WAES GOES HOLLYWOOD

Students from Westminster Adult Education Service’s (WAES) Special Effects make-up courses gained some real-life work experience after joining the Hollywood film set of screenwriter-director Neil Marshall’s “Doomsday”.

The futuristic action thriller, said to be a blend of Escape From New York and Mad Max, required more than 150 extras to be made-up as “marauders”, which consisted of scarification (scars), tattoos, and an overall punk-tribal look.

The one day shoot in London at an old Ministry of Defence (MOD) site near Chertsey, meant the make-up crew were stretched to their limits by the 150 extras that had to be quickly and efficiently made-up at intervals during the night.

The opportunity came from an ex-WAES make-up student, Simone Stubbs, the head of the make-up department on the feature film, which had already shot on location in South Africa and Scotland.

Jin Jin Ong, a WAES student who worked on the set, said that she was really inspired by the experience.

“It was insightful to work on a Hollywood movie production. There was so much going on and we worked really hard and enjoyed all of it,” Jin Jin said.

“I would really love to continue to work on this scale, working with Paul the Special Effects makeup artist was a really great experience.”

Marita Sargsjana also worked on the set and said that taking part in the experience had given her a boost in confidence.

“The experience was really great and I enjoyed working as part of a team and meeting new people. It has given me the confidence to keep on going,” Marita said.

“I am very happy with the progress in my career and I will continue to study at WAES.”

If you would like more information on make-up courses at WAES, call now on 020 7297 7297.