We spoke with Rebecca Lee to get her insights into what makeup can add to creative projects and what her advice is for the makeup artists of the future in film and television.

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Can you start by telling us a little bit about you and what you’re up to these days?
I’m the head of the makeup department for the CTV television show Motive. We are in our fourth season and I have been with the show since the beginning.

What inspired you to pursue a career in makeup?
I started as an apprentice in the theatre department of UBC. There I learnt that makeup could be a viable career. The creative aspect and the collaborative nature of the theatre process inspired me to pursue makeup as a job.

How does the makeup process stay the same or change between film, television, or commercial projects?
The size of the medium may change but the process of breaking down the script, designing characters and executing flawless looks remains the same.

In the context of an entertainment project (Film, TV, Commercial, etc.), what does effective makeup add to a character?
Makeup can add so much to a character and adds a dimension acting can’t do on its own. From full prosthetics to just a simple corrective makeup adds an extra element to the performance and helps to tell the story or the journey of the character. Makeup also helps to prepare an actor for their role and feel at they “look” the part.

What are the main advantages of using a professional makeup artist for a film, television or commercial project?
Film and TV makeup is not the same as everyday makeup. Many things must be taken into consideration such as cameras lighting and the story being told. A professional with training from a school such as New Image College has the experience to bring all these elements together, maintain continuity and keep the actors comfortable.

What’s a typical day like for you?
When shooting, my mornings usually start around 6:00am. We process the cast and get them ready for the day ahead based on the call sheet. That might include beauty makeup, corrective make up and a lot of special FX. Most episodes of Motive have a dead body so that keeps us pretty busy too. Then my team and I maintain that make up and keep it touched up and looking fresh all day. At the end of the shooting day we clean everyone up and help them look after their skin so it looks beautiful for the next day.

What have been some of your career highlights so far?
Winning an Emmy in 2007 for makeup in a miniseries was definitely a highlight and a very happy time. I’m also blessed to work with a wonderful teams of artists and I’m thankful for that everyday.

What would be your advice to someone who wants to pursue a career in makeup?
Education, education, education. A school like New Image College will provide a new makeup artist with the tools and the skills to succeed on set. The great thing about New Image is they also provide work experience. This is essential for the student to determine whether a film career is something they would enjoy and also provides the first steps to getting into professional unions.

What books have been influential to you throughout your journey in makeup?
Stage Makeup by Richard Corson is the first book I read and one I return to often. It’s excellent for learning the basic concepts of makeup and has great pictures and is updated often.

Where can people go to find out more about you and your latest projects?
My website is RebeccaLee.ca

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Our thanks to Rebecca Lee for speaking with us!

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Recommended Reading

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Stage Makeup
Richard Corson

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A Complete Guide to Special Effects Makeup
Tokyo SFX Makeup Workshop

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Special Makeup Effects for Stage and Screen
Todd Debreceni

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The post The Biz Interview: Rebecca Lee appeared first on Biz Books.

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Can you start by telling us a little bit more about you and what projects you have on the go right now?

Sure. Right now I’m working on a family drama called Common Grace which goes up at Pacific Theatre in January, and a screenplay called Trying, which is a Judd Apatow-style comedy about a couple trying to get pregnant. I’m also working as a dramaturg on Ron Reed’s play about the friendship between C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien!

The 2015 Vancouver International Film Festival is coming up. Your short film, Bedbugs, which you wrote and starred in, screened there last year – along with other festival appearances. What can you share about the journey of creating the film and taking it through to festivals?

Films are incredibly collaborative things and you go in with a plan, but you don’t really know what’s going to come out until the thing is done. So it’s been an incredibly informative experience in terms of learning so much more about how films are made, how they evolve, and how everyone contributes to make a thing what it is. And I love Bedbugs. I love what a fantastic cast and crew I got to play with and how much support we got from Crazy8s to make this wacky little puppet film. So taking it to festivals just feels like gravy. Or whipping cream. Like you get to invite everyone in on the fun.

Having gained some experience on the film festival circuit, how are they beneficial for filmmakers and what challenges did you run into along the way?

