June 21st, 2016
In the latest edition in her series on education for us, Julia Townend visited Delamar Academy to share her thoughts on why you might choose this hard-working institution.
There are limited colleges in the UK which I would recommend for a full training to work in the film and TV industries. There are many courses throughout the UK offering this proposed training, but in reality very few meet the standard required for this industry. Working as a make-up artist in these areas require all-round skills in hair, make-up, facial postiche, wigs and prosthetics to a skilled level. It demands in-depth and continuous training throughout your career to keep your skills updated for an ever-changing industry in film standards.
Image Source: Delamar Academy
One college I would recommend is the Delamar Academy, founded by the make-up designer Penny Delamar 25 years ago and now headed by Penny’s daughter Leda Shawyer. This academy is based in the heart of the film industry at Ealing Studios, a busy working studio based in West London. This studio is in continuous use for productions such as Mr Selfridge, feature films and commercials.
Image Source: Delamar Academy
Alongside the Delamar Academy is the Met Film School which offers enrichment collaborations between the make-up and film students while studying. The academy is based in a modern building arranged over two floors offering a wide variety of specialised training rooms for wigs, hair, facial postiche, make-up, airbrushing and a dedicated workshop style room for bald caps, life casting and prosthetic construction. There are also additional rooms for the reception/meeting area and student rest rooms.
Image Source: Delamar Academy
The class rooms are well designed and spacious, offering good facilities for natural light. This includes individual make-up artist workspace sections with provided mirrors, lights and sturdy make-up artist chairs, and allows the make-up students to learn to prepare and set up in an organised and professional manner. Each classroom is stocked with a wide variety of equipment and the necessary products required for each lesson. For wig and hair lessons the students use a wide variety of heated equipment ranging from heated rollers, hot sticks, and selections of tongs, which include small Marcel tongs for dressing facial hair applications. There is an extensive selection of facial beards, moustaches, side burns, lace-fronted wigs and various hair pieces. For make-up and airbrushing sessions the students work with well known products ranging from MAC, NARS, Illamasqua, Kryolan, Temptu, Mistair and many others. There is also a host of varying products for specialised lessons in casualty SFX and prosthetic applications.
The courses on offer are as follows:
- Higher Education Certificate – 1 year course, validated by West London University
- Advanced Complete Make-up Artist Course – 22 weeks
- The Complete Make-up Artist Course – 14 or 16 weeks
Additionally there are a selection of short courses ranging from 1 to 12 week courses in a variety of modules. These are all listed in detail on the academy’s website.
Each course offers a student kit composed of hair and make-up supplies specific for the chosen training provided in a set bag. These kits are adapted on a yearly basis to meet the demands of new product developments within the fashion and film industry. Potential students are invited to view the academy’s facilities and have an informal interview to discuss their training requirements, as well as to ensure they are placed on the correct course.
The structure of training and schedules is headed by Leda Shawyer who has masterminded the success of the Delamar Academy into the 21st Century by identifying up-to-date specialist training needs for the industry. The core strengths of the training are in the wealth of tutors from the film, theatre, TV and fashion industries which include BAFTA winners. The regular tutors include Catherine Scoble, Laura Solari, Lorraine Hill, Nikki Hambri, Vicky Voller and Amanda Warburton who mix teaching in with their busy schedules working in the make-up industry. Students are then offered tutorials with Leda near the end of their training to discuss their progression into industry. The Delamar Academy is recognised as a leading academy worldwide and is acknowledged as excellent training for the Film, TV, Theatre and Fashion industries. The academy has many contacts within all of the make-up industries and this, in turn, presents enviable work placement opportunities for the students and graduates. There is an Academy Agency and also networking possibilities with graduates and students on a closed Facebook site.
For further information and course prices check www.delamaracademy.co.uk
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