A Day in the Life of a Special Effects Make-up Artist: Helping Kids Pick a Career

As a kid I don’t think I had any idea it was someone’s job to transform actors faces into monster faces. Even with CGI everything, there’s still lots of work for Special Effects Make-up Artists to do.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTYZokU5chg

This is a very creative career path that involves training as a traditional make-up artist, as well as learning how to make prosthetics, and picking up many other tricks along the way. Loving to work in 3D art forms like sculpture are a big help.

Here in British Columbia, we have a thriving film industry that requires make-up artists of all types. The salary for a Special Effects Make-up Artist is approximately $44,000-$53,000 according to WorkBC, but it’s worth keeping in mind often the jobs are tied to a particular production, so there can be dry spells. Days are long on set, but your work is seen by millions of people.

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It’s pretty cool, creating monsters is a really job!

This post is sponsored by the Government of BC. Map your career plan with Blueprint Builder. Visit this easy-to-use tool to explore career paths, find the right education and funding, and search for jobs in your field. Visit workbc.ca to find out more.

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Erin McGann

Erin McGann is the former Managing Editor for Vancouver Mom and Toronto Mom Now. She drinks just a bit too much coffee, is a bit obsessed about sourcing local food, plays the cello moderately well, spends too much time on Twitter, keeps honeybees on a rooftop, and has a thing for single-malt whisky. Erin is working on a novel set in turn-of-the-century Vancouver, which her husband, son and dog have to hear about all the time, and also blogs at Erin at Large.