Special effects makeup and prosthetics have evoked a wide range of emotions in audiences for ages. From disgustingly dreadful zombies to other-worldly creatures, special FX makeup artists tap into their imagination to breathe life into non-conventional and memorable creations.
While the prospect of breaking into this exciting industry seems captivating, you need the proper education and extensive training to understand the processes, formulas, and techniques to guarantee a successful career. However, with countless options, finding the best special effects makeup school is easier said than done.
Fret not. We did the heavy lifting for you by vetting various special FX makeup schools across the country to find the perfect choices for your career aspirations.
Sound good? Let’s get started.
Overview of Special Effects Makeup
SFX makeup is a blanket statement referring to prosthetic and special effects makeup.
Prosthetic makeup uses sculpting, molding, and lifecasting to drastically change a character’s appearance. Specifically, special effects techniques can create the illusion of subtle skin effects such as aging, wounds, bald spots, lazy eye and wrinkles.
The rapid evolution of television and film means that the demand for special fx makeup artists is at an all-time high. Clearly, training to be a professional special fx makeup artist is a smart career choice.
Most dedicated FX makeup programs have comprehensive curriculums that offer extensive training in the following techniques:
- Latex and silicon application
- Aging and deaging
- Blood, wound, and injury simulation
- Lifecasting
- Sculpting techniques and so much more
Best Special Effects Makeup Schools
Make-up Designory (MUD)
Known principally as a Beauty Make-up school, as well as for their MUD line of beauty makeup products,
The Make-up Designory expanded their course offerings to include learning special FX and prosthetic techniques. Their film and television training program is designed to provide students with an entry level makeup artist for film or television.
The well known school has two locations for its Makeup Artistry Program: New York and Los Angeles.
MUD’s curriculum covers prosthetic makeup techniques and special FX makeup application. The Makeup Artistry program walks students through the essentials of special FX makeup before introducing complex topics such as sculpting, seaming, and creating form latex.
Make-up Designatory has produced well-known special effects makeup artists, including Emmy winners Jacqueline Risotto and Emma Faulkes. Their programs range from 392 clock hours to 812 clock hours at a cost that ranges from $13,183 – $25,553.
L Makeup Institute
Founded in 2010, the L Makeup Institute is known as the Harvard of Makeup Artistry for its in-depth curriculum that prepares its graduates for careers in the many makeup artistry industries immediately upon graduating. They offer an 845-hour and a 1072.5-hour program covering all styles of makeup artistry, as well as an Advanced Prosthetics Course for those who want to further their career in film.
Open to students of all skill levels, the L Makeup Institute has made learning makeup artistry and special effects accessible to aspiring professionals across the country. With a heavy emphasis on lab work and practical exercises, students are able to master and build on each technique learned and incorporate those techniques into ever-more complex makeup applications as they progress through their program. The L Makeup Institute has two campus locations for its campuses: Tivoli Village, Las Vegas, Nevada, and Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas.
The depth and breadth of their training programs make L Makeup Institute and its graduates stand out.
Program One: A 25-week (845 Hours) program that is a deep study of the essential skills and advanced techniques required to be a well-rounded, highly skilled professional beauty makeup artist with expertise in on-set hair styling, airbrush makeup, and body painting.
Program Two: A 32-week (1072.5 Hours) program is also a deep study of the essential skills and advanced techniques required to be a well-rounded, highly skilled professional beauty makeup artist with expertise in on-set hair styling, airbrush makeup, body painting, character creation, and special makeup effects.
Advanced Prosthetics: This course will challenge even the seasoned special makeup effects artist and push their talent to the next level.
Create full head life cast and positives
Various sculpting techniques with attention to detailed texturing and flashing
Advanced molding techniques for multi-piece prosthetics, floating for multi-piece mold making, and differences in mold making for different materials used
Mix and measure foam for larger molds, as well as finish processes, to prepare foam latex appliances for application
Learn about different types of silicones and their uses and create gel-filled platinum silicone appliances
Learn proper application techniques for full-head applications as well as silicone applications
Accredited by ACCSC and a designated school of distinction, the L Makeup Institute strives to meet the highest educational standards, including robust job placement for its graduates.
Vocational Academy of Makeup and Prosthetics (VAMP)
VAMP is arguably the top sfx makeup institution in Florida. The school was founded in 2016 to provide students hands-on training in beauty and special FX makeup industry techniques. They are a licensed school, but do not have accreditation and do not offer financial aid.
VAMP has a roster of talented instructors with extensive experience in film and television. VAMP offers two programs:
- Modern Effects Makeup Artistry ($24,700): This 22-week program trains students in traditional and contemporary special FX makeup techniques. It offers extensive training in blood effects, silicone prosthetics, mask making, and dental appliances.
- Beauty Professional Makeup Artistry: ($9,000): This 10-week program focuses on beauty makeup techniques. This program covers airbrushing, bridal makeup techniques, and high-fashion makeup for film and television.
