Alla Churya: convincingly about makeup and much more

The article was first published in the magazine “Makeup&YOU Professional” and is intended for professional makeup artists.

…cinema in Ukraine

The history of cinema goes back a little over a hundred years, but in this short period of time the attraction of the screen has become so strong that life without cinema seems unthinkable. His power is so invincible that, having opened the magical door to the world of light, beauty and fantastic illusions, you are left with no chance of leaving this territory. If we talk about Ukrainian cinema, its beginning can be considered January 9, 1894. At the congress of Russian naturalists, a native of the Kharkov province, Joseph Andreevich Timchenko, demonstrated a personally developed apparatus for projecting images onto a screen. And although scientists could not see a great future in the invention, nevertheless, cinema has already begun searching for its audience. In September 1896, in Kharkov, photographer Alfred Fedetsky shot several newsreels and showed them to the townspeople gathered at the opera house. It is interesting that in the same 1896, a constant demonstration of French films began in the photographic studio of M. Appel “Rembrandt” in Lviv. But still, Kharkov was destined to become a pioneer in the film industry of the then empire. In 1908, the French Bommer brothers opened the first stationary cinema in the empire in the city, which still operates today. And I also want to say this: the peculiarity of Ukrainian cinema is its originality. If the Russian “pioneers of cinema” turned to their song and literary culture in search of themes, then in Ukraine they turned to their history. In 1911, in the village of Lotsmanskaya Kamenka, in the suburbs of Yekaterinoslav (modern Dnieper), Danil Sakhnenko shot the first full-length silent feature film of Ukrainian production - “Zaporozhye Sich” and became a recognized pioneer of Ukrainian cinema. This year the film studio named after. A. Dovzhenko turned 90 years old. I was lucky, I worked for many years at this legendary film factory, where masterpieces of world cinema were created. "Ukrainian Poetic Cinema" is a film studio named after. Dovzhenko. Leonid Osyka, Yuri Ilyenko, Sergei Parajanov, Ivan Mikolaichuk - this is a film studio named after. Dovzhenko. And even the American Academy of Motion Pictures teaches its students based on the films of Alexander Dovzhenko. I like my life! I traveled a lot, saw a lot, met many extraordinary people. Even today my social circle is mainly “filmmakers” - special people from a special clan.

…differences between Ukrainian and foreign cinema

Such questions always bother me a little. Of course there is a difference. I don't think you can make such comparisons today. There is cinema in Ukraine and it is quite serious, including student cinema. We just don't see it. And what appears on television and on cinema screens is foreign soap, even if it’s professionally made. That's not even the point! We are losing our identity, our audience, we are educating young people on foreign culture. They are already almost Americans, “ok” and “yes” are their everyday and familiar expressions of emotions. Many professions in film crews have been renamed in the American style. It just seems like nothing, but Americanization in Ukraine is in full swing and this is not a very good signal for our authenticity. Why there is no state support for its own cinema in Ukraine is a big mystery to me. At the end of summer there was a congress of filmmakers. The Deputy Minister was present and, speaking, said that the National Film Studio named after. A. Dovzhenko, among many objects, is put up for sale (National!). I simply didn’t bother to answer the question about Ukrainian cinema. But he said that in private hands it would flourish, and Hollywood would shoot its blockbusters there one after another.