I think seeing your work in front of an audience is extremely informative because you need to know if your story lands – if your jokes are funny, if your moments lead people on a journey, if people are connecting. You learn how well you succeeded in telling a story – or not. There are jokes in Bedbugs that I thought were funny and no one ever laughs at. Ever. That’s interesting to me. What should we have cut? Where did we need another beat? As far as festivals, it helps to meet people. It helps to win awards. It helps to see what other people are making and creating to spur you forward to the next thing.

In terms of challenges, I would say it’s expensive. Festival entries are expensive and going to festivals is expensive. And also it’s very time consuming to be spending so much time administrating. As a writer looking forward to the next project it’s hard spending a lot of time on emails and correspondence and uploading things to Dropbox when you’re not being paid for any of it. But it’s also a great problem to have, because it means people want to see your film.

You’re a prolific writer as well as being an actor. What inspired you to do both?

I think if you’re a storyteller, if you’re an artist, then that impulse can come out in different ways. I love bringing a character to life as an actor and connecting with my heart and mind and body to a story. It’s so physical and happens with other people – on a stage or a set. But I also love that as a writer I get to create the world, all the characters, and the whole journey myself. But the seed of  it is the same. Plus, I like to write what I want to play as an actor and what I want to see as an audience member. It’s all about story.

If someone sees your name in the credits of a film as a writer or actor, what qualities do you want the audience to associate with you as a performer and writer?

I guess I want them to see truth. I want them to see something in the story or the character that feels true or authentic to them. And I hope I make them laugh at least once.

What have been some of your career highlights at this point in time?

Getting my first professional production of a full-length play in January is pretty exciting, for sure. It’s a play I really love, full of funny, broken, deeply human people and I can’t wait to share it. Working with Kristin Lehman and Louis Ferreira on the set of Motive was something I really loved because I think the writing on that show is stellar, and they’re two incredibly gifted, hard-working, and generous actors. And every time Bedbugs plays on the big screen and people genuinely laugh, it’s a career highlight. I could eat those laughs for breakfast.

You’ve written for stage as well as for screen. What are the challenges and rewards of writing for these two mediums?

I would say that one of the challenges of theatre is that you can’t visually cut away to reveal something or button a scene or build suspense – the actor has to do it with their performance and you have to construct it with your words. On the flip side, the challenge for me in film and TV is to not use words so much – to think more visually.

The reward of film and TV both as an actor and a writer is that you have something tangible when you’re done. You can watch it again and again. You can look at it. In theatre, the beauty and the difficulty is in its ephemeral nature. But you get to live the story with the audience in real time which is this beautiful, marvelous, kind of sacred thing when it’s done well. You actually breathe the same air and hold your breath together and affect each other. It’s alive.

What advice would you give to actors who are considering writing their own material?

Do it. Absolutely do it. But also, learn about writing. I studied writing for a long time. I’ve written a lot of stuff – and it’s hard. Sometimes you write things that are bad. Very bad. It’s hard to do it period, and it’s hard to do it well. So read the books on story and structure, then practice and get feedback. And don’t let wanting to play the part cloud your judgement about whether the story works or not. Then rewrite. And rewrite again.

Which books and authors have been influential to you in your career so far?

I’m most moved by stories that explore the depth of human experience. I connect most with stories that have some kind of existential longing. Stories that make me feel, think and laugh. I loved
A Circle of Quiet by Madeleine L’Engle. The Brothers K by David James Duncan. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott.

I saw Good People last year, by David Lindsay-Abaire and half-way through I almost jumped out of my seat because I realized “This play is about something.” And it was fantastic. The Last Days of Judas Iscariot by Stephen Adly Guirgis, too.

And I love good television – I love The West Wing, Six Feet Under, Parenthood, The Good Wife. And I love seeing smart, funny women telling stories – they influence me. Elizabeth Meriwether. Tina Fey. Amy Poehler. Amy Schumer. Smart and funny. Gets me every time. I’m sure gonna miss Jon Stewart.

Where can we go to find out more about you?

You can go to my website, which should be updated this month, or you can find me on Twitter!

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Our thanks to Shauna Johannesen for speaking with us!

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Recommended Reading

[bscolumns class=”one_third”]

Bird by Bird:
Some Instructions
on Writing and Life
Anne Lamott

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[bscolumns class=”one_third”]

Good People
David Lindsay-Abaire

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[bscolumns class=”one_third_last”]

The Mistakes Madeline Made
Elizabeth Meriwether

[bscolumns class=”clear”][/bscolumns]

The post The Biz Interview: Shauna Johannesen appeared first on Biz Books.

