Local 706 - The Artisan

THE ARTISAN FALL 2021 • 19 I n August 2019, producer Donald Kurt first introduced Johnny Villanueva and me to a writer and showrunner who grew up on all the films my make-up effects company, KNB EFX GROUP, had created for more than 34 years. Showrunner Little Marvin spoke the same language as us regarding horror and special make-up effects, and we felt we had known him our entire lives. The Amazon series Them was going to film in Los Angeles so it just kept getting better and better as we knew we could bring in heaps of Local 706 make-up artists and hair stylists to work the next eight months on this show, set in 1953 in Compton. The show centers around a Black family that leaves North Carolina after a tragedy to pursue a new life in California. Sadly, things don't go their way as they are confronted with extreme racism from their all-white neighbors, as well as a supernatural element that haunts the neighborhood. After reading the 10 episodes, Johnny and I were hooked and began researching looks and what would be appropriate for the period, as well as needing to come up with some pretty intense apparitions that haunt each character. Since first meeting on Lone Survivor, Johnny and I have become fast friends. We have run the make-up and hair B Y H O W A R D B E R G E R D E P A R T M E N T H E A D M A K E U P / S P E C I A L M A K E U P E F F E C T S — MAKE-UP — Little Marvin, our showrunner, for his approval. That's when the fun begins! My team and I really enjoyed putting these hair styles together and truly looked forward to the creativity each day. We were also tasked with going back in time to the 1800s looks for an ultra-scary group of religious fanatics. This was especially challenging to portray them as religious yet scary at the same time. They were supposed to be ethically intact people. However, they were actually quite evil. In my opinion: Howard, Mary-an and I were able to get that exact look to portray this demented extremist group. During this adventure, we were suddenly hit with COVID as most of you know, it put a hold on production for several months. It was challenging to go back to work after so much time had gone by. However, I can't say enough about how everyone just rallied together to get back into the swing. That's just what we did. We carefully traveled to New Mexico and resumed filming. It was a pleasure working with local professionals who stepped in while we were on location. They were very helpful and knowledgeable with regards to the history of the territory and we were grateful for their help. We are proud to have been a part of a show that helps to shine a light on 'the horrors of racism.' By bringing the reality of racism to the screen, it may open some eyes to just what a horrific problem hatred in any form is to humanity. At times, it was hard to watch and imagine that these behaviors actually took place. We have come a long way since then and we all concede there's more to be done. Howard and I have always maintained a diverse welcoming environment. We use our experience to build up our colleagues. We strive to make our work environment a great experience. • DaMarr Ward with Ashley Thomas (Henry Emory) Stacey Sokol applies finishing touches L-R: Howard Berger and Johnny Villanueva Howard Berger with Ashley Thomas (left)

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