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Photo Credit: Emma Croft
Download the complete CV here (pdf)
Christine Allsopp – Film and television make-up designerMy one page c.v.
is available via the website of my agent www.creativemediamanagment.com In my 30 years in the business I am thrilled to have been offered plenty of interesting work with talented, co-creative individuals. It is the co-creative experience I enjoy most, but if required can just get on with the job in hand. www.imdb.com will show you 50+ credits.
As Make-up and Hair Designer – except where otherwise indicatedIncendiary – Feature
film http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0984200/ I was responsible for commissioning Michelle’s wig and made key choices that define how successful a wig can be including choosing the hair to be used in the blend and specific notes for the make regarding the foundation as the wig had to be able to go up into a pony tail forming a ‘Croydon Facelift’. Additional colouring was done upon delivery over the week-end before shooting and I finished the cut of the wig on the artist on the first day of filming in the presence of the director, “No pressure ;-) there then!”. Due to the short prep time, I had to source pre-made prosthetics for the production, which included, though they weren’t seen much in the final film extreme wounds on various ethnicities. Margaret Thatcher - The Long Walk to Finchley TV
film – Stylized biopic – 1950’s-1960’s
Director: Niall MacCormick This stylish and witty take on the early years of Margaret Thatcher’s political life required the high polish worn by a woman of her background and ambition and of course the period, the1950’s. Taking the eponymous Margaret from her early ingénue brunette look right through to the transformation of a middle-aged blonde, with all the other textures required by the script of morning sickness, un-groomed, at home gardening and a highly polished ball room look was a wonderful opportunity to bring many shades to the tone that put her right in the moment. Full Metal Jacket – Feature
Film http://www.imdb.com/ Trailers: Click Here I have included this classic, though shot in 1985/6 here because it is a piece of work of which I am very proud. At the time our way of doing dirt make-up was new. We would apply a very sheer dirtyness in the form of a water-based make-up and then take it off so that it remained in the nooks and crannies of the face as real, ingrained dirt would be. This was quite different to the more general, (and to my mind less authentic looking) type of dirt which was a ‘streak’ applied along a cheek or across the forehead which generally looks more superficial and would have been inappropriate for the characters in this film. Stanley demanded realism and he woudn’t have stood for anything inauthentic for a moment. It was an extraordinary priviledge to work with Stanley, he was a perfectionist indeed, but once he’d got the look he wanted and believed in, he was onto the next detail and you could sigh in relief having pleased a legend. Many people were ‘let go’ in the first 5 weeks of filming and every week we, (Jenny and I) survived, we’d open a bottle of champagne during the end of day clean-off to share with our artists. It was in so many ways an amazing, wonderful experience. Animal – Feature
Film http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0412412/ As the Hair Designer of this sci-fi thriller I was asked to do slightly futuristic look, and I wanted to do it in a way that wouldn’t date the production. This meant stepping completely outside any trends at the time of filming to use ideas that had more to do with working to the characters and environments they were in with simple or occasionally eccentric tweaks. Halim – Feature Film http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0444641/ Director:
Sharif Arafa Miss Marple series III ITV/WGBH
Boston Towards Zero - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0843280/ Towards Zero required several of the cast to have a physical ‘peculiarity’ that would clearly identify them to a witness, they included an extended prosthetic finger, flame red hair (which for the actresses sake had to be reversible), a shock of gray hair/Mallen Streak. Referenced by Hollywood portraits of the 1940’s and 50’s, my vision for this episode was that of polished, Riviera Elegance. Nemesis Nemesis required
a double identity for Laura Michelle Kelly as a brunette and
a bombshell blonde and of course period haircuts, styles and
make-up delivered in a manner befitting such a distinguished
cast in a very tight schedule. Bertrams’ plot required confusion of identification between mother and daughter, the mother role was cast with Polly Walker, who has long, straight, dark hair and Emily Beecham, cast as her daughter is naturally a very fair strawberry blonde so had to go brunette to follow her mother’s colouring. A few more wigs were required to give natural hair colour and appropriate hair lengths for 1950’s styles as many of the artists own hair was too long for the period …. and there are only so many French Pleats and Chignons you can russle into one episode! Ordeal
of Innocence “Ordeal” required the polish of a very well heeled, (or so we are led to believe) family in Marple-world, Marple-time. Jane Seymour’s legendary long hair had to be wigged to achieve a short, authentic period look. Although her character was hard, it would have been too obvious, (and repetitious) to go for the harder, hair-pulled-back options of a French pleat or Chignon. I also felt this would have set her up too obviously as a hard, unlikable character, this had to become apparent through the script rather than telegraphed by the design. Jane was so pleased with the wig she bought it from production, which is an accolade indeed. I had chosen the hair colours for the mix by offering the hanks up to Jane’s complexion and tested it for curl before it was knotted into the foundation. Testing the hair for the purpose for which you will be using it sounds obvious, but if not done, it can cause an awful problem if the hair won’t behave as required for the styles and work you have in mind. Thanks to my team … I would like to credit my marvelous colleague Carolyn Cousins here for looking after the wigs for Geraldine and Jane so marvelously well. Carolyn is the perfect colleague, so talented, pleasant and clever. Expectations on these shows are very high and you need an excellently skilled, good-hearted team to make it all hang together for 7 months of 6 day weeks, 12 hour days – Thank you Carolyn!! You’re marvelous!! And thank you also to Annie Townsend (hairdresser). Casanova – BAFTA
