15 years experience of special effect make-up artist with Mekkhala Award

MUM: Starting from my school years, I was accepted at an Arts College so I continued with that but what I really wanted was to give an entrance exam. However, in those days there was nobody to advise me about where to proceed with my education and I failed my entrance examination so I joined MTI Institute to study makeup techniques for six months, in which I learnt how to apply makeup for daily purposes, performances as well as applying makeup using special techniques.

JobsDB: So you did not get to apply what you studied?
MUM: Actually, I got to use some of the knowledge because makeup is also considered as one type of art and requires the basics and skills of choosing colors.
JobsDB: Were you also working at the time you were studying?
MUM: I am just like other people. I did internship and took up some part-time jobs to gain experiences.

JobsDB: What work did you do after graduating?
MUM: Right after I graduated, I worked as a makeup artist for stage plays.

JobsDB: Is it difficult to find a job in this field?
MUM: I know a senior name “P Kuad” who used to call me quite often because my work has its uniqueness and style. It is just like art, where each artist has his or her own style. In simple words, every artist has there own unique style that stands out.

JobsDB: And during which time did you get most job offers?
MUM: It was probably the time when I worked in the advertising field and gain achievements till I became a special effect make up artist for movies and varies TV series. I was really committed with my work and was always looking to gain experiences which lead the result of my work to receive various awards such as the movie “The Egg Man (Cha-lui Hin)”. That movie was a team effort and the entire team was rewarded. As for my performance is “Hunt (Lhaa)” which is a TV series, which I was awarded with Mekkhala Award. However lately I haven’t been working much with movies and TV series because work has started to become more business oriented. The latest movie that I worked with was the one called “Nak-tod chaiy” where people don’t feel much into it when they watched.

JobsDB: Throughout your entire career, which work do you consider the toughest?
MUM: Actually, each work is tough in its own way but the tougher ones would be applying thermo coils and creating pieces of artificial skin. This is because the materials that are available in the country can not be competed in terms of quality to the ones that are imported from abroad, therefore, sometimes it is necessary to make purchases through the internet.

JobsDB: What are the kinds of obstacles that are faced in this field of work?
MUM: As far as I have worked, it is the one thing that we cannot control, that is, the weather. Thailand is a hot country but which sometimes may cause some type of makeup not being able to last for long and we may have to tell the clients that each work that we do may stay for a certain period of hours. However, in Thailand, people are not very concerned. For instance, in applying makeup for special effect in movies; the shooting needs to be done whenever the director decides without consulting us that the makeup would be able to stay for how many hours.

JobsDB: How do you manage your time when there is a lot of work?
MUM: Currently, I am a full time teacher at MTI and I also take jobs outside like usual. I then have to manage my teaching schedule along with the other work I do.

JobsDB: At present, which point do you think you are at?
MUM: I think that I am still the same person, not in the high position and continue to do the work that I can. There are always other ways to gain experiences like movies, various magazines or websites which can help in coming up with new ideas.

JobsDB: Is there any work that you are especially proud of?
MUM: I am proud of each and every work but the work that I am most impressed with would be the one that had received an award.

JobsDB: How many advertisements and movies have you done?
MUM: I don’t remember because I have done a lot of work and sometimes I forget to keep the pictures of my work for the use of my portfolio. When my hands get dirty, I can’t touch anything then I tend to forget to pick up the camera and take pictures of that work. In the beginning, I have taken a couple of pictures but lately I go ask for the pictures from those people that have it.

JobsDB: What qualities are needed for the people who would like to work in the field of special technique makeup artist?
MUM: Patience and strong temptations are needed. The new students who join tend to say that the work in this field is tough and tend to lose hope. Work like this requires regular practices. For instance, when we work on each piece of work, it is not like we have done it before, therefore, it requires the skills that we have previously studied and then continue to learn. Sometimes, we have to depend on an opportunity in order to climb up to the professional level.

Kung – Taworn Kaewsa-Ard

JobsDB: Which field did you study and work before you started working as makeup artist?
KUNG: I graduated from University of Payap, faculty of business administration and majoring in hotel and traveling. At first when I graduate I started working in hotel at Chiang Mai but later I move to Bangkok. I work in hotel field for 6 years starting from receptionist till the last position which is the head of all the receptionists.

