On Agents and Representation

I'm with The Law of Attraction 

Direct on *(+44 7973 406067)*

I am returning to the role of Chief Make-up, Hair, Wigs and FX Designer after stepping off to look after my mother for the last couple of years of her life.  It was the right and most compassionate choice for us both as she had lived with me for 10 years and was the accomplished Chief make-up artist, Connie Reeve, who did two pictures each for John Huston and Powell & Pressburger, her credits are on IMDB.  We would watch 100's of old films together.

Although I stepped back from Designing, I did three small films as HOD to keep my name in the game and dailies on much bigger pictures including "1917" for which as a screen credited member of the team, I participate in an OSCAR nomination.  I also have 3 BAFTA nominations as HOD and an RTS nom.

I'm starting over refreshed and connected to some excellent, experienced and talented colleagues I met while doing dailies with whom I could build a solid team, especially for period work.  More interestingly this new crew or team are positively encouraging me to get back to work and would like to come work with me.  They have worked in opera and theatre as well as HDTV and film and bring with them years of experience with wigs and expertise in make-up and effects.  Between us we also have a comprehensive wig and postiche stock for hire.

Christine's CV is downloadable by clicking on this link

Some background

I have 4 decades experience working in the industry and good quality, interesting work has always found it's way to me and from 1980-2005 I worked consistently without an agent and was offered plenty of opportunities and accomplished some of my best work, winning 2 of my 3 BAFTA nominations.  

I've had 3 agents, my first sadly passed; a loss and sad because we got on well and he understood the direction I wanted to go in, which is essentially period or stylised work for feature film/HETV to support storytelling by designing cohesive looks and nuanced details for a convincing throughline with producers and directors who will resource a good prep with timely access to the cast and the budget for a solid team as mentioned above.

Subsequent agents have not understood my strengths or the type of work for which I have passion, nor have they particularly cared.  I was twice sent to cancelled meetings!!  And once sent to a producer who apologised and wondered why I was there because I was way over-qualified for their budget, something you'd think an agent would have ascertained.  They're more interested in plonking one on a long running project and forgetting about you so I've given up on agents. In any case, I've found that experienced producers and directors know what they're looking for, can interpret a CV and IMDB listing and don't have need for so called "Gatekeepers".

I still love my work, I'm still careful and passionate about delivering quality work to the screen in a timely manner and have the experience and on screen evidence to prove it.  The work is not always about what needs doing as what doesn't need doing, being confident about this is the way to save much time and money - I have a couple of interesting examples I could share in a meeting. 

I enjoy standing by in a focused, quiet way for me that's the magic of movie making.  Co-creating thin convincing character, period and or transformational looks are what I do best especially with wigs, ageing or postiche (beards & laid on facial hair).

Often work has found me by recommendation or my reputation for always delivering on budget or just under.  Producer Malcolm Craddock called me especially to set up the first  "Hornblower" films in Ukraine for exactly that reason having been lumbered on wrap with an order pad for £10,000 of outstanding wig hire and postiche costs at the end of a previous series, "Sharpe".  I was sought out for a novel approach to 'period' by Producer Julie Gardiner for "Casanova" who wanted me to find a way to ditch authentic period and design a modern take on period, which I did and which pre-dated the Kirsten Dunst picture "Marie Antoinnette" by a year - it must have been a zeitgeist thing, but I got there first in 2005.  For thin realistic work (Producer/Writer Lynda La Plante hired me for the first 3 "Trial and Retributions".  Maxine Peake put me forward for "Funny Cow" which is one of my favourite results ever. 

I've worked with a variety of directors including the elusive auteur Producer/Director's Stanley Kubrick, who told me in person on my last day, "You did a great job.", (not bad considering he fired the first two chief make-up artists within the first 4 weeks).  I've worked with quiet gentle souls, bombasts like Michael Winner and Menachem Golan and a plethora of TV film and episodic tv directors some of whom had a vision they shared to achieve their distinctive style within a franchise. 

Directors vary greatly.  Some tell you nothing and ask you nothing, some show you a picture for the tone of the whole production, some are very specific but after the tone is agreed. I'm nearly always left pretty much to my own devices as a "safe pair of hands" and it's important to be that also for your team, especially the younger members.

So regarding representation, I've put myself in the hands of the Universe and The Law ofAttraction because people who get that principle are the kind of filmmakers with whom I'd prefer to co-create.

I often scan the usual sources to find out what's in development or pre-production and make approaches, some of which get through, or I am called directly. I know after all these years where I am able to do a good job and I'm sure producers and directors who know what they're looking for can pop my name in the hat if they have seen and like my work.   Shall we meet?

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