Tom Savini’s Special Makeup Effects Program
The biggest distinguishing factor of this school is that you earn an associate’s degree. However, that means you will also have to take other non-related courses to earn the degree. The visionary makeup artist Tom Savini designed this comprehensive 2-year program at the Douglas training program in Monessen, Pennsylvania. The curriculum covers various special FX makeup topics, including dental appliances, digital sculpting, prop creation, prosthetic makeup, and airbrushing.
The small-sized classes are taught by special FX makeup legends who have worked on titles such as Children of the Living Dead, The X-Files, and Charmed. Notable Alumni include Nora Hewitt and Cig Neutron, who are winners of SyFy Channel’s FaceOff, a program where some of the best special FX makeup artists in the country showcase their skills.
Tom Savini’s Special Makeup Effects Program runs for two years, at a cost of $40,465.
Cinema Makeup School
The Cinema Makeup School is located in Los Angeles. The institution offers a short but intensive four-week program to provide students with valuable hands-on experience in special FX and prosthetic makeup. It focuses almost exclusively on SFX, omitting any beauty makeup or related makeup curriculum.
The curriculum provides extensive instruction on various prosthetic makeup techniques, such as lifecasting, blood tubing, and multi-piece mold creation. The program covers blood work, hair application, dental appliances, and finishing techniques.
The Cinema Makeup School has produced many successful graduates, including Martina Sykes (Army of the Dead) and James Isaacson (Zombieland: Double Tap). The best part is that the Special Effects Makeup program requires no prerequisites and costs only $5,410.
How to Become a Special Effects Makeup Artist
Are you passionate about becoming a special effects makeup artist? Here’s how you can start your special FX makeup career on a high note.
Build a Strong Learning Foundation
A strong learning foundation will help you grow into a proficient makeup artist. Developing the skills and qualities below sets you up for success:
- Artistic skill: While artistic skill isn’t a prerequisite when signing up for most special FX makeup programs, students who are proficient artists have a serious competitive edge. Knowledge of fine art concepts such as silhouettes and form will help you quickly master complex prosthetic techniques.
- Creative thinking: Mastering the techniques of special FX makeup will only get you so far. You need creative thinking to innovate simple but effective solutions to complex problems.
- Professionalism: You’ll constantly interact with clients as a special FX makeup artist. As such, professional habits such as organization, dependability, communication, and time management skills guarantee healthy business relationships.
- Adaptability: A rigid mindset will hold back your special FX makeup career. Adaptability is vital since abrupt changes are commonplace on production sets.
- Grit: Simply being passionate about special FX makeup is not enough. You need resolve if you want to grow as a pro MUA. Like all technical fields, you won’t become an expert overnight. It takes years of hard work and constant practice to perfect your skills.
Pursue Specialized Training
Specialized training and education will help you advance your makeup effects career. For example, prioritizing the following high school classes increases your chances of becoming an FX makeup artist:
- Art and design
- Chemistry
- Anatomy
- Theatre
Specialization also applies to training programs. While cosmetology schools and online FX makeup courses are great starting points, SFX makeup colleges offer the best education option. Accredited institutions provide training programs based on current industry trends and production pipelines.
Moreover, prosthetic and SFX makeup is a technical field that requires hands-on training from expert instructors. Since online trainers can’t observe your progress in person, online courses fall behind prosthetic makeup schools.
Finally, most production sets only hire certified artists from accredited, special FX makeup schools. This is because accredited institutions offer comprehensive programs that cover professional SFX makeup techniques.
Choose your Niche
It would be best if you didn’t let the fact that there are many opportunities for talented special FX makeup artists distract you. Choosing a niche and mastering it is an effective way of perfecting your skill set. For instance you can find exciting career opportunities in the following niches:
- Theme park character and set design
- Avant-garde makeup design for high fashion
- Prosthetic creation for film and television
- SFX makeup for theater productions
- Haunts
- Special Effects Lab
The bottom line is that FX makeup artists who have mastered a specific niche get more opportunities than generalists with average skills in many fields.
What the Future holds for SFX and Prosthetic Makeup
Despite the rise of CGI, the future looks bright for SFX makeup. For instance, many studios prefer blending CGI with prosthetic designs to create convincing sets and characters.
Moreover, the push to diversify the film and television industry is creating a high demand for a broader range of SFX makeup styles and techniques.
Additionally, technological advancements in various fields are positively affecting SFX makeup pipelines. For example, new techniques in 3D printing allow for more realistic sculpts and molds.
With this in mind, you can stay ahead of the curve by staying current with new technologies. Other helpful tips for advancing your SFX makeup career include:
- Pursue career development opportunities
- Constantly practice by attending workshops and undertaking personal projects
- Enter into competitions (which may be judged by high-level industry contacts)
- Network with other professionals
- Stay open to new challenges
- Grow your online presence by showcasing your projects
There’s no denying that enrolling in the right special effects makeup school is a career-defining moment. You can use this guide to separate the wheat from the chaff. So what are you waiting for? Find the right makeup effects school and jumpstart your career!