nomination for best make-up and hair http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427042/ Highly stylized
modern twist on a period production. One of my all-time favorite productions to have designed. Producer Gill McNeil sought me out for this production because, as she said at the time of our interview, that she wanted me to have fun and break the conventions of period drama design, and that is exactly what I did. Oh Joy! Russell T. Davies’ script gave the freedom to do this, yet we needed to give a nod to the period or else it could have become very messy and confused and at odds with the costumes. How was it done? It’s a secret! We definitely had a plan and a through-line that gave the department room for much flair within certain boundaries. I’d like to acknowledge Bea Archer (possibly one of the best hairdressers on the Planet) for some particularly exquisite hair work, Steve Smith for his lovely work in both hair and make-up, gorgeously cheery team spirit and early morning Juices that kept us going from 5.30 am and Claire Whitely for running a very creative and efficient crowd room. Mickybo and Me http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0388154/ (Key hair) Director/Writer: Terry Loane The film tells the story of two boys who become friends at the start of the Troubles in 1970. The boys share an obsession with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, with the consequence that they run away to Australia. Hotel Splendide - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0177845/ Relevant portfolio page: http://www.christineallsopp.com/Stylisation.htm Feature film set sometime in mid C20th Director/Writer:
Terence Gross The Hotel Splendide is a twisted Victorian Gothic, decaying hotel for fading geriatrics who pass the tedium of their days being numbed by vacuous tea-dances and bowel blocking food. To this regimen the inmates can add a choice of ‘treatments’ to achieve a good bowel movement. Bordering on the sexually aberrant, some treatments seek to relieve mental nervousness and a plethora of physical complaints real or imagined. In this bizarre setting, a visitor and former employee in the form of Toni Colette returns believing herself to have been invited by the man she once loved. Yep! This script was definitely strange. I always wanted to do interesting work and this project definitely whetted my appetite. The marvelous thing is, you won’t see the make-up that was the most tricky, because you shouldn’t, that’s the nature of make-up. But you will see a lot of gradual over-heating, an eclectic collection of period looks that are deliberately awry with the atmosphere and wear and tear. There is also the most extreme coal dust dirt ever required, well the script said a ton of coal fell, so it had to look it! Your typical ‘Hollywood’ swipe of dirt along the cheekbone would not have done here! This was definitely not intended to be about subtle understatement and nice clean make-ups. This was a production in the vein of German Expressionism - ‘Delicatessen’ style in very drabbed down colour and mood. This was one of my favorite productions because it was so unusual and required quite extensive make-up/hair effects that were not meant to be noticed, as well as make-up and hair that defined the style and place and characters. Spider http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0278731/ Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0175790/ Relevant portfolio page: http://www.christineallsopp.com/Stylisation.htm When Rupert Simon, the Chief Make-up Artist on this production called me to ask if I’d like to come and work with him looking after Donny Osmond and Sir Richard Attenborough – I thought I was hearing things. “You’re having a laugh aren’t you?” But it was a genuine request and so for Joseph I looked after just two artists, Donny Osmond – Joseph (make-up only) and Sir Richard Attenborough - Jacob (make-up only). Donny wore make-up from head to toe to create a tan, (and just a little shading), and variations on an Egyptian theme. Sir Richard, who always wears his own beard, but which was too short, needed his beard lengthened to a more natural, raggedy length. This was a DREAM JOB working with two of the most gentlemanly, talented and kind men in the film business – it was a real treat. Three Blind Mice http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0324952/ Relevant portfolio
page: http://www.christineallsopp.com/site2/Stylisation.htm This production didn’t require much except a slit throat to be cut on camera in the vein of a snuff movie. It was a very low-budget film shot in the dead of winter when most others were ‘resting’. Most of my departmental budget went on a big slit-throat rig which Marc Coulier built and operated on the day. I seem to remember wiping up a lot of blood on the day and keeping an eye out for errant blood-spatters and of course I had the pleasure of working with Chiwetel Ejiofor for the third time and I did his make-up, when he wasn’t busy getting killed that is. I love working with such fine, focused, talented actors, it brings out the best in you! Raise the game …. Raise the game … It’s lovely to have the receiption, the room and the resources to raise your game. Thank
you for reading, I hope you have found it interesting or useful.
Christine |
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