Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1433300
THE ARTISAN WINTER 2022 • 25 W hen director Denis Villeneuve got in touch with me to discuss his adaptation of Frank Herbert's Dune, I was overwhelmed at the prospect of running make-up, hair and prosthetics as the designer/head of department (HOD). The film was initially set up to film and be based in the UK, therefore budgeted to have one HOD/designer. Fortunately for me, things were evolving late in 2018 and the project would relocate to Budapest. Denis was adamant that I be on board, making this my fourth project for him. I cannot express my profound thanks to Denis for his loyalty over the years, and his deep appreciation and respect for our cras. He is a brilliant storyteller and a gentleman. B Y D O N A L D M O W A T | D E P A R T M E N T H E A D M A K E U P Putting together my team posed a few challenges. e studio was eager to hire European crew members, therefore I had to get creative and come up with a few ideas that would be benecial for the project, studio, and myself. I had recom- mended Local 706 hair stylist Cheryl Daniels on the lm Stronger back in 2016—she was looking to gain some HOD credits and I was able to get WB and Denis to agree to her and we would add a few local Budapest hair and make-up crew. e talented UK-based make-up artist Jo-Ann MacNeil, who worked with me in Budapest on Blade Runner 2049, was available to be my key, so things were looking up. I was able to secure a 706 make-up eects artist as a part of the core team—quite by chance Rocky Faulkner got in touch with me to say that he was available and looking to work. Aer meeting him for coee to discuss the project, I hired him to join us. He ew out about a month aer me, as did Cheryl and Jo. I rounded out the rest of the permanent team with Budapest locals Judit Farkas-Arful and Kata Huszar, make- up artists, hair stylists Kornel Hidas and Balazs Sik, who all worked full time on crowd, stunts, and doubles. I had a small crew for the Middle East unit: make-up artists Farah Jadaane, make-up/hair Nour Mekbel, and barber/hair stylist Mohammad Rasheed, for our ve weeks in Jordan, along with core team, including Jen Staneld (make-up & hair for Jason Momoa) and Bill Hazzam. For huge crowds, stunts and doubles over the course of a three-week sequence with many Harkonnen and Sardaukar, we assembled talented additional daily crew from Europe, UK, Canada and LA 706 member Ruth Haney, who oen works with me. e Hungarian daily crew included Bettina Marton, Marti Antal, Laszlo Szalay, Athina Sapanidis, Adam Volentics, Rita Fekete, and Matyas Borda. e Harkonnen had a distinct dramatic, pale, and hair- less look which included approximately 40 percent silicone bald caps with the other 60 percent being shaved heads, each requiring prosthetic eyebrow covers in both silicone and foam. In addition, the militia-like Sardaukar with alpha numeric tattoos on right-side forehead, bearded, longer hair, out-of-kit wounds, the Freman, a diverse desert people who appear with tribal, Middle Eastern and African inuences in their hair and make-up. e male and female Atreides troops appear like traditional European soldiers. ough set in the future, the make-up and hair is clean and neutral. e DUNE REINVENTING PHOTOSCOURTESYOFWARNERBROSPICTURESANDLEGENDARYPICTURES Department Head Make-up Donald Mowat (left) with Timothee Chalamet