JobsDB: And how did you get your interest in make-up field?
KUNG: Not that I just started to get interest in it, but I am interested since when I was studying in the university because I got the opportunity to be involved in Chiang Mai beauty contest and modeling where these activities exist a lot. Make-up is a science that we have to study. Sometimes we have to memorize, started from being a backup make-up artist. Like when I was working in the hotel, I also accept make-up work because being a good make-up artist is not just being skillful, need to be popular as well.

JobsDB: How is your income during that time?
KUNG: Nearly the same, doing hotel and being a make-up artist. During that time I was working in applying make-up for the brides which earn nearly the same amount.

JobsDB:  And how did you make your decision in studying make-up?
KUNG: I started studying at MTI that is around 3-4 years already. But for me I think I moves faster than the others, may be one is because I had work in this field before and two is many people knows me. One thing is I don’t disfavor and choose the work, even though I earn less from that work I still do it, but sometimes I doesn’t earn from that job I also do. Because I feel that each time I work I get more in it. But the new generation doesn’t have that view point. New generations choose the work they do and they don’t know that in the past the pay is much lower than this.

JobsDB: When did you quit the hotel?
KUNG: When I started studying about make-up, I quit from the hotel and there were a lot of work coming in because I got to work in TV programs called “Rhai-karn Phitsawong” which gives credit. Then I started my work in TV series for channel 3 name “Dao Long Fah” and continue with the movie. Currently I am working on two Thai movies called “The Passion” and “Archarn Yai” which uses a lot of special make-up techniques.

JobsDB:  What are the methods that you use to develop yourself?
KUNG: Don’t feel shy when you wanted to ask. When I am curious I will try to ask. I like to go with my teacher even though I don’t get pay, but I wanted to get information which is a knowledge that I get from out of the class. Then I will know that studying and working are not the same. Something is not being taught in the class, but I know how to find information. Like now I am doing work concerning the corpse, so I have to find the information about this, which I got to make it as real as possible.

JobsDB:  What are the obstacles that you find in this field?
KUNG: First thing is the communication, which we have to understand about it first. Some people wants this way and some people wants the other way, we have to sit and talk about the concept and make it clear first. Doing this job need to have only one decision maker otherwise there will be confusion. But normally when I work the one who hired me will trust me and let me make the decisions.

JobsDB:  Which work that you are especially proud of?
KUNG: I am proud of all the work because every piece of work that I did with my hand I put in all my efforts because I want every work to have good result. I am not the front line make-up artist when there is a mistake and in the next day they will still hired me. But for me if we don’t do it well we will see the effect in the very near future.

JobsDB: What is your hardest job?
KUNG: Asking me now I can’t tell which one is the hardest because that situation already passed. The work that is hard depends mostly on the details of that work. Like the latest is applying make-up for the person who is burnt in the fire is also hard. But sometimes the work is hard or not also depends on the budget, like want to cover many things but got low budget, which is hard to match their wants.

 JobsDB:  Are you satisfied with your job these days?
KUNG: I am satisfied because I feel that I am quite fast, doesn’t choose the work. Actually I am the type of person that I cannot be free in each day. If I am free I will start calling my friends and help them in work which I feel that I get knowledge from it.

JobsDB:  And in which field you earn the most since when you started working?
KUNG: Movies also makes me earn a lot, each day I doesn’t earn the same, but however from movies I earn more than other works

JobsDB: How do you plan your future?
KUNG: I still want to continue this work, but actually I also want to continue my studies because some make-up artist graduated from abroad. They will have better techniques and more incomes, the pay will be in another level.

JobsDB: What do you want to say to the people who wanted to join this field?
KUNG: First you have to ask yourself whether you love this career or not. The person who doesn’t know how to apply make-up can also do if they like. We have to keep practicing then we can do it. The person who started doing should have manners, responsibility and get the details of them selves, not just apply the make-up once and for all. People always come and ask where is the make-up artist.