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Makeup Artists


Overview

Introduction

Makeup artists prepare actors for performances on stage and before cameras. They read scripts and consult with directors, producers, and technicians to design makeup effects for each individual character. They apply makeup and prosthetics and build and style wigs. They also create special makeup effects. Others are employed in the fashion industry. Approximately 3,140 theatrical and performance makeup artists work in the United States.

Quick Facts


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Median Salary

$64,250

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Employment Prospects

Good

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Minimum Education Level

High School Diploma
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Experience

Experience as an assistant or volunteer


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Skills

Drawing/Design
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Personality Traits

Artistic
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Earnings

Makeup artists usually contract with a production, negotiating a daily rate. This rate can vary greatly from project to project, depending on the budget of the production, the prestige of the project, and other factors. Even well-established makeup artists occasionally forgo payment to work on the low-budget independent productions of filmmakers they respect.

Independent contractors don'...

Work Environment

Long hours, deadlines, and tight budgets can result in high stress on a movie set. Because makeup artists move from production to production, they work with different groups of people all the time, and in different locales and settings. Although this allows makeup artists the opportunity to travel, it may also make a makeup artist feel displaced. While working on a production, they may have to ...

Outlook

The Department of Labor predicts slow to average employment growth for workers in the entertainment and performance industries, depending on the job. Makeup artists will continue to find steady employment opportunities in the film and television industries. Digital TV has made it possible for hundreds of cable channels to be piped into our homes. The original programming needed to fill the sche...