Abi Sievers MUA

  Michael Mekash: Michael Mekash is mostly well-known for his work on American Horror Story. He has also worked on many other popular films such as: Mad Max: Fury Road, Avengers: Infinity War and Prison Break. Mike started out as an artist and graphic artist who did tattoo work on sets. Not too long after, he began working as a makeup or special effects artist on some of the biggest films and TV shows.  He started his career back when he lived in Seattle, working a day job and a freelance graphic artist in his spare time. He then moved on to taking a job in LA in 2000, drawing tattoos for TV and film, pushing him forward into pursuing a career as an MUA. He has been fortunate to receive 15 Emmy nominations and 5 Emmy wins including: Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup For A Series, Limited Series, Movie Or Special - 2020 (nominee) Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Limited Series, Movie, or Special - 2017 (winner) Outstanding Makeup For A Limited Series Or Movie (Non-Pros...

  Missing limbs research: In ‘older’ versions of film and TV shows, missing limb effects were usually created via green screens. For example: in 1994’s film Forrest Gump, the actor wore green stockings and filmed most of his scenes in front of a green screen . In post production, the background was added and the end of the leg was "neatened up" by digital artists, frame by frame.   An example from Forrest Gump: when Lt. Dan is in the hospital after losing his legs, he's lying in a bed with the stumps covered with bandages. This effect was created by simply cutting holes in the mattress and adding fake stumps onto his knees. Similarly, in The Deer Hunter , John Savage hid his legs in the base of his wheelchair so that he appeared to have had them amputated. However, this wasn’t always the case as Lon Chaney worked on films where he would play a role with missing arms or legs and he would do it by hiding the limbs by physical means. If the arms or legs were supposed to be...

  For the missing finger design, I like how the blood drip down the finger and the blood in the wound itself adds more depth and realism to the wound. I also like how the wax lines up well with my finger. However, to improve this design, I should’ve used a darker colour of foundation to cover up the edges of the wax and blend it into the skin better as it shows up to be much lighter in comparison to the rest of my hand. This would only be used for stage by wrapping the finger first, and then applying the wax, foundation, colour and blood. Whereas, for film and TV, a green screen wrap would be placed around the finger and a prosthetic would be created over the wrap where the finger will be removed, then CGI would be used to erase it. Edited: 04/02/2021 Edit 2: 26/05/2021

  This laceration was created using scar wax, Vaseline and a bruise wheel (colours: red, purple, yellow and blue). This method could be used for both TV and film and theatre. I was able to make this wound look as realistic as possible by making sure the wax was blended out evenly into the skin, and a generous amount of powder was applied once the cut had been created to make the mix of wax and vaseline look less shiny. The realistic outcome of the laceration was also due to the different colours (red, purple and blue) used both in and partially around the wound to add depth. The yellow was used to create an ‘infected’ look. To add to the realistic effect, I added in a small amount of fake blood. However, if I were to create the infected laceration for TV and film, I would need to add a little bit more yellow to the wound to make the infection more apparent.  If I were to create this laceration for theatre, I would need to make it slightly bigger and add in more colour, dependi...

This makeup was created using a bruise wheel, latex, coffee and gelatin. For the burns makeup, I went through the stages of creating first, second and third degree burns on my wrist caused by sunburn, as well as a third degree burn on my cheek. This makeup was originally created for screen. However, to make the burn on the wrist more believable, I should have used a more accurate lining to make the area that was covered more obvious as well as using less coffee lumps and purple colouring, or even spreading the coffee and latex mixture more evenly across the wrist. The burn on the cheek could have been made more realistic by blending the colours out more and using less, or spreading the coffee and latex mixture more evenly across the burn area.

  For the bruising makeup, I like how the makeup shows the point of impact on the face / around the eye and the severity of the injury. I also like how, when applying the makeup, it was through the steps in which a bruise would form on the face. However, to improve I should've made the red makeup darker as otherwise it doesn't really show up too well around the purple and blue. This bruise in particular was made for screen. The bruise was suitable for this as it looks realistic due to the use of the different colours combined as well as the blending techniques used, not to mention it would stand out when lit up from both natural daylight and lighting they use for filming. However, if bruising was to be used for theatre, it would need to extend further out of the eye socket, as well as using much more bold colours to make it stand out depending on the audience and stage size, as well as lighting. Edit: 23/05/2021

  For the emaciation makeup, I like how the makeup shows the cause of emaciations (for example: for the makeup shown in the image, I chose the cause to be an eating disorder, whereas if the cause was sickness, for example, the skin would have a greenish tone.). To improve, I should try out emaciation but make the cause different to be able to understand fully what the effect would be for different causes (such as emaciation as a result of malnourishment). Another way in which I could improve would be to make sure the shaded areas look 'evened out' and add a little bit more depth to the eyes. Considering this makeup was meant for screen, it would have needed to be a bit more subtle on the cheekbones, as the makeup appears to be too obvious. I would also have had to add some shading to the neck to show how other areas of the body are affected by this disorder. Edit: 23/05/2021