Making blood, dirt, mucous, snot, tears or sweat is all in a day’s work for Nicola Richards, 38, of Alexandra Hills.
“I made some bird poo today,” she said.
A film and television make up artist, Ms Richards emigrated from England in 2008, leaving the glamour of being a make up artist to British film stars to supply a growing industry in Australia. The Make Up Foundation offers multiple brands including Lime Lily and special effects brand Ripper FX. The products are also supplied to educational facilities in the industry, to theatre companies and is also popular with enthusiasts of Cosplay.
“This is the core of our business. We make pus, baby poo, blood and guts, flaky skin, slime. If someone needs to look dirty, the film industry uses simulation dirt, made from chemicals that make it look real. It’s a natural looking product with synthetic ingredients,” she said.
“We have a chemist working with us and we make products that are safe for the skin. The industry is very health and safety conscious.”
Ms Richards attended the London College of Fashion and has worked with Graham Norton (first two series), Joan Collins, Nigella Lawson (two series) and Marc Almond. In London, she worked on drama series Silent Witness, Lewis and television series Gimme Gimme Gimme. She won an Emmy and BAFTA award for working on Jane Eyre in 2006.
She also met her husband Martin who worked as a Grip, tracking camera movements on the set of Auf Wiedersehen Pet in 2000.
“It’s an interesting industry and you get to go to places and see things where people wouldn’t normally be allowed. I've been to Buckingham Palace and 10 Downing Street. I’ve been to Nigella’s house and films have taken me on adventures to Belgium, South Africa, France, Island, Las Vegas and Arizona. It takes you around the world,” she said.
Ms Richards said she and Martin decided instead to have a family life, not involving nannies and 2am starts and now have two children, who also share an interest in the business.
“My son has already shown he has a good eye for colour matching. This decision to move is about keeping a life balance. I don’t have to put in the long hours and I can pick and choose the shows I want to work on. My aim is to have Ripper FX become a world wide brand. Currently the US market dominates the field, but why not use something Australian?” she said.
Still keen to keep her hand in the industry from Australia, she has worked as an additional hair and make up artist on the films Pirates of the Carribean, King Kong and Thor. She most recently made the bird poo for a children’s television program Grace Beside Me being filmed in Beaudesert until the end of October.
While happy to work on the glamour make up side, her love is creating cuts, bruises, sunburn and “blood and guts” on war dramas and period work.
Tears, for example, are created by blowing some menthol crystals in the eye.
“There are some actors who can cry on cue, but it’s hard to do that for 20 takes. Actors are just regular people doing a hard job in a celebrity world. They eat McDonalds like any one else. I have found them all to be very nice,” she said.
The downside for Ms Richards is that working in the industry has made movie watching either a critical exercise or a chance to reminisce.
“It’s hard to watch a movie without noticing the wig lines and the make up. I find it distracting,” she said.
