Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1546047
58 • THE ARTISAN FALL 2026 PHOTOS: JAVIER VASQUEZ/CENTER THEATRE GROUP D wjuan called me on Thursday and asked if I could be in Montana Saturday to start filming In Tandem on Monday. I said YES immediately, not really sure of how I was going to get an entire feature onto the plane with me. I had a total of 72 hours to break down the script and pack to fly to Montana for a month and a half. Twenty-four hours into planning, I was asked to hire an assistant. Ginger came to mind immediately because we worked well together! After meeting in the journeyman classes, I knew we could be a great team! I was so excited and I couldn't wait; what an opportunity! All exteriors in Montana and Oregon and I was ready for it! The film has two friends on a rock-climbing trip. However, it also included a bear attack, snake bite, lightning strike, chapped lips, spitting out teeth, falling onto a car, falling down a hill, dream sequences, mangled- broken arm, and river rapids. So suffice to say, I also needed to prepare stunt wigs for various activities as well. Hair oil, wigs, foam latex, blood gel, and fake sweat. Total budget, including luggage fee, was $1,800. The script called for a rock to hit Ben (Bob) in the eye area in the beginning of the movie and play for the entirety. After the first day of filming, I realized the helmet he was wearing would prevent a rock from falling onto his face. So I asked the director, Luc, B Y KATHRYN FERNANDEZ DEPARTMENT HEAD MAKE-UP & HAIR what he wanted me to do. He told me that it was a "magic rock" that got to his area eye despite the helmet. (Best direction I have ever gotten.) The challenge was to have a cut in his eye area throughout the movie that wouldn't move into his eye while rock climbing or while in the river. It was because of the river shots I had packed Telesis: Beta Bond for the water resistance. I had learned in journeyman classes that it worked well for bald caps so, I used it as a protective film over the blood gel to prevent the movie blood from going into his eyes during filming. Many of the challenges on this film were that the guys would be rock climbing or swimming in a river, and in several layers of COLLABORATING IN TANDEM