... the difference between makeup and make-up

Visagiste. “Visage” is a word that means “face” in French, or more precisely “a person who works with a face.” These are people who work in salons or individually with clients on a certain brand of decorative cosmetics. Their task is also to sell these paints to the client. Makeup itself has certain rules and patterns. First of all, this is a face painting job using certain color patterns that are considered trendy, from the point of view of makeup artists, today. Makeup must emphasize the beauty and charm of the face without complex corrections and concepts of the “golden ratio”. Make-up artist. The word “make-up” comes from the ancient Greek word “grimo” - wrinkle. Wrinkles appear on the face in response to different states of mind. The theatrical term “make-up,” as we see, owes its origin to the ancient Greek idea of the movement of the soul. A make-up artist is a person who professionally transforms the image of an actor for a specific role. And, if makeup accentuates beauty, then makeup can successfully ruin it. With the help of makeup, you can make an actor’s beautiful face completely ugly, ugly, disfigured, wounded, tired, aged, and everywhere there will be a corresponding state of mind, expressed by facial expressions and reflected in the lines of the makeup. A make-up artist is a professional master who knows all forms of working with the face: make-up, make-up, some stylistic techniques, as well as the ability to change the face, creating portrait, character, fantasy, plastic, volumetric-sculptural and special make-ups, which today are called “special effects”. Usually this profession is focused on working in films, theaters, and television. The range of work of this specialist is wide, since he must thoroughly master the art of hairdressing, hairdressing, knowledge of the history of hairstyles and the ability to create any of them, strictly observing all the nuances of this subtle and complex technology. A makeup artist not only creates a certain image, he transforms a face to suit a certain character, working closely with the entire creative crew.

... the differences between makeup and plastic surgery

It would probably be more correct to raise the question about the essence of two completely different professions: there is a makeup artist and a plastic makeup artist (special effects artist). The first one creates an image using all the techniques of transforming artistic makeup, including plastic additions, the second one produces them and works only in this direction. But it’s not just old people’s masks, monsters, zombies, false scars, bald heads and dummies – it’s also the production of animatronic objects. This requires knowledge and technical skills, and since filmmaking is a collective work, it is necessary to understand and understand at least a dozen other film professions. Light, optics, angle, size, color rendering - this knowledge helps to create animatronic images, without stylistically falling out of the general visual key of the film. And, of course, anatomy, drawing, painting, sculpture, because it is not for nothing that the title “artist” comes first in both professions.

