Daily MUA research

Daily MUA’s:

Daily makeup artists are brought in for crowd scenes or days with a tight schedule. They usually bring their own kit and will either be allocated a workstation in the makeup room or be working out in the holding area.

A typical working day will include long, and unsocial hours throughout the week, especially if they are working on a big budget set as there will be a lot to get through, not only doing the makeup itself, but also checking the makeup in between shots.

Juliette Tomes, a crowd room supervisor on an ITV show, states how daily makeup artists help to “make a production more powerful and exciting but also more believable”. It is also mentioned how the job is exhilarating for those involved, however, it does take a lot of planning beforehand in order to have everything organised by the time they begin filming as those working on set will need to be told about what they are doing and the kind of things they will need with them weeks before shooting starts in order to have them be fully prepared. Usually, there will be a fitting a couple of weeks beforehand, this is when special requirements from the individuals are made, such as covering a tattoo.

It is also stated how the job of a Daily MUA / Crowd scene MUA requires a lot of concentration and the ability to multi-task due to the fact that they will have to constantly be on hand for when touch-ups are required or if someone needs a helping hand. This also shows why organisation is important for those taking on this role, trainees especially, as since they always have to be ready for anything, they will need to know where things are and be able to get them instantly in case they are called upon, especially since they will have to work quickly whilst under pressure as they have to make sure everyone that will be in the crowd scenes are ready on time.

Another key aspect a crowd scene MUA must have, is a high attention to detail to avoid any mistakes and be able to pick out / correct any mistakes, especially when it comes to continuity as the actors makeup (and hair) will need to look the same in certain shots. The MUAs must remember to take notes / photos of the actors before they go on set as a way to record that look for a specific scene.

Depending on how long they are working for per day, which usually ranges from about six to eight hours, they can earn up to £42 per hour, £8 being the least amount they can earn hourly.

Some examples of Daily/ Crowd scene MUAs would include:

Rosie Octon - crowd scene supervisor on The Collection, Poldark and The White Princess
Stefanie Kemp - stefaniekempmua.com
Sylvia Atkins
Samantha Kininmonth
Laura Allen
Sally Watterson
Lacey Corbould