Ve Neill Scholarship: The Results Are In!

Makeup Legend Ve Neill and CMS Director of Admissions Lee Joyner review materials

After long deliberation and input from a panel of top makeup professionals and instructors, Cinema Makeup School—the premiere makeup training institution in the world—and Fangoria magazine have chosen Anna Cichon, a Polish national living in London, England, to receive their  $10,000 Legends of Makeup Scholarship.

This year’s prize was named for Ve Neill, a three-time Academy Award winner and eight-time nominee. Ve’s work appears in such films as Beetlejuice, Mrs. Doubtfire, Edward Scissorhands, The Pirates of the Caribbean series, and The Hunger Games, and she regularly appears as a judge on SyFy Network’s FaceOff. Ve herself selected Anna from a pool of finalists.

“I’m very excited and honored to be a part of the Legends of Makeup Scholarship,” said Ve. “And I would like to congratulate Anna and applaud her beautiful work.”

To make the finalist pool, Anna’s work was selected from submissions from all over the world by a panel of top makeup artists and CMS instructors.

“We had such a hard time choosing the winner of the Legends of Makeup Scholarship this year,” said Lee Joyner, Director of Admissions at CMS and a panelist. “There was a large amount of fantastic applications from around the world. It’s always hard finding the final winner, and Ve and the Scholarship Panel thought long and hard on this difficult choice.”

Still, Anna’s work managed to stand out.

“Dedication and passion for the art of makeup and all of its facets are two of the main attributes of a fine artist,” said Leonard Engelman, the Governor of the Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch of AMPAS, who chaired the panel. “[Anna] obviously has both of these.”

Panelists hard at work (L-R): Kevin Brennan, Craig Reardon, Lee Joyner, Mike Spatola and Leonard Engelman

Anna (pronounced Ahn-YA) originally hails from Poland. That is where she began pursuing makeup work five years ago before moving to London in 2011 to try to break into the British film industry. In her young career, Anna has already had work featured in Makeup Artist Magazine and assisted on multiple feature films. Anna plans to use the scholarship to attend CMS’s Master Makeup Program and take advanced courses to expand her already impressive skill set.  

The other finalists will not be walking away empty-handed. Due to the quality of the work submitted, CMS has decided to extend three additional $1,000 scholarship offers to Angela Davis (Advance, NC), Margaret Caragan (Oakland, CA) and Lakey Yonglei (Shanghai, China).

Next time you see Anna, she’ll be at the School’s booth at Pasadena IMATS alongside her CMS classmates and instructors.

“Utilizing our state-of-the-art curriculum, [Anna] will be immersed in a world of advanced training and one-of-a-kind networking,” said Lee. “We’re excited to have her here at CMS.”

Speaking to Anna, Ve continued to offer the young artist praise. “You have a great start on being a top-notch makeup artist across the board. We all look forward to seeing your progress.”

While Anna celebrates her achievement, all eyes will turn to next year’s scholarship contest. Ve Neill will again lend her name and expertise to the 2013 award and competition is sure to be stiffer than ever.

For Anna, however, the journey is just beginning. “Cinema Makeup School will be life-changing to me...I need to learn more to keep up with the competition and pursue a career working with something my heart beats for.”

We’re excited for you, Anna! Check below for some images of Anna's winning work.

CMS Classes Tour Some of the Industry’s Best FX Labs

Last Monday, CMS Students got the chance to tour two legendary Special Effects Shops: The Character Shop and ADI. Sounds like the coolest field trip that we’ve ever heard of!

CMS Intern, and Dick Smith Scholarship Recipient, Wayne Anderson gives us his report:    

Our first stop was at Rick Lazzarini’s “The Character Shop” where they specialize in animatronic animals, puppets, robots, creatures and characters. Feature films [they’ve done] include Aliens, Mimic, Snakes on a Plane, Nightmare on Elm Street, Ghostbusters II,  and many, many more. They’ve also worked on a pile of commercials for major companies like Cadbury chocolate, DiGiorno pizza, Sprint and Budweiser.  

Rick Lazzarini shows us an animatronic Puma. Foam latex is used for the skin of the Puma and the skull is made out of vacuform plastic, the whole thing’s hollow so Rick can run all the cables and servos. Rick used radio controls to give the Puma life. Just the head can be outfitted with 20 plus servos! Rick explained how the radio controller transmits to the servos that pull and push cables to give the puma expressions.

In the front you can see the “Foster Imposters,” a pair of goofy chicken character puppets from TV spots for Foster Farms. On the upper shelf are a grinning trio of “Desperate Hyenas” from Cadbury ads. The hyenas have rod-controlled head and legs, with animatronic facial expressions .

Just looking around the Character shop you’ll be inspired to start creating your own animatronic puppet! 

