Max Van De Banks

Max Van De Banks is a renowned make up artist who is know predominantly for his talent to make people appear dead. He specialises in wound make-up, but has also worked on sets for period dramas, music videos and fantasy films.
 Max gave us a two hour presentation about the role of a make-up artist, and within it, he applied a qauter piece to the side of Robs face and transformed him into a zombie. As he was applying the piece, he talked us through the equipment he was using, which included glue, blood and gelatine. He also spoke about how he has to prepare for a shoot.
 The considerations that Max has to include for every piece are vast. To begin with, he recieves a script that has been annotated with notes about the character. He must look at each characters background and also the situation they are in at that time to determine what they will look like. He must also make sure that the make-up is appropriate for the time that film is set in. For example, really bright pink lipstick would not fit a period drama, but would fit a modern say soap opera.
 Max also has to consider the time-frame that he has to create the look, if an actor has to be on set in an hour then he is not able to spend two hours putting make up on said actor. To be able to finish all the actors on time requires a lot of planning and communication with other departments that are involved with the production.
 He works with the costume department, the producer and the director to create a look, to ensure that what he puts onto the characters is how the director envisioned them looking. Max told us that the Make-up department are the last people to see the actors before they go onto set, and therefore have the important job of making sure the look is complete. If the characters do not resemble what the directors see in their mind, it is up to the make up department to fix it.
 He also works with the producers to determine a budget for the production, and this is one of the last things on a big project that is decided, so Max must then work quickly to accumulate all of the materials that he needs to create looks for every actor within the price range of the budget that he has been given.