...the differences between decorative cosmetics and professional makeup

Let's start with decorative cosmetics. It is also divided into two types: paints for consumers and for professional makeup artists. Conventional decorative cosmetics, which are sold in stores, are intended for individual use by the consumer at home. In terms of its composition, it is quite gentle, easy to apply and also easily washed off with water, without being particularly stable. Although luxury brands try to find a compromise between stability, comfort and ease of removal. Their foundations are typically lightweight, translucent, very comfortable, and can last about five to six hours on the skin. They are usually presented in two to six tones, without any particular differences in texture and density. Non-professional decorative cosmetics most often offer calm, translucent and natural colors. The set of “household” shadows is seasonal and paired, offering a ready-made solution for makeup. However, often well-known brands present large palettes with a variety of colors that are outwardly very rich and bright, but in reality are quite transparent when applied. Ordinary cosmetics are also rarely without sparkling additives. Often, products from non-professional brands immediately have the desired and fashionable color and do not need additional layers of mother-of-pearl and shine. As a rule, decorative sets are made up of “traditional tones” and commercially successful colors in the current season, so it is quite difficult to find your favorite paints made in previous seasons. Manufacturers of non-professional cosmetics try to put a simple composition in attractive packaging in order to “hook” the buyer. Designers are diligently turning powder compacts and lipsticks into fashion accessories. The surest sign of a non-professional brand is multi-colored shadows compressed directly into one tablet, and replacement tablets are not expected in principle. The numbering of tones often does not determine the contents of the bottle. The names of decorative paints amaze with a riot of imagination: “Evening Lily”, “Pink Silk”, etc. Premium decorative cosmetics are good, proven products, usually from leading perfume houses. It was created primarily for photo and video shooting. The main requirement for such cosmetics is durability. It has high quality and a fairly high price. It is important to understand that professional decorative cosmetics, which are in the arsenal of makeup artists, are not suitable for daily use: they are quite dense and heavy for the skin. An example is a foundation that almost always contains silicone, which, when applied, forms a durable film that creates the illusion of perfectly smooth and even skin, but at the same time it retains the skin's breath and moisture. Such cosmetics are intended for creating makeup for especially special occasions (for example, a wedding ceremony), where photo and video shooting always takes place, that is, when long-term makeup is needed that hides all skin imperfections for a long time. Packaging for professional cosmetics should be compact. Most of these products are collected in palettes that are easy to transport and use. As a rule, they do not have bright, catchy packaging, since they are not intended for wide retail sales among non-professionals. It is desirable that palettes and boxes stack well in a professional’s suitcase, which is why manufacturers often prefer rectangular cases. The lids and jars of professional products are usually transparent so that the master can immediately see their color. The packaging of cosmetics should not be heavy, but strong, so that the hinges on the lids do not fall off even when dropped. Every makeup artist is familiar with the expression “running tone,” that is, a universal and frequently used shade that runs out extremely quickly, which is why the volume of jars of professional foundations is usually large. This also applies to powder and blush. The diameter of blush and powder tablets cannot be small, because they are designed to work with a fairly large brush. Pills in the shape of hearts and stars are not welcome in a professional environment. The distance between the color washers in the palette should be sufficient so that they do not mix during use. As a rule, professional products are produced in palettes with replaceable tablets, which can be purchased separately. Professional brand foundation must be packaged in a container with a tight-fitting cap. The cap and spout of the dispenser should be designed in such a way that cream drips do not accumulate in them. Professional brands offer a wide selection, including palettes for salon and runway makeup, and palettes with special effects, for example, paints that glow in ultraviolet light or in the dark. Today, professional products are also abundantly represented by materials of different textures: fatty, dry, diluted with water or alcohol. Professional cosmetics are distinguished by clearly marked and logical numbering. By coding, for example, a foundation can determine the lightness and warmth of the shade: pinkish or yellowish, light or dark. Of course, there are differences between professional and non-professional decorative cosmetics, but this is not the main emphasis in the profession. The main thing is to thoroughly master your professional skills, and then it won’t make much difference what brand of material you have in your hands or what you work with. Therefore, I would like to advise: learn to work with any decorative paints, both expensive, prestigious ones, and cheap, not very popular ones. The difference in their recipes is small, but often among non-professional brands there are those that surprise not only with their price, but also delight with their properties. Now about makeup materials and the specificity of their range. In one of the articles for your magazine, I already talked a little about this separate group of professional products for film and television, which we simply call “make-up”. With their help, that amazing transformation into the image and transformation of a real human actor into a characteristic character takes place. Film makeup is quite different from ordinary decorative cosmetics. When developing and producing makeup products intended for use in the working film process, it is necessary to take into account not only the specifics of lighting, its spectral composition (both artificial and natural), but also the photosensitivity and contrast of any video medium on which the film is shot, especially if it film, which then undergoes technological processing. And also the process of moving a captured image from digital to film (I don’t really understand this, so I don’t specify it, but say it in passing), because All films shown in cinemas are made from film. Specific temperature conditions of shooting, color-tonal organization of the frame and obtaining the appropriate effect on the screen - all this is also taken into account by the technologists working on the creation of makeup materials. Bases and pigments for makeup are different than for consumer decorative cosmetics. I will list some of the basic requirements for makeup paints for cinema and TV during their production:

• Harmlessness
• Correspondence of tone color to the spectral characteristics of the standard (compliance with the standard in tones and shades)
• Maximum tonal purity
• Light fastness, ensuring that when applying makeup to the skin, the tones remain unchanged under the influence of sunlight and artificial light for 8 hours
• Chemical inertness towards the skin, as well as other makeup components
• Dispersion of paints (micronization method)
• High covering power and elasticity of foundations
• The ability to thinly and evenly cover the skin while maintaining its main structural and textured features
• Preservation of facial modeling in any lighting and different temperature conditions
• Non-absorbability into the skin and insolubility in sweat secretions (the latter property is completely absent in foundations of decorative cosmetics, providing them with easy removal when removing makeup, but causes a lot of trouble on the set, as it flows in cloudy drops of sweat and tears)
• No separation, grains or flaky lumps, i.e. absolutely homogeneous mass
• Appropriate consistency, which makes it possible to apply makeup paints without pre-treatment (heating), this is a matter of working with fingers
• Moderate hardness of makeup paints; they should not melt, run off or give a very shiny smear on the skin (the dropping point of the fat base should not be lower than 45°)
• The reaction of the water extract is neutral, etc.

