Makeup Design for Film & Television grad Courtney Frey came to our attention last year when she helped out on the set of the Vancouver-shot series, Mr. Young. Her career has been on a steady upward trajectory since, with a recent gig on CBC’s Arctic Air, where she worked alongside fellow grad Susan Manning.

We asked her about her recent work in film and TV, how to own your online presence as a makeup artist, and more.

You’ve got a great story on your website about how you discovered your love for makeup: “It was while playing a vampire in Dracula, blood flowing from her fake fangs, when Courtney first thought about makeup as a career.” Do you still have that same enthusiasm for the craft?

Courtney: Definitely, probably even more! I feel so fortunate to be able to do something that I love and get paid for it. Every day is different, usually with different challenges. But the troubleshooting is part of the fun.

I also love that makeup is an art that is constantly evolving. I never stop learning, and every job makes me a better makeup artist. It definitely never gets boring!

You’ve been pretty busy over the last few years, judging by your IMDB profile. Since makeup artists are often not credited online for their work, what do you recommend they do?

Courtney: You really have to put a lot of effort into getting your name out there, especially when you’re first starting out. IMDB doesn’t usually get updated automatically, that’s something that I do myself. Also make sure that you have a website. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but it’s great to have somewhere online where people can see your work. When people Google your name (which is pretty common nowadays), you want them to be able to get a good idea of your experience and what you can do!

Your work spans a few different mediums – how do you juggle the changing demands of each gig?

Courtney: That’s part of the fun! My biggest advice is to always be prepared for anything. Every job that I do I make sure I have a little bit of everything. It’s amazing what you can do with a few staples in your kit when you need to get creative. And make sure you do your research before a job. I have a good size photo bank of reference pictures on my computer, which is really helpful to have some inspiration before starting a new project.

And don’t be afraid to play! If you’re not working as much, have a friend over and practice an effect that you’re not as confident with. I love to do fun creative photo shoots when I’m not working. I don’t get paid, but it allows me to think outside of the box and do something that I might not get to do as often on the job. Always continue to hone your skills, especially the ones you don’t utilize on a regular basis!

You’ve done some work on CBC’s Arctic Air. Can you talk a bit about your responsibilities?

Courtney: What a great experience that was! I was the Assistant Makeup Artist to Lisa Strong, who keyed the show [served as Head Makeup Artist]. Because it was the first season, there was a lot of establishing characters and figuring out the different looks for everyone. I helped Lisa with a few of regulars, and then I would also look after some of the actors that were just in for the episode. The fun thing about Arctic Air is that for makeup artists, there is a little bit of everything. We had our females that got great beauty makeups, but we also had blood, dirt, frost, ice, bruises, cuts, special effects and even some prosthetics. Every episode brought something different.

We also got the opportunity to go up to Yellowknife a few times. What a beautiful place! Over the three different times we went up there, we saw the weather go from warm fall days, to -25 and freezing (at least for us West Coasters!). This brought new challenges, trying to keep makeup from freezing and touching up while wind and snow were blasting us from all directions. You really learn to adapt to any situation!

Last question: Do you have a makeup hero you look up to in the industry?

Courtney: I have many, but Ve Neill is always the first one that comes to mind. Her work is incredible, and the projects that she works on always involve amazing makeup. I’ve had the opportunity to see her work, and she creates such memorable characters.  Where she draws her inspiration, I don’t know, but she never ceases to amaze me!

Thanks, Courtney! Best of luck on future gigs!

Makeup Design for Film & Television grad Karen Uhthoff is the first VFSer to take home top honours from IMATS London. Her winning character prosthetic work was selected by a judging panel of makeup pros, putting Karen’s talents on a global stage.

How much were you able to plan in advance?

Karen: We were notified about the competition acceptance about 3 weeks before, so I had that time to design my character, based on the theme we were given — which was aliens from Men in Black this year.

I prepared the costume and did a couple of tests of the main idea I had, but I knew I would have to work with the prosthetic pieces I was going to get on the day of the competition.

How would you describe the character you created?

Karen: The character I created was an undercover agent from the MIB agency, or at least that was the main idea. But later I came across an Obama mask, so I decided that my alien would be the American president as an undercover agent.

Succeeding at IMATS seems to rely a lot on your ability to deal with tight time frames. How did you handle the stress?

Karen: I have to be honest and let you know that a lot of things happened previous to the competition. Equipment malfunctions, snow in London, I struggled to arrive to the competition on time. So by the time I arrived, I was happy just to be there. I also decided that no matter what the outcome was, I was just going to enjoy it, and since I love working with prosthetic pieces, time flew by, so I really didn’t have the chance to stress.

You’re the first VFS Makeup Design grad to win at IMATS London. What do you think this win will do for your career?

