The latest ScreenSkills/RTS Scotland online event looked at what it takes to work in a TV hair and make-up department in the company of artists at different stages of their careers.
First up with advice at the late-January session was trainee Miriam Sumeray, who said: “As a trainee, the thing that’s going to set you apart is your soft skills more than your practical skills.” She added that being “personable and organised” were key.
Sumeray recommended using the ScreenSkills Trainee Finder scheme, which had helped her land her first jobs in the industry.
Hair, make-up and prosthetics artist Georgia Hobbs, who has worked on Netflix’s period drama Bridgerton, for which hair stylist Marc Pilcher won an Emmy, recalled her first day on set as “terrifying”. She identified “confidence and speed and being able to think on your feet” as key attributes of the job.
Hobbs said her proudest moment in TV has been being thanked by Pilcher in his Emmy acceptance speech: “It was something I will never forget [and] receiving my Emmy certificate for [my] contribution was pretty crazy.” Her job also throws up some odd challenges. Filming Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Hobbs found herself fully clothed, repairing wigs in the Mediterranean.
Experienced make-up designer Jacqui Mallett, who has worked on BBC One hit The Traitors, said trainees needed to “want to learn”. She added: “I find it frustrating when you have a trainee who… sits in the corner and doesn’t say anything.
“I understand it can be daunting… but you have to be interested, enthusiastic and keen.”
Offering a final tip, Hobbs said: “Enjoy it. There are going to be days when you are cold, wet, tired and a bit grumpy, but you’ll look back on that job… and you won’t remember that – you’ll remember everything that you enjoyed.”
The event was hosted by Liz Tagg, Principal of Iver Make-up Academy at Pinewood Studios.