That is why such makeup products, which are produced in accordance with the listed requirements, are called “professional”. They must work efficiently in specifically difficult professional conditions.

... persuasiveness in the frame

Persuasiveness in the frame is what film experts call the “effect of presence” or “effect of participation,” when the viewer empathizes with the characters and feels like a participant in the events taking place on the screen. “Proportio” (correlation, proportionality) - this is how the relationship of various elements of a work of art was called back in Ancient Rome, and since cinema is a collective work, this is the correct ratio of all the conscientiously performed elements of work by the film crew.

... about mutual understanding within the film crew

They are different. The film crew can be called a team, where the common interests of joint activities are put in first place. If you are proficient in your profession, if you are calm, confident and know what needs to be done and how to do it correctly, this always inspires respect and, accordingly, mutual understanding arises.

...about the most memorable filming

You always remember those films that are difficult, where there is a lot of difficult work, actors, extras, where some unexpected stories happen. But at the end of such a film, you experience a feeling of victory, the joy of overcoming, and you really love your colleagues with whom you lived such a difficult part of your life.

...about my own school

“Alla Churi’s Professional Makeup School” is already 22 years old. This is the only educational institution in Ukraine that professionally trains make-up specialists for film and television. My daughter Angela Churya and I are professional makeup artists who have worked in cinema for many years. The list of films on our creative cards is very impressive. Our school’s motto: “We know everything about the profession! We master it perfectly! We create professionals!” And there are already a lot of working professionals, our graduates. They have long been masters of aerobatics with big names familiar to everyone: Irina Belina, Marina Borshchevskaya, Victoria Bessarab, Tatyana Kharkova, Ilona Glazunova, Liliana Khoma, Tatyana Gerlak, Irina Solodovskaya, Natalya Belik, Alla Yakimova. It would take a long time to list them, and it would also take a long time to talk about where they work, but cinema and television are the main ones. In addition to the “School of Professional Makeup” with a two-year training period, we have created the “New Alla Churi School”. This is a school where the program is divided into modules in certain professional areas, and is an advanced training course for makeup artists with work experience. But the very first module is called “Fundamentals of Makeup Skills,” which gives you the opportunity to learn from scratch. In addition to such fundamental training courses, there are several shorter ones designed for salon makeup artists. The school operates according to my original programs and methods. I want to say a few more words about training. I give a lot of master classes not only in Kyiv, but I travel all over Ukraine, so I see well what is happening in the beauty field. Young people are mainly focused on quick, short and inexpensive training. 1.5-2 months, and already a “professional makeup artist” opens an “author’s” “professional” school. What can such a teacher teach? Hence the general professional level. I won't mention one detail of the flooring, but the situation is regrettable. Moreover, this assessment concerns the last 3 years. Breaking is not building, losses come in giant strides. I really want to convey to the ears of future makeup artists a simple idea: a good education means high status, a worthy position in society and very good earnings.

... diligence and talent

In my practice, I have encountered both: brilliant talent with a complete lack of effort, and enormous effort with a lack of talent. You can teach only in one case: if you have a desire to learn, and if you know how to teach them.

…effective learning

Any educational process is an interaction between student and teacher. What should a teacher be like to teach? First of all, literate. He must be fully proficient in the profession he teaches. Any effective educational process must be action-oriented, and in this profession, like in no other, theoretical knowledge is meaningless without practical application. Make-up is one of the most important expressive means of creating an artistic image. That is why the profession of a make-up artist or makeup artist (make-up is a small part of the subject of “make-up”) requires extensive knowledge, but only through action is their understanding formed. It is this very action that the teacher who undertakes to teach is obliged to organize, teach and develop to the point of automatism.