shades of the stage lighting. Professional make-up artists constantly consult with stage workers before tackling paints. Depending on how the scenery changes, the saturation and color of the lighting in the scene varies, from bright to twilight, from pale blue to bright red. Professional makeup takes all these points into account when creating the image of the hero. Red lighting will highlight eye makeup and make faces pale, green will give a dead look, and blue will turn purple.
The application of makeup is a fascinating creative process, the result of which is always unique. This art is at the junction of anatomy, painting and sculpture and does not stop developing day by day.