Maxfactormama’s Weblog

Shoot day 7 started very early this morning with the first makeup call around 6:30am. Andy & I drove down to Blairgowrie the night before to set up – the plan being to get a good night’s sleep before the early call. Unfortunately sleeping in a strange bed with a different pillow is not always conducive to a “good night’s sleep”!! After doing the makeup we travelled to the beach location where we filmed most of the morning – all cast and crew enjoyed the early morning sun and the breath-taking views on the lookout. At times the lighting can present the camera crew with special challenges – at the third location (down on the beach) I caught this moment on camera with our Producer, Dave,  (who was holding up the bounce board ) declaring “we can bend the Sun”!

 dishmoptop has issued the challenge, so here’s my answers to your questions>

Four of the jobs I have had in my life:
 

1. Occupational Therapist @ Coonac Rehab Centre in Toorak (1st job) 4yrs
2. Working for Ergonomics consulting firm doing workcover cases 2 yrs
3. Community Health OT in Yarra Valley 6yrs
4. Post Acute Care Clinical Co-ordinator Box Hill Hospital 8 yrs

Four movies you would watch over and over:

1. Indiana Jones (series)
2. Lord of the Rings (series) 
3. Overboard (good for a laugh anytime)
4. Little Rascals Movie (my girls can quote this one verbatum!!)

Four places you have lived:
1. Mt Evelyn (27 years)
2. Camberwell (3 years) (When first married)
3. Kew (2 years)
4. Glen Waverley (6years)
Four TV Shows that I watch:

1. All Saints
2. Thank God You’re Here
3. 24 
4. CSI

Four places you have been:

1. Bali
2. Africa
3. New Zealand
4. Perth, WA

4 People who e-mail me (regularly):

1. Andy (husband)
2. Jenny (Alias Thelma)
3. Deb (best friend from high school) 
4. Vicki – my boss

Four of my favourite foods:

1. Mexican
2. Italian 
3. Chinese
4. Malaysian 

Four of my favourite beverages:
1. Cappuccino

2. Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc

3. Green Tea
4. Lemon Lime & Bitters

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. on holidays
2. In a sunny warm climate

3. enjoying a meal with good friends 

4. sleeping in a comfy warm bed (with no early morning wake up call!!)
Four people I am tagging:
1. Casfer

2. Lux9185

3. Frogman

4. Andy

Things you are looking forward to in the next year:
1. Going to Africa again
2. Finishing ES movie (and seeing it on the big screen!)
3. Having my long service leave @ Christmas

4. Having time to finish the novel I started writing 18 months ago

DIRECTIONS: Now, here’s what you’re supposed to do… and please do not spoil the fun Copy and paste my answers into your blog and type in your answers. Then tag a whole bunch of people you know. The theory is that you will learn a lot of little known facts about those who know you.

Finally worked out how to upload my images (Yeah, ILumr & Dishmoptop – I’m a bit slow!!) Here’s my favourite one of Andy assisting with the continuity for wardrobe with dunking the costume into freezing muddy water. Poor Dave S has had to endure a lot for the sake of art these past few weeks!! His strip tease on the rocks @ Warburton was appreciated by a few startled spectators as they crossed the bridge!!

Shoot day 6 finished and I’m a little beat. The early starts are a killer without the freezing cold temps! I attempt to put makeup on faces with my fingers gradually stiffening in the chilly morning air. No warm makeup studio with optimum lighting for us – rather a chilly, misty early dawn light with a generator humming in the background while I work under “yellow” portable lighting, standing in a frosty picnic ground!! Actors come and go and gradually the early dawn light changes to weak sunlight and the guys have done their boy scout thing and got the BBQ fire going so we have some warmth. By lunchtime we’re heading off to the next location – feels like we’ve been up since daybreak – hey, we have! LOL. Second half of the day races by quickly with another location change and more “first class” studio conditions under the trees and using a stump as the makeup chair – ouch! Sorry Jess, it was a bit pointy! Sadly my kit now looks the worse for wear – bits of grass, moss and leaves have found their way into the drawers, along with a half empty syringe of “blood” and countless wipes and sponges. Time enough to clean it up later at home. It’s a wrap!

Another early start for cast & crew on Elindil’s Secret. At least it was light when we were assembling (unlike some previous shoots!) Despite an initial setback when we got to location 1 – due to unexpectedly high water levels, we managed to find a suitable location and get started. Makeup on this shoot was relatively simple – the only touch ups during the first half of the day were with the “sweat- in-a-bottle”! Andy was my able assistant and has earnt himself a number of nick-names: “makeup boy”, “water boy”, “towel boy”, “blanket boy”, “tissue boy”, “neck massage boy”… you get the drift! He has been indispensable and a great help on all shoot days. Thanks Honey!

Maxfactormama’s Weblog

So many things to do so little time……in between film shoot days I do try to “have a life”. LOL! Work has been frantic with my work buddy off sick. I’m also trying to get the makeup sorted for this year’s Christmas Production @ Careforce. It should be a whole lot of fun – just needs a lot of work in preparation. Researching 1940’s hair and makeup at present for that one.

I usually only work a 24 hr week (lucky me!) but this week has turned into a bit of a marathon. My work colleague (the full time one) has sprained an ankle and hurt her back doing Ballroom dancing (a dangerous sport evidently!) and I’m “IT” for the whole week, covering her wards plus mine. Normally our office is quite busy – enough work to keep us off the street, as the saying goes. However the past few days have been a little crazy so my desk has been covered in papers waiting on medical or nursing reports and contracts waiting to be faxed – it’s all happening!!

Although we’re full on with the film production, Andy, Cat & I will be taking a couple of weeks off to visit some guys we have “adopted” in Kenya. Lenah & Samu came to stay with us earlier this year and became our adopted African sons while they were here, so we are going to catch up with them and their families in September. Lenah & Samu belong to a gospel Hip Hop Group called Zaidi Ya Mziki and they have assured us they will be taking us to one of their concerts while we’re in Kenya – cool! We’re also planning to visit some orphanages and take in supplies to local primary schools too. Our luggage going over will be massive!

After we finish filming late November, I’ll be switching on to preparations for this year’s xmas production @ Careforce. Never a dull moment!!

Finding a new interest in makeup for stage and film has been a rewarding and, at times, daunting experience! Having been involved for 4 yrs  in a minor capacity, doing makeup for Mudbrick Performing Arts, I suddenly found myself thrust into a leadership role and feeling very inadequate! I enrolled in a stage makeup short course @ Swinburne TAFE and swiftly became enamoured with the whole deal – especially the special effects makeup (sfx). After doing a major production for christmas 2006, I was approached by one of the guys in the production to see if I was interested in doing makeup for an independent film he was involved in. Having become thoroughly rapt in the whole area of makeup, I agreed to do it (although I had no experience of doing film or TV work before!!) I enrolled in another short course in Sydney (film & TV makeup), taking my husband Andy along as my model. We commenced filming At the end of July and so far it’s been a rollercoaster ride! Not only do we not have a makeup studio to work in but often I’m doing makeup on the side of a hill, balancing on slippery rocks! It’s all fun and a great challenge. I’m learning heaps about the process of film making as well as operating as a MUA on location. So far the footage looks great and I think the makeup is going ok too – what a relief!