Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/636504
38 Medical shows are nothing new to television but over the years they've become increasingly realistic in the demands of on-camera effects. Shooting in HD digital raises the bar even higher. Keeping the make- up effects fl owing and meeting the everyday needs of the Make-up Department is beyond what one person alone should ever consider if you want to keep your sanity. Therefore, our team is my saving grace. We have Peter Montagna as my key artist, with Kristy Horiuchi, Judy Yonemoto and Perri Sorel rounding out the make-up side and Maggie Hayes-Jackson run- ning the Hair Department. When things heat up and the blood starts fl owing, Cary Ayers steps in for additional support. Based on the documentary of the same name about L.A.'s County Hospital, Code Black refl ects the condition where every bed is full and all personnel are pushed to the limit. There are times we can all relate to that on any fi lm set. Working from two trailers and at times from my home lab, it's nice to live in Burbank and be near Disney Studios where we fi lm. As the demands of scripts unfold, it's not uncommon to spend six hours a week attending meetings and coordinating each show's heavy make-up effect challenges with Vincent Van Dyke's Burbank effects lab that produces many of the prosthetics and large body effects. We average at least three to four big make-up gags per show along with scattered make-up-related effects that may pop up. The show's creator, writer and executive producer, Michael Seitzman, and I have worked on several projects and this by far is the most challenging. Executive producer Dr. Ryan McGarry, who created the documentary, also works closely with me to keep the medical effects true to life and accurate. Several cases include a young lady with severed legs from a car crash, a 90% body burn on a young mother, full "clamshell," open-chest procedures and our favorite, an expanding eyeball from internal swelling in the socket. The writing and human drama is the foundation of Code Black, leaving our work as the mortar to hold it all together in a realistic fashion. Perri Sorel handles the multitude of "walking wound- ed" who inhabit our waiting room and side beds; Peter Montagna collaborates closely with me on various special applications and steps in for me as I run every-which-way, prepping for the next task at hand. Kristy Horiuchi also works close at my side with continuity and stocking supplies along with covering many of our main cast. Judy Yonemoto takes great care covering Marcia Gay Harden and lends her talent throughout the department as well. The greatest thing is having fi ve, experienced, department B Y S T E V E L A P O R T E D E P A R T M E N T H E A D M A K E - U P CODE BLACK Five minutes before the alarm sounds, my eyes open and I wait for the wake-up tone. Thinking of the day's battle plan creates a mental movie that starts running in my head as I prepare for a busy day in Center Stage. That's where the make-up magic of Code Black plays out on every episode of the new CBS series. Above: Peter Montagna applies an eye-popping effect with a silicone piece. Right: The make- up team