Next stop was ADI. ADI is known for animatronics, animals, specialty costumes, makeup and human replicas.  Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff Jr. are the owners of ADI. You can see their work in some of the biggest hit movies like: AVP: Alien vs. Predator , Death Becomes Her (Academy Award Winner), ALIEN 3 (Academy Award Nominee), Hollow Man ( Academy Award Nominee), and Starship Troopers (Academy Award Nominee). We couldn’t take many photos at ADI because they’re working on a new movie that is strictly confidential.

As CMS students arrived, we signed disclosure agreements and handed over our cameras so pictures were limited.

We did get to snap one shot of the Predator bust from AVP and models of the Aliens to its right.

We had a really great time at both shops! The pros were very nice, super knowledgeable and happy to answer all of our questions! 

-W.A.

Rick Lazarrini, via Twitter, had even higher praise for Wayne and the rest of the group from CMS:

“It was AWESOME! Lots of talented and interested students with great questions took the tour. Hope to see ‘em in the workplace!”

CMS Takes London by Storm: IMATS 2012

Last week Cinema Makeup School flew across the pond to attend the International Makeup Artists Trade Show (IMATS) in London. Director of Admissions Lee Joyner and instructor Carlton Coleman lead the CMS booth which handed out information about the school and hosted two live Special FX makeup demonstrations and creature maquette sculpting. They were assisted in their work by CMS graduates Dave Felstead, Jodi Marie Spencer and Alexandra Myta.

The event, held in the Great Hall of the Alexandra Palace in North London, was a huge success, despite a surprise snowstorm Saturday night which organizers feared would keep attendees away. There were exhibits from makeup artists, brands representatives, and schools throughout the weekend as well as keynote addresses from industry professionals and the annual student competition. Exhibitors came from all over Europe, the US and beyond to participate in this exciting show!

Here are some images from last week's event:

The CMS booth featured a Special FX makeup demonstration by  Carlton Coleman and a creature maquette sculpture demonstration by Lee Joyner on both days.

CINEMA MAKEUP SCHOOL HOSTS 3-TIME ACADEMY AWARD WINNER VE NEILL

Cinema Makeup School's Ve Neill Signature Seminar Was a Smashing Success!

Face Off Season 3 Exclusive Casting Call

It is no secret that we are big fans of the Sy Fy channel's hit reality TV show Face Off, but it seems that they are fans of Cinema Makeup School as well! In order to find contestants for their third season of competition, they contacted the school and decided to have an exclusive casting call for CMS students, graduates, and instructors. While we can't tell you if anyone was chosen for the show, we can show you a few pictures from the auditions.

Cinema Makeup School Graduate Garret Christensen prepares his prosthetic application.

Dick Smith Legends of Makeup Scholarship Winner Wayne Anderson at IMATS 2011

Wayne Anderson with Leonard Engelman, Governor of the make-up branch of the Board of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Science

Less than two months ago Wayne Anderson was announced as the recipient of the Cinema Makeup School & Fangoria Magazine’s $10,000.00 Dick Smith Legends of Makeup Scholarship. It already looks like his makeup career is off to a promising start. Before taking in all the IMATS Pasadena festivities, Anderson spent Friday afternoon visiting the Cinema Makeup School with family.

Face Off Season 2 auditions at CMS this Saturday

Don't forget about Face Off Season 2 auditions at CMS this Saturday for students, instructors, and alumni. Email us at info@cinemamakeup.com to sign up!

London IMATS 2011 Event

Cinema Makeup School wowed the crowd again in London!  Graduate Gage Hubbard (of SyFy’s Face-Off fame) performed 2 prosthetics in our booth this year.  His model, graduate Gehan Mohammed, was the subject of both of his creepy creations.  The first, on Saturday, as a foam latex dried up zombie look, complete with hand appliances.  The second, applied on Sunday, was a silicone gel filled appliance of a mutant, complete with schoolgirl uniform.  The crowd loved the edgy factor of that particular makeup, and many a laugh and gasp were heard during the transformation.  Even Neil Gorton was drawn into the booth to congratulate Gage on his show stopping masterpiece. 

CMS works with Miss California and Miss Califronia Teen 2011!

Each year Cinema Makeup School has the opportunity to send students and graduates to assist in the Miss California and Miss California Teen pageant held every autumn.  This past weekend, November 21st, 2010, CMS sent over 30 makeup artists and hair stylists to help glam up the Beauty Queens.

Current student Ramon Blanco was one lucky guy when he realized which contestants he had been paired with,  "I was able to work with BOTH the Miss and Miss Teen Winners!... It was wonderful."