We spoke with Jim Gordon about his love of film and his experience in entertainment.

How did you become interested in the entertainment industry and what steps did you take to get involved?

I became interested at a very young age, developing a love of movies thanks to my wonderful mother. When I was a kid, it was sports, movies and wanting to be a radio DJ. I got a TV/film review column in the local newspaper by the time I was 17 and also got involved in TV and radio, and DJ’ing in bars. I studied Film at the University of Waterloo, and along with my cousin, made a movie that was broadcast locally. That led to a 4 movie deal with a small movie company in Toronto after university. It was a great first break, and I loved it, but I kept doing film reviews as well.

How would you sum up what you do as a film critic and television personality? What’s a typical work day like for you?

As a film critic on CTV, my job is to convey my thoughts and opinions as quickly and succinctly as possible. I try to cover a wide variety of films/DVDs each week so there’s hopefully something for everyone. With our TV show, The Travel Guys, our approach over the last 11 years has been very similar in that we cover a destination with insight, information, and humour, hopefully giving the viewer a sense of what it’s like. As for a typical day, it varies, depending on what “hat” I’m wearing that day.

What’s the biggest misconception about film critics?

I’m not sure, maybe that we don’t like mainstream movies, which is not the case.

How would you sum up the films of 2014 so far?

I think it’s been pretty good overall. There have been some wonderful films this year from the Hollywood, as well as documentaries, independent and foreign films. I loved Richard Linklater’s Boyhood, and Philip Seymour Hoffman reminded me of all the great performances we’ll never see in one of his last films, the old school spy thriller A Most Wanted Man. The Lunchbox from India is certainly worth seeing, and though I’m so tired of anything with a vampire, Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston were superb in Only Lovers Left Alive. I’ve also enjoyed Birdman with Michael Keaton, Foxcatcher with Steve Carell and The Imitation Game with Benedict Cumberbatch.

In your opinion, what are three elements that every film needs to be effective?

A well-written story, interesting characters, and solid acting.

What are your favourite movies?

My favourite movie is The Americanization of Emily (1964), with James Garner and Julie Andrews. It’s an anti-war, romantic drama set during the days leading up to D-Day. It was brilliantly written by the master, Paddy Chayefsky, who also wrote Marty (1955) and the prophetic film about the decline of TV called Network (1976). I also love Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita (1960), and The Counterfeit Traitor (1962) which stars my all-time favourite actor, William Holden.

How about some memorable moments in your career so far?

As a film critic I’ve been very fortunate to have interviewed some well-known people in the business, Helen Mirren and Clint Eastwood rank up there. And Jeff Bridges was such a nice guy, really cool, the dude. But I’ll never forget the time years ago when and I saw Marcello Mastroianni in a Toronto hotel lobby, it took all my nerve to go over and shake his hand but I’m glad I did. He was the epitome of elegance and grace.

Co-hosting a travel show, there have been a number of highlights, but watching locals in Northern Malaysia bet on coconut-plucking, tree monkeys would rank up there.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to become a film critic?

See a wide variety of film. Read other critics (Time Magazine’s Richard Corliss is among my favourites). Write what you see and post it.

What books have been influential to you in becoming a film critic?

I’ve read so many great books on directors, writers and actors, but those which come to mind are screenwriting books by Syd Field, Hitchcock: The Definitive Study – Francois Truffaut’s book of conversations with Alfred Hitchcock, David Mamet’s Writing in Restaurants, and not too long ago I read the 2001 bio on film/theatre critic, Kenneth Tynan, and Todd McCartney’s 1997 bio on director Howard Hawks.

Where can we find out more about you and keep up with your current and future projects?

Thanks for asking. My film review segments air on CTV every Friday on the morning, noon, and 5pm News shows. You can also find other reviews/interviews at gastowngazette.com and prevailprevail.com.

The Travel Guys airs weekly on SHAW TV, CHEK TV, and NOVUS TV. You can also find me at travelguystv.com and @travelguystv & @jimctvmovies.

The post The Biz Interview: Jim Gordon of CTV and The Travel Guys appeared first on Biz Books.