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 Team Helps A Place Called Home Turn Inner City Girls into ‘Cinderella’ for Prom

The CMS Team (from L-R): Danielle, Audrey, and Martha

On April 27th and 28th, CMS Instructor Wendy Ann Rosen and a group of dedicated students hit A Place Called Home’s youth center in South LA to take part in the annual Cinderella Project.

The Cinderella Project is an annual volunteer drive for at-risk teenage girls that, according to the center, “not only gifts them with a beautiful gown, but also empowers them to develop their inner-beauty and esteem through signing up for volunteer opportunities that will make a tangible difference in their communities.”

The CMS team helped teach the girls makeup techniques to complete the look with their newly donated gowns and shoes and prepare them for prom.

“It was awesome” says Martha Sanchez, a CMS graduate who worked at the event. “It sort of reminded me of when I used to be a cosmetic trainer for L’Oréal USA, in terms of coaching and demonstrating.” 

Wendy Ann also had a glowing review of the event, and added that she might invite some of the girls to participate in her CMS class as models in the future.

   

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.

K-2 Japanese Seminar

Last week Cinema Makeup School hosted 63 students from the KTWO beauty schools in Osaka and Nagoya, Japan. The students were given a tour of the facility and then got to see a demonstration on Special FX and character makeup led by two of our instructors, Kevin Brennan and Carlton Coleman. Here are some pictures of the event:

Kevin and Carlton led simultaneous demos for the visiting students. Kevin applied a silicone blister piece, while Carlton built up a burn using gelatin. 

The Ve Neill Legends of Makeup Scholarship. We want YOU!

There are only a few months left to apply for the Ve Neill Legends of Makeup Scholarship to study here at CMS!! Final applications need to be received by April 30, 2012, so it's never too soon to get started on your application!

The winner of the Legends of Makeup Scholarship will receive a $10,000 award which can be applied toward any program offered here at Cinema Makeup School. In addition to the scholarship, they will also receive press attention and have the chance to represent CMS at events such as IMATS. Here is a glimpse into some of the publicity last year's winner, Wayne Anderson, has received since being announced as the 2011 Legends of Makeup Scholarship recipient.

Cinema Makeup School is Proud to Offer a Slate of Evening Classes for 2012!

Starting on January 16^th, from 6:30 to 10:00 pm, we will be teaching Character Class.  For those beauty makeup artists that want to branch out more into film and tv, music videos and commercials, this class is a must!  Taught by working makeup artists, you will learn how to create realistic makeups right out of your kit, right on the spot!  From old age to bald caps, from facial hair to burns, bruises and scars, this class is the true beginning of your path down the realistic makeup journey.

http://www.cinemamakeup.com/classes/character/index.htm

The Special Makeup FX class is our next evening class being offered.  It starts on Feb 6^th, and goes for 2 months, just like the previous evening classes.  With SFX, you will learn the advanced techniques used to create complex foam latex multi-piece appliances.  You will create dental appliances, as well as learn about fx airbrushing, multi-piece moldmaking, moving blood and bladder work (tubing, spray) and breaking down a script.  For those that want to be able to bid on all of those zombie movies you’ve seen this past year yet didn’t know where to start, this is where you’ll gain the confidence to take on those projects.

http://www.cinemamakeup.com/classes/specialEffects/index.htm

Next on our stop of evening offerings is Prosthetics, which is slated to start on the evening of March 12^th.  This class teaches you how to create realistic makeups utilizing all the skin materials being used in the industry.  Focusing on realism, you learn how to work with silicone gel-filled appliances, pros-aide transfer appliances, gelatin and foam latex.  You will learn how to lifecast, sculpt and cast, as well as learning realistic coloration and blending.  For those learning how to a scar that has to look exactly the same day to day, or create a likeness that has to stand HD scrutiny, this class is for you!

http://www.cinemamakeup.com/classes/prosthetics/index.htm

On March 12^th, we will also be starting our Evening High Fashion Photographic Makeup Course.  It goes for 12 weeks, and includes all of our Beauty class plus Airbrushing/Bodypainting and Hairstyling, plus a Photoshoot, including models and a cd of your work!  If you’ve been thinking of becoming a beauty makeup artist, but have a day job or other duties that make day training an impossibility, consider our evening classes.  You don’t need any previous training, as it’s our job to teach you from the ground up!  Be it working with cosmetic companies like MAC or Sephora, or you want to break into editorial makeup for photoshoots and work on fashion shows, this would be the course choice that will get you started!

http://www.cinemamakeup.com/classes/highFashion/index.htm

*Evening classes qualify for special payment plans.  Inquire at info@cinemamakeup.com 

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

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

CMS Graduates Chosen for SyFy's hit FaceOff!!

Cinema Makeup School is excited to announce that two of our graduates – Tara Lang and Miranda Jory - have been selected as contestants for Season 2 of Syfy’s hit show FaceOff!

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.

The Cinema Makeup School Museum Opens its Doors

June 1st, 2011 Cinema Makeup School moved into its new space on the second floor of Hollywood’s Wiltern Theater. Since then the staff and students have been enjoying the new space and amenities that the school’s new location offers, and are now proud to announce the opening of their own museum.

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.

On the Set: CMS Students Attend Star Trek Day by Eva Buinowski

CMS students at the Frank and Son's Collectible Show.

This past weekend, some of our current CMS students attended the 2nd Annual Star Trek Day at the Frank and Son's Collectible Show. CMS' Eva Buinowski was there to capture all of the excitement of the event.

The Dick Smith Legends of Makeup Scholarship Announcement

The winner of Cinema Makeup School & Fangoria Magazine’s $10,000 Dick Smith Legends of Makeup Scholarship has been selected. This has been a grueling process for our scholarship committee.We have meticulously read through hundreds of applications and found several spectacular artists that made it extremely difficult to choose only one winner. We applaud everyone’s efforts especially these four finalists: Nicole Ordaz, Las Vegas, NV, USA; Katherine Tyryk, Moscow, Russia; Melissa Jimenez Ramirez, Bogota, Colombia; and Ebony Kay, Lilydale, Australia. For these four finalists, we are happy to reward them with Cinema Makeup School’s signature Digital Effects Makeup class.

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. 

Congratulations to all of our IMATS winners from this past year!

Cinema Makeup School would like to congratulate all of our IMATS 2010 winners. You all deserve it and we are so proud of you!

E-News Dec 2010

We just released the CMS Newsletter for Dec.2010! Click on the link below to find out what our students and graduates have been up to the last months!

http://www.cinemamakeup.com/gallery/newsletters.htm

Joel Harlow at Cinema Makeup School

Cinema Makeup School is proud to present an interactive OPEN CLASS event on January 5,2011 featuring Academy Award and 2 time Emmy Award winner Joel Harlow. Some of his credits include: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Star Trek, Angels & Demons, Alice in Wonderland, Inception, The Tourist and Green Lantern (to name a few...)

Don't miss this opportunity and reserve a spot by contacting info@cinemamakeup.com as soon as possible! Check out the teaser video below:

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all students, graduates and CMS Friends! Here our second Christmas design! Enjoy!