Author: Rumyana Tzvetkova

“The feeling is glamorous and it is a real pleasure for every young person to work his or her dream job”, This is how Bulgarian female makeup artist Yana Stoyanova describes her experience as being part of the crew of the American movie The Way Back, who was among the three Oscar makeup nominees this year. Yana is a makeup artist who has been doing special effects at the Nu Boyana Film Studios on the outskirts of Sofia for ten years now. She mostly works for American productions that are filmed in Bulgaria. Some scenes from The Way Back have been shot in Bulgaria, as well as in Morocco and India. The film is based on a true story and tells about the dramatic breakaway to freedom of six convicts who escape from a Siberian gulag camp during the World War II. The challenge before the team of makeup artists was to represent freeze and burn injuries, exhaustion, etc. It takes more than 2 hours to put makeup on every actor so that he or she can be ready for the set.

The starlight trio: Gregg Funk, Yana Stoyanova and Edward Enriques

“The shots continued for 64 days”, Yana says. “The escape in the movie spans over a year. We had to change the actors to such an extent that they looked as if they had been on the road for a whole year. At first they move through Siberia suffering freeze injuries. Therefore, we made them look like people who are undernourished, run all the time and sleep in snow holes. We also had to elongate their beards to show that some time has passed since they escaped the camp. Walking through the desert they are exposed to constant sunburns.
We had to take care of the actors’ skin to prevent any actual damage. In the last stage of their escape the characters are already extremely exhausted and withered. To make them look completely run-down we used special silicon prosthetics creating an optical illusion that their eyes were sunken. My task was quite hard because I was in charge of Romanian actor Dragos Bucur’s makeup, who suffered diabetes and could not be put on a diet to lose weigh for the role. I had to put such makeup on him to make it look as if he had traveled the whole year”, Yana Stoyanova says for Radio Bulgaria.

Originally, Yana had to do the makeup of the Bulgarian actors alone, as well as organize the work of her colleagues who were in charge of the mass scenes. However, prominent makeup artist Edouard Henriques, a three-time Oscar makeup nominee, was so impressed by her work that he convinced the movie’s producer to take Yana to Morocco and India where she would do the makeup of two of the main actors. Along with the famous makeup artist, a whole constellation of celebrities has taken part in the epic drama’s creation. Is it difficult to work with so many established names?

“The “starry” team I was so lucky to work with is “starry” not only in professional terms, but also in human terms”, Yana says. “I felt part of this team, we were all one big family. Yet, I was worried every day that I had to do as good a job as the others since they trusted and believed in me. Judging by their attitude towards me I believed I did well and managed to be up to scratch.”

During the shots in Morocco and India Yana and the crew faced a series of challenges. For instance, they happened to be in the epicenter of a desert storm. They also had to keep out of poisonous spiders and snakes. A special snake man was hired to protect the camp from snakes. Although Yana could not get all the necessary vaccines she went to India on her own responsibility. Is it difficult for a Bulgarian to break through the big world of film industry?

“It is difficult when you do have a wish but you do not take any steps to accomplish it. Being a cheaper destination Bulgaria has the chance to receive the stars themselves. In other words, a Bulgarian who is motivated and wants to work in the film industry has a good chance to succeed. I have learnt a lot of things in my profession by being an assistant to people in the film industry who have come to Bulgaria to make a movie. I have received a great deal of help from them. Therefore, my message to the young people is: “Do not only want! Give and you will receive!”, Yana Stoyanova says in conclusion.

English version: Vyara Popova

Source: BNR – Radio Bulgaria

Author: Heather Wisner

In Issues 87 and 88 of Make-Up Artist magazine we took a look at some of the possible contenders for the 2011 Academy Award for Achievement in Makeup. On Jan. 10, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the list of seven films, along with the artists, competing for a spot on the final ballot. We continue our Oscar Watch coverage below, with a spotlight on The Way Back.

The Way Back, released this January, caught a few people by surprise, including make-up department head Ed Henriques, who began working on it in 2008 and only recently saw the finished product, due to distribution delays.

Based on the book The Long Walk, the film tells the story of a group of political prisoners who escaped a Soviet gulag during World War II and walked 4,000 miles to safety, from Siberia to India, via Mongolia and the Himalayas. That arduous trek gave the make-up department plenty to work with.

“It’s a real make-up artists’ movie,” said Henriques. “It uses make-up to tell the story because it’s an escape and survival story.” In addition to make-up simulating injuries, disease, extreme weather and starvation, there is also period make-up.

Henriques had some elements in place when he arrived in Bulgaria to start shooting: Matthew Mungle made him prosthetic swollen legs for one character, and he got gulag inmate tattoos from Rick Stratton.

Henriques and his second, Greg Funk, had a month to set up shop in Bulgaria, aided by local artist Yana Stoyanova. (“She knew everything we needed to know there,” Henriques said.) They took impressions and made silicone Bondo 3-D transfers for mosquito bites, cuts, scratches and scars. They also sculpted toes for frostbitten feet. (ABOVE: Jim Sturgess)

Hair, overseen by Yolanda Toussieng, began with bald caps and shaved heads in the gulag; the half-dozen principal actors, including Ed Harris and Colin Farrell, had full beards, plus wigs supplied by Irwin Kupitz and Renate Leuschner. At one point in the film, the characters cut their hair and beards with knives so that they look less like criminals—extensions were used to suggest their amateur haircutting skills. (ABOVE: Ed Harris and Saoirse Ronan)

Mungle’s swollen-leg prosthetics simulated edema. The crew also created Vac-U-Form teeth (there is tooth loss in the film due to scurvy), although teeth were also painted after some of the actors complained that veneers impeded their speech. The bulk of the make-up needed to convey the ravages of the elements: snow, wind, dust and sun exposure. (RIGHT: Mark Strong)

“We used tanners layered with alcohol-based colors, powder dirts mixed with glycerin, that kind of thing,” Henriques said. “When they come out of the mountains, we used silicone cheek appliances to make the eyes look even deeper sunk.”

The Way Back was directed by Peter Weir, for whom Henriques worked on Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. Weir is the kind of director who, Henriques said, “wants to use what you give him. He’ll cut a shot just to show the make-up work you’ve done.”

Despite the limited resources and sheer hard work, Henriques said he was gratified by the experience: “Ed Harris said it best: ‘I didn’t walk 4,000 miles, but it felt like it.’ I think we all felt that way. It was a challenging labor of love.” (BELOW: Ed Harris)

Oscar Watch 2011: Henriques Goes the Distance in ‘The Way Back’