Key Hair and MakeUp
TEENA BLACK
I could never have known just how much fun and how many kind people I would meet when I received a very last minute call to come and do makeup and hair for Spring… a comedy short commissioned by the 2010 Cultural Olympiad Digital Edition. I’ve never been one to follow sports or the Olympics, but the Canadian in me was truly excited to be contributing, especially on a year hosted in Vancouver.
From person one, the very sweet Carlie Clough, excitement and kindness abounded… And it made perfect sense when I arrived and met Lynne Kamm – the writer and director. I was immediately endeared to her as we spoke of the match-cutting she would be doing, taking our leading lady from her bedtime pj look to a winter wonderland dream sequence. Her energy and enthusiasm set the tone for one of the loveliest sets I have ever worked on.
The expressed vision and sets inspired me to really have fun with an exaggerated bedhead look into a frostified face for the dream seqence. As is commonly the way, there was little time to change over looks and again I was blessed to be working on Natalie Lisinska who was beyond gracious and cool as I attacked her face with white shimmer powders and oodles of mascara!!
It only got better on day two when the kids arrived!
Three of the sweetest, most unaffected children you could ever meet. One in particular stole my heart…Brian. Brian deserves a whole page to himself ! For his precious pure way that was literally moving and a joy to observe. We quickly bonded as he looked with huge wide eyes and sheer awe at my makeup table and said ” Is that ALL yours?! ”
I had to restrain myself from scooping him up and kissing him to smithereens as he became obsessed with learning makeup tricks ( just in time for Hallowe’en! ) and then continued on-set to look up at me with sponge in hand and say ” I want to powder your face! ” He might as well have had an accent and said ” I vwant to suck your blood !! ”
There were so many highlights and truly great characters to acknowledge but nothing makes me laugh more than when I returned from set to discover that Brian had just left… I found myself running like a maniac through a field after him with a baggie full of sponges!!!
Thankfully I caught him and was treated to a hug as we posed for a picture.
Every now and then a group of people with diverse talents come together and all the external forces allign to assist them in making magic. That is what I believe we did on those two days in October and I am certain that Olympic viewers will feel all the love and laughter as they take in the final product.
Biography: After working for ten years as a model, Teena Black became a certified makeup artist and soon was heading up makeup departments in the film and television industry. She has worked in the industry for over 13 years in both Toronto and NewYork. Having done the faces of countless celebrities including Natasha Henstridge, Harry Hamlin, Molly Ringwald,Ving Rhames, Stacey Dash, Jason Priestly and many more. She continues to add her creative vision and loving spirit to productions while pursuing a calling to write her own films.
