#local798

(A national spot that I keyed for CVS.  They considered using wigs so it was a plus that I knew how to style wigs, which isn’t the same a styling regular hair)

In part one I talked about what skills you needed to know, now I'll speak about the rest!

WORK ENVIRONMENT:  Whether it is a Film, TV show, Theater Production or a commercial.  You might find yourself working in a variety of locations.  This can place in a studio, on a sound stage, or on location at any time of the day or night.  This means you might have to be on set at 5am one day, then have an overnight shoot the next. Or you can be working outside when it is 100 or 10 degrees outside. One year I worked on a commercial where we were shooting  on a blacktop raceway and it was over a 100 degrees with humidity.  I had to figure out a way to keep my talent cool and also keep their faces from melting off.  Last winter I worked on a film with a whole lot of exterior shots, so I spent hours and hours outside in the elements. You can also be working on local far, far away from home.  Your work day can far exceed ten hours and then doesn't include the time you are spending getting there and going home. You can be away for weeks or months at a time.  If you are still excited and I haven't scared you off, keep reading :-)

BUSINESS WORK REQUIREMENTS:  If you are a Department Head or Key artist of a production, you will have other requirements besides getting talent out on set on time.  If you are working on a film, you will be required to read the script and then break down the makeup for the scenes as well as establish the looks of the characters according to the requirements of the script.  You'll need to figure out how much time you and your team will need to get talent out daily as well as know when you will need additional artists.  You will also need to provide production with an estimate of what your makeup budget will be for the production along with your daily kit rental.  Your makeup budget is the money will be using to purchase makeup needed to get you through the movie.  You will also need to do create an inventory of the makeup too so that production has it for insurance purposes.  You'll need to create an inventory of your products for kit rental. You will also be responsible for creating a maintaining a continuity book of makeup for every character and every scene.  So if day 12, scene 4, page 1 needs to be re-shot, you can reference it and see exactly what the looks are.  If you are working on a commercial, story boards will help you see what the vision is with the spot and a conversation with the director can be helpful to discuss any special needs and to discuss any additional items needed that are out of the scope of your kit.  You'll also need to sign off and approve any hours of any crew member working with you and also make sure their paperwork is correct before giving it to production. 

(me BTS on a Dunkin’ Donuts spot.  All the DD coffee I could dirnk... winning!)

UNION REQUIREMENTS: Local 706 (L.A.), Local 798 (East Coast), Local 212 (Calgary) and Local 873 (Toronto) The requirements vary greatly from jurisdiction so I have included links so that you can get into the meat and potatoes of it all.  And onto top of the initial financial requirements to join, you will have quarterly dues to pay and also monies due on every project that you work on.  The union exists so that there are fair working conditions, pay, and the ability to get insurance and pension benefits; not to get work for you. That means you have to work and network for those connections for work.  The union wages vary per the contract of the production that you are on and serve as a base for the MINIMUM amount that you can be paid.  An in-demand artist can command much more than what the minimum is.  Okay back to requirements for North America for the major unions!

Local 706 used to cover southern Cali, but they have in recent years they changed their jurisdiction to cover only Los Angeles County. Qualifying hours also need to be in L.A. County in network television, videos, or non-union film or television production. I've heard that the current requirement to join is now $6500.  Ways to qualify include completing 60 days of qualifying work a year in 3 years within the last 5 years from first day of hire (180 days); or 30 days on union production within 365. For detailed CURRENT information on local 706 requirements, visit their website at http://www.local706.org/how-to-join-local-706/

Local 798 is literally the east coast of the United States split into four districts which are District 3 (New England), District 4 (DE, MD, PA, VA, WV, DC), District 7 (TN, NC, SC, GA, LA, MS, AL)  District 10 ( NY, NJ ) and District 14 (Florida).  At least 180 days of makeup work in 3 consecutive years within 798 jurisdiction of Film, TV, Video, or Theater work.  And as a union member, you can be required to do both makeup and hair for commercials and Theatre, but cannot cross department for anything else. Visit https://www.local798.net/index.php?section=how-to-apply for information on what else is required to apply.

For Canada Locals 212 & 873 you first have to apply for Permit Status before you can actually apply to join.  They want to make sure that you meet the minimum requirements before you can move forward.  You also have to take and pass the Permitee Test and then take and pass a Set Etiquette Test.  The membership applications are under lock and key.  Days needed for each aren't clear so I suggest you reach out to https://www.iatse873.com/how-apply and http://www.iatse212.com/downloads/requirements/MUP%201.pdf for current information and what current fees are for joining.

Regardless of what union you join, be prepared to show proof of work through call sheets and pay stubs; have images of various showing that you can perform the required tasks.  A professional resume showing the name of the production, your title, and the director you worked along with the date of the production along with your educational background; letters of reference from productions that you have worked on; a letter of reference from a current union member.  In other words, you gotta keep your stuff organized! There's also a rumor that the makeup test will be coming back to the 798 jurisdiction.  If that happens, you could be required to perform in person the some of the work that you have pictures of.

I know that's a lot to process and I'm just as worn out from writing it! There are makeup unions in other regions that are often part of another local for the region.  This is covering the major markets for North America. Utilize google to do a search of your region. Love and Lipstick!