Toronto Mike

CP24's Jamie Gutfreund visits the College of Makeup Art & Design

On any given day, viewers from across  the GTA can tune into CP24 Breakfast to get their daily dose of the city’s political,  economic, and entertainment news. And, on any given day, viewers are just as  likely to discover the innumerable ways that Toronto is producing world-class  talent in a smorgasbord of emerging and established industries.

Our fair city has  long been labelled “Hollywood North” – not because it shares the sunny climes  of SoCal, but rather because our little burg is admirably equipped to act as a  stand-in for many of America’s cities. However one could also make the argument  that the reason Toronto sports such an honorific moniker is because year after  year, Toronto produces a great deal of the talent that make blockbuster films  so memorable.

CP24’s Jamie Gutfreund Witnesses Movie Magic In  The Making

To shed a bit  of light on Toronto’s exploding makeup and special effects industry, Jamie Gutfreund of CP24 stopped by the College of Makeup Art  & Design (CMU) to experience for himself the calibre of talent the school has been  internationally recognized for developing, and learned that this summer, the  magic of movie makeup is being made available to a younger crowd through  special summer camps.

CMU Summer Camps: A Great Way To Test The Waters

Parents  looking to enrol their teens in something a little different this summer need  look no further than the hands-on summer camps offered by CMU this August. Each camp focuses on different  aspects of the makeup industry – so whether your teen is an aspiring fashion  makeup artist, or obsessed with some of Hollywood’s more ghoulish monster  makeups, CMU College has the summer program that is sure to engage and inspire.

Makeup Summer Camp: August 4-7

Intensive?  You bet. This weeklong workshop is geared to motivated teens aged 15-18 that  follows all of the fashion industry’s latest trends. This hands-on program  covers everything from fundamental to advanced techniques in beauty makeup,  with an emphasis on eyeliner detail, brow shaping, highlight and contour and  much more.

SPFX Makeup Summer Camp: August 10-14

Anyone who  owns a television can attest to the ever-increasing popularity of  monster/post-apocalyptic makeups making their way to the screen. The SPFX  summer camp offered by CMU helps aspiring movie makeup professionals learn all  the classic action movie must-haves from burns to bruises to abrasions and  beyond.

Camps Are a Great Introduction to the Industry

Finding ways  to fill the dog days of summer for your teen is one thing – there are  definitely no shortages of great programs to occupy their time before heading  back to school. The benefit associated with enrolling into a program like the  ones offered by CMU is that they allow aspiring artists to get a taste of the  industry before making a long and  expensive educational commitment. Hands-on exposure to techniques and learning  from industry professionals can do wonders for fuelling the passion in a teen  that perhaps had doubts about what profession they wanted to pursue come  graduation.

Beyond Camp – What Can Grads Expect?

These days  the reality is that good jobs in any profession are difficult to come by.  Admittedly, the professional makeup industry can be competitive, but that  doesn’t mean grads won’t be exposed to plenty opportunity. But honestly, just  how diverse is the industry?
 Courses  offered by institutions like these top 5 makeup artist  and design schools in Toronto prepare grads for a wide breadth of work that goes well  beyond specializing in fashion or gore makeup. Film and television effects are  more sophisticated than ever before, and while computer generated effects are  used with greater frequency to transport the audience’s imagination, they are  also quite expensive and time consuming to produce – meaning that there will  always be a need for makeup artists on set.
 Theatre  productions the world over also use makeup artists to bring characters to life  on stage, and hairstyling, prosthetic creation, and creature design all  industry standards, and won’t disappear anytime soon.

Becoming a Makeup Master – Learning the Skills,  Using the Tools

With any  educational endeavour, learning theory is king. But in the makeup industry,  theory will only take you so far – you simply have to get your hands dirty.  Summer camps like the ones offered by CMU are an excellent starting point for  developing a feel for the industry; they help to inspire the next generation of  makeup masters that will not only sculpt the future of filmmaking but solidify  Toronto’s reputation as being Hollywood North for many years to come.

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