Hey Joe,

 

Well I just saw this so I went to check out what this was.  Frankly, and I know I'm going to sound like a pompous ass, THIS set SUCKS especially for $179.00 for the set.  Seems like a LOT of money that really STILL displays makeup work that is STYLIZED, MUCH MUCH to heavy handed and geared toward a wider variety of things that I simply think this woman is NOT qualified to do. Her horror makeup, or her FX makeup work is amateurish, most of her stuff that is shown on that ONE page, is FAR too heavy handed, unrefined, unblended, unfinished in my estimation. And to charge $179.00 for 6 DVD's might not SEEM excessive for the "amount of information you get" - sadly when it's no better than it appears on the surface to be, then in MY wallet it's just not worth it.  This is the SAME kind of thing that the last book I purchased drew to my attention. THIS woman - with her doctorate degree - is a COSTUMER who is into makeup too. And if you notice she is an ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR - not even a full fledged professor who has been teaching it for only 10 years (and she's likely not too old like this next one either - just thinks 10 years qualifies her). And her references for the histories are like from 1898 and 1916 - old ideas, old concepts which she is trying to apply to modern techniques and styles?  Sorry I don't buy that at all.  Even her LAST DISC SHOULD be the first - with studies in anatomy and other basics that BEGIN the process - not end it.  Like the last book I bought which promotes some other "associate professor of costuming" at some Michigan or Minnesota college - who THINKS she knows what good makeup work is - is all about self promotion using her otherwise impressive credentials to push off on the poor unsuspecting public of users - actors and teachers or whatever - amateurish approaches to makeup for theater.  I mean I'm sorry, costumers are NOT makeup artists.  This is that age old issue of....."I had two semesters of makeup instruction in college so I'm a makeup artist" OR ........ "oh I KNOW how to do my own makeup"!!!  And I'm sick to death of it.

 

NO I don't possess college degree in costuming or makeup (NOBODY that I know of anywhere EXCEPT a couple colleges in CA - produce degrees in makeup work).  Even the makeup schools for FX and such, are so basic that most people who go to those schools have more money than brains. I mean, one school I know of particularly charges $27,000 dollars for a course in SPFX.  SOME of the people who have come out of those schools do well.  MOST do not.  It's NOT the instructors - they're all qualified makeup artists who are top-notch. IT's the school itself that promotes a makeup artist mill as THE WAY to learn to do the work and that you WILL get hired.  HOGWASH.  THE INDUSTRY is suffering severely from over-glut of artists UNQUALIFIED to do the work - when in fact, the work is hardly there to have anymore.

 

And with theater makeup artists - well they're a dime a dozen and they all usually have the same problem - "I had two semesters of makeup instruction in college so I'm a makeup artist"!!! NOT!!!  But you can't tell anyone that or you become (as I have far too many times) a pompous ass who "thinks he knows it all"?  Heck, I've been doing this for almost 50 years and I STILL am learning - so I have no delusions about what I know and I certainly don't go around with my makeup kit on my shoulder. I HAVE gotten lucky that most people who know my work and know what I AM capable of hire me more and more to do the work.  AND THAT is the fact that I enjoy.....well that and the money that comes from a lifetime of learning and ability.  BUT JUST BECAUSE she has a doctorate degree (in costuming I'm assuming - or theater) WHY people put more stock in THAT just because she HAS that credential is beyond me.  Are people just THAT stupid??  I just don't know.  MAYBE it means I need to get off my ass and get MY work out there and selling if I can and if it would.  IF these idiots can get their JUNK sold, surely to God I can too.  I just need to do it and get it out there to know.  Something to be said for not wasting one's time getting it done.

 

AT any rate, I will still use your title with credit to you.  I DO still love it - "Making Up Warm Props".  CLASSIC Title and with anecdotal stuff plus solid instruction I hope I can make something like this work.  I'm bound and determined or at least to die trying.  Thanks for the heads up.  I KNOW I can beat that $179.0o price tag EVEN to advanced makeup people who are beyond amateur status.  EVERY makeup pro WAS an amateur - it just takes TIME and PATIENCE and INSTRUCTION.  I learned my makeup work on the job.  My other interest of Special Makeup Effects which CAN apply to theater in many, many cases, was learned from one of the best of the best in Hollywood who is an academy award winning makeup artist and the "godfather of modern special makeup effects".  I got lucky to be a student of his course.  I learned more in the last 13 years or so that I've been a student of his course than I ever knew in the previous 35 some odd years before.  AND if NOTHING else, I learned a level of devotion, precision, perfection seeking that SO FEW THEATER makeup people even CARE about or consider.

 

SO I'm still going to do it.  FAR less expensive and far better information and instruction than a doctoral costumer can do.  I've seen the page displayed. I'm NOT impressed at ALL with her work. Yet there she is selling her DVD's and here I sit wishing I had the time to get it done.

 

I know what I NEED to do - just need the time to do it.

 

LATER

 

TonyDi

 

 

(and TonyDi if you're out there, we did touch on make-up, emphasis on street techniques to enhance features or diminish appearance of "flaws".  Emphasized health and cleanliness, need to have own "basics", and, as it is an actor's workshop, emphasized need to have the character carry the make-up, not the make-up carry the actor - with a few exceptions.)