Students and Graduates loaded up their cars and traveled east to the exclusive Palms Springs area for the big day. The CMS crew had just a few hours to make up 80+ contestants for the main portion of the pageant, and later had to be present for touch ups and hair changes. "The director came and told us how thankful he was for our help... how appreciative he was... that was really nice of him, it was a really great experience." said current student Krystal George of her time there.
All the students agreed that overall it was a great event. "It was well organized and a good working environment." Student Jyll King said, with student Alicia Mizrahi chimming in, "... and the buffet was great too!".

Cinema is always proud to have their students represent such a widely known and well respected organization, and we know there will be many more opportunities to come. Of the experience, Ramon later said, "... to have the entire room filled with current and former CMS students, I would do this again year after year."

New IMATS 2010 videos!

Check out our new IMATS 2010 videos at Youtube! Part 1 shows the Beauty/Fantasy Contest and Part 2  instructor demos.

Enjoy and feel free to leave a comment! Click on these links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJx7tnVs5EA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPrR5L0cUvg

Monsterpalooza 2010

Master Sculptor Lee Joyner explains his sculpting techniques with an interested special effects artist.  

Disgusting, disturbing, and dreadful, are nothing but compliments coming from attendees at this years 2nd annual Monsterpalooza event! As the place was packed from wall to wall with monster lovers, creators, and costars of the films they once screamed in, The Marriott Burbank Convention Center was the place to be from April 9th - 11th if you are a fan of everything creepy. While some fans even dressed as their old favorites like Frankenstein, Freddie, and Jason, others played paparazzi to the guest speakers, ( like Barney Burman,The Chiodo Brothers, Howard Berger), monstrous displays of merchandise, and of course clay-tastic creations. Cinema Makeup School was definitely a snap shot hot spot!

With Director of Admissions & Master sculptor Lee Joyner working on a few of his unique creature designs, student Miranda Jory sculpted away on her full body Dragon creature design and Graduate Garret Christensen also kept the clay moving as he created a gangly vulture! The sculpting at the booth seemed to generate a lot of talk and interest in the school as well as the creature maquette class, as even a few big names in the makeup Industry like Jordu Shell, and Ve Neill, came by to check out the students work! Graduates Garret Christensen and Emily Nakasone also participated in Cinema Makeup School's awesome blood demo with MUA Instructor Rallis Kahn. It truly was a gory hit and in the end the convention had great focus on the monsters and the people who made them.

Garret Christensen sculpts away on his maquette. 

 Leonard Engelman introduces Rallis Kahn for the CMS Blood Demo.

Graduate Emily Nakasone displays a bloody cut during the demo!

Cinema Makeup School in London for 2010 IMATS

CMS Graduate Jodie Watts models the Draconian Lady silicone appliance.

Cinema Makeup School made an appearance at the 2010 International Makeup Artist Trade Show this past January.  Director of Admissions Lee Joyner was sculpting in the booth, representing our new Creature Maquette Sculpture Class (unique to CMS), and graduate and technical Emmy Award winner Carlton Coleman applied a silicone gel-filled appliance (sculpted and designed by Lee Joyner, lab work by CMS interns Tomo Hayashi and Chris Hernandez).  Carlton was showcasing CMS’ cutting edge application instruction in plastic encapsulated platinum gel silicone appliances.  Special fx artist and creature designer Amy Ali assisted both Lee and Carlton.

Master Sculptor Lee Joyner works on one of his creature creations

 

IMATS attendees were able to feel a silicone gel-filled appliance on display.

Special Makeup FX Artist Carlton Coleman instructing on how to properly apply silicone prosthetics

Cameras flash as attendees capture an elusive image of Carlton's masterful application of the Dragon Lady.

A younger, battle scarred version of the Draconish race!

The CMS booth was constantly filled with curious soon to be makeup artists!

CMS Students and Graduates wow the crowd at Long Beach's International Salon and Spa Expo

This past Sunday, January 31, 2010, CMS students participated in Long Beach’s International Salon and Spa Expo.CMS Instructor Mireille Bertrand and her crew of current students, including Jennifer Quinteros, Lacie Guzman, Lauren Bracco, Tara McKinney, April Koeberle, Katherine Chandler, Adriana Arreguin, Yadira Covarrubias, Jessica Morais, and Veronica Gil Duran provided the makeup and hair for Fusion Tool Company’s grand opening for the ISSE main stage.  Since vampire's seem to be the new trend in movies and fashion, Fusion hair designer Lashawndra Harris wanted a vampire theme for her show.  Pale skin, red lips and dark eyes were all the rage.  Red glitter and sequins were added to further and enhance the makeup and inspire the audience to recreate a more glamorized vampire style.  The ISSE's Fashion Theatre was packed as the artists sent their vampy models down the runway. Not only was it a success for Long Beach's biggest hair show, it was a success for Mireille and her passionate crew.