Karen: I am hoping that this win will allow me to meet and contact people in the industry, and hopefully land some interesting job opportunities. It has also been a great exposure opportunity for me in my country (Mexico), where this type of achievement brings great attention to my work.

Congrats again, Karen!

Find out more about the International Make-Up Artist Trade Show here.

“I came to VFS as a mature student,” says Makeup Design for Film & Television grad Susan Manning. “I was 47 years old.”

After spending 31 years as a Health & Fitness Specialist and Personal Trainer — even co-writing a book on fitness for mature adults — changing careers was a gutsy choice, but one that Susan made with the same level of determination fitness experts are known to possess.

“Once my kids were older I decided that I wanted to go back to school and follow my other passion,” she explains. “After researching many, many schools, VFS came up on top. Now, after having completed the program and graduating in December 2010, I know it was the best decision I could have ever made. The program and staff were all top notch and all my expectations were not only met but far exceeded.”

Since graduating, Susan has been extremely busy. One look at the makeup portfolio hosted on her website shows the quality of work she’s been churning out for live television, on film and TV sets, and much more. We chatted with Susan shortly after she had completed some work for the VFS grad-heavy series, Arctic Air.

What were you responsible for as a 2nd Assistant Makeup Artist on Arctic Air?

Susan: I had the pleasure of working under Key Makeup Artist Lisa Strong and 1st Assistant Makeup Artist Courtney Frey (also a Makeup Design grad). As a 2nd Assistant, I would be called in on days when there were multiple background performers on set. I would be instructed as to the “look”(s) that were needed for the various scenes and then would handle the makeup needs and maintenance of that makeup until wrap time. Both the cast and crew were FABULOUS to work with.

As a makeup artist, how important is it to be a member of a union?

Susan: If your focus is working in film/TV it opens more doors for work as many are union shows and unless you are part of that union you cannot work on them. If the makeup artists direction is runway, fashion, or weddings then it is not necessary to be in the union.

You’ve worked on many different projects since you graduated. How do you think your skills have progressed with a wide variety of demands?

Susan: I find that a lot of my skills have been interchangeable with the different gigs I have been doing. Ventilating (hair-knotting), for example, is something in which I have not only had the great fortune of working with Stacey Butterworth — one of the top wig-makers in film/theatre — but have also used this skill for a military gig as well as some short films/events I have worked on.

I am also in the process of building my own inventory of facial hair pieces so this skill is finely tuned.  Working on short indie films like Revel (written/directed by Acting for Film & Television grad Ryan Bruce) — which is the one I am currently involved with — gives me the opportunity of doing character makeups, beauty, hair, out-of-kit effects, and a lot of tattooing, which has been fun.

And if I do find some downtime, I like to practice prosthetics, bald caps, and many other makeups on my husband, kids, and their friends, which has helped to keep my skill level up.

You’ve done some work for the Canadian military, and now you’ve also helped out the Vancouver Police Department. What was that like?

Susan: Working three weeks in Alberta with the Canadian military was certainly an eye-opener and I learned a lot about the Afghan people and their culture. The Canadian military do pre-deployment training for combat soldiers prior to them being sent overseas. I was fortunate enough to work on the last Afghan training session. I was able to not only use my makeup and out-of-kit effects skills, but also my hair-knotting skills in making and applying facial hair pieces on a daily basis.

The makeup I did for the Vancouver Police Department’s Major Crimes Section was to transform a police officer to look identical to the victim. They were very happy with the end result and the operation was a success. The intense reality that came with doing this makeup really hit home when I stopped to think… this is not a movie, there are no “final touches” or retakes, and if this isn’t convincing enough people could get hurt.  It was surreal.

Congrats on all the amazing work, Susan!

While VFS Makeup Design for Film & Television students and grads have been dominating IMATS podiums around North America, until this weekend they had yet to make their way across the ocean for its London competition.

Alumna Kristen Foote and Karen Uhthoff both made the journey to compete in the Character/Prosthetic competition, and it was Karen’s dapper take on an alien that took home first place.

You can see the design process, judging, and winner’s announcement in the short video below.

Congratulations to you both!

The story of the International Make-up Artist Trade Show, and the competition that goes with it, has been written largely over the the past few years by Makeup Design for Film & Television students and grads. From Los Angeles to New York to Vancouver and now Toronto, the success record has been nothing short of amazing.

Over the weekend alumna Leah Cuff became a two-time IMATS winner in Toronto, adding to her impressive win at IMATS Vancouver. Joining Leah in Toronto with other strong entries were past podium-finisher Carly Wolk, Ellen Chen, and Katie Melanson. As an added bonus, Leah’s win came in front of Academy Award-winning veteran makeup effects artist, Howard Berger (The Chronicles of Narnia: the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe).

Congratulations, Leah, and to all competitors!