Whenever The Twilight Saga: Eclipse‘s crew set up somewhere in Vancouver, you knew it – the shoots were conspicuous for the shroud of secrecy that followed them. And Makeup Design for Film & Television grad Amy St. Jean was right in the thick of it – hidden from fans and other prying eyes – as First Assistant Makeup Artist on the third installment in the Twilight series.

Since graduating from the one-year Makeup Design program in 2005, Amy’s worked on all kinds of productions – you may have seen her work in the SyFy miniseries Alice or on the show Supernatural. She even worked on Cole, an indie feature written by VFS grad Adam Zang. Eclipse isn’t her first Twilight experience – she was also an assistant on New Moon.

But for a young professional makeup artist working her way up the ladder in film and TV, we wanted to know what it was like to be a part of something as huge as Eclipse. There’s a lot Amy can’t reveal, but we caught up with her anyway to find out a little more about the experience.

What’s a first assistant makeup artist responsible for?

Amy: Every movie can be a little different in terms of what your duties are as a first [assistant]. Basically, you are responsible for making your Key/Head of Department’s job as easy as possible. Everyone is different in how they want the trailer and set to be run, so the best thing to do as a first is to know what your Key wants and how they work.

Aside from that, you would also keep the trailer organized, the stations clean and tidy. Make sure all necessary paperwork is completed and filed out properly at the end of the day. Also make sure to have everything you both may need on set quick and accessible. Always try to be a step ahead!

Your recent credits really run the gamut – from SyFy miniseries to Canadian indie features, like Cole. But Twilight is a different animal altogether. What’s the experience like, working on a movie with such a ridiculously high profile? How is the  experience on a production like that different from the Coles of the world?

Amy: Cole was a great little movie. Having such a small cast and crew, I really got to know everyone I worked with. We had a lot of fun, everyone got along really well, and it was a relaxed set to be on but stayed very professional at the same time. Cole was my first job as a first assistant and my first time filming away from home. It was a great experience.

Eclipse was a whole different ballgame. Being such a high-profile show, there is a higher level of secrecy. As much as I would have liked to talk about my experiences on set to my friends and family, I couldn’t. I knew Twilight was a big movie, but I didn’t realize how big it was until I started working on Eclipse. What surprised me most were the diehard fans – I couldn’t believe the lengths people would go to try and get a glimpse of the actors.

Other than the popularity of the movie, what separates it from the Coles of the industry is that everything is on a much larger scale. We had two units, so a much larger crew was required. High-profile actors, so more secrecy and security were attached. I worked the second unit, assisting for JoAnn Fowler. A lot more work was involved as a first on Eclipse, which is a given because of the size of the film. I learned more working for JoAnn in two months than I’ve learned in the years since I graduated in 2005. She is an amazing teacher.

The most nerve-wracking part of the whole experience was not working on such famous faces but knowing I was working for our Department Head [and VFS Advisory Board Member and instructor] Charles Porlier. Having been my teacher and mentor at VFS, I knew I had to be on my game. This was no longer a pass or fail grade from him, it was a pass or fail as a professional colleague!

And we’re sure you came through with flying colours! Thanks for taking the time to speak with us, Amy, and good luck on your upcoming jobs!

Amy was one of over 25 VFS grads who worked on The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. Click here to find out more!