FAQs

Yes, makeup FX and prosthetic skills are highly transferable, and many people use them to get jobs in other fields. In entertainment there are avenues such as wax works and live performance; haunts and theme parks for example, and there’s the medical simulation field building realistic training devices and doing moulage for casualty training. There’s a whole industry of technicians creating realistic cosmetic silicone devices such as prosthetic hands and feet for amputees, and now the world of robotics is utilising artists to make hyper-real skins for robots.

Neill has loads of advice for beginners covering everything from techniques to practice at home and which school exam subjects to choose, to whether YouTube tutorials are a reliable learning resource, and how to gain valuable experience.

Yes, professional workshops and studios are always looking for people with a range of skills, of which sculpture is just one. They also need mould makers, silicone technicians, animatronics technicians, hair punchers, costume and fabrication technicians, 3D print and modelling technicians, to name only a few.

No, but having a qualification proves that you’ve studied properly, preferably under experienced, knowledgeable teachers. This means you’re more likely to understand the industry, and graduating from a reputable course can give you credibility with potential employers.

There are no set rates and many variables that affect artists’ pay. Rates vary widely according to skills, experience, and level of responsibility, as well as the size of the production and which country it’s in. There also tend to be different rates for workshop and on-set work.

As a long-term industry employer, Neill offers this careers advice.

The industry isn’t specific to London, but the number of opportunities is greater where the most productions are taking place, so living out in the regions will be limiting when you’re starting out. Productions shoot all over the place, however, so once you’ve established yourself, you can live where you like and travel to the work.

If you’re getting something from it and not losing money then yes. A student film where nobody on the crew is getting paid for example is ok, but if others are being paid when you’re not, that’s exploitation. As a minimum, all out of pocket expense such as materials and travel should be covered.

No. Instagram is adequate to show your work, but set up a dedicated account, so it’s not mixed with personal pics. Use your own name (with FX after it if you like) rather than inventing a name which can be counterproductive if potential employers can’t find you.

Yes, on-set application is a job, but it’s a limiting career choice. The design and manufacture of prosthetics is the most time-heavy part of the process, so if you don’t have the workshop skills to be part of that, you’re limiting your employability; you’re more likely to be hired if you can do both aspects of the job. If your ambition is to make prosthetic application a career, however, adding straight makeup and hair to your skill set will increase the time you’re able to spend on jobs.

The Facebook group Neill Gorton’s Makeup FX 911 is an accessible and reliable place to ask for technical advice. Many professional prosthetics artists, including Neill, share their knowledge and experience here. Please be sure to follow the posting rules.

The fundamentals of animatronics are engineering skills and mechanical knowhow: levers, gears, pulleys, etc. These basic engineering principles are the same wherever they’re applied and are the foundations on which animatronics skills are built. Learning animatronics isn’t straightforward, however. Find ways to approach it here.

Like CGI before it, AI is no doubt going to be an important part of filmmaking in the future, but there’s no sign yet of it replacing prosthetics and makeup FX. When CGI and digital FX started becoming common in filmmaking, many people were concerned that they would impact our work, but 25 years later there’s more practical prosthetics and creature FX being done than ever before.

This is because actors and directors still like to work with practical elements; actors like to actually look different rather than just pretend to look different, and they like to have physical props and creatures to act against, rather than performing alongside a ball on a string on a green screen stage. It is also widely recognised that the look of prosthetics on-screen is preferred by many viewers, and the psychology of how practical effects contribute more to the suspension of disbelief than digital ones is well understood, meaning there is likely to always be a demand for them.

So rather than be concerned about these technologies, we are instead using them and incorporating them into our work. In prosthetics and creature FX we are already using AI to help with our design process, and we use digital techniques such as 3D modelling and printing to help us construct our practical creations.