Bored Panda reached out to Beatrice Sniper, who is an award winning Special Effects artist, based in New York/New Jersey. First, we asked the makeup artist to explain to us what she does for a living and what got her interested when it comes to doing special effects makeup.

“I didn’t have any interest in special effects Makeup. I was brought up in a religious, secluded household so I was never exposed to horror movies, or any movies at all - we weren’t allowed to watch television. When I was going to college for Computer Animation, we were required to take a few elective classes that didn’t necessarily fall under our major. The elective class I decided to take was called ‘Intro to Makeup for Film and TV’ (taught by Paul J. Mason). I thought why not, it sounds like an easy A.

It was there that I was taught the basics of makeup - how to apply straight makeup, cuts, burns, blood, etc with a kit that the class shared. It opened up a whole new world for me and as I revisited some movies, I was able to see horror movies as an art, and I grew to appreciate it more. People like Rick Baker, Clive Barker, Del Torro, David Cronenberg, Greg Nicotero, Ve Neil, Stan Winston, Dick Smith, etc, brought so much to the table that changed how we see movies. It was like a warm welcome for being different - which is what I was always told is bad.”

When asked about what was the most interesting part of this job, here’s what Sniper told us, “The most interesting thing about this job is that each job is different. One day I’m slaughtering someone and exploding heads, the next day I’m turning someone into a demon, the next day I’m giving someone cancer, and the next day I’m making someone look 40 years older. Everyday is different, every project is a new adventure. Its a magic in the art. A science. And it makes me feel like anything is possible. I’m always learning something new, and I never stop learning. Theres always a new technique, a new product, a new way to look at things.”

In case you didn’t know, Beatrice also worked on some movies as well, therefore we asked her if her experience in the industry made her more aware of certain things and how they are done when she watched movies just leisurely outside of work.

”Well, since I came from a background of Computer Animation so I’m aware of the post production process, and now that I switch into production so I’m even more fascinated by how much goes into film making. It gives me a greater appreciation, and although i do admit I’m always looking for mistakes in film - like continuity, or checking to see if the dead bodies are breathing, that only makes it feel more real to me. I love the film-making process, and although I’ve never went to school for film, it makes me appreciate it more.”

Given the type of work the makeup artist does, we asked her if she had ever received any weird or fun requests throughout her career.

”Oh, I get weird jobs and requests. Thats also what makes this fun. Each job is a story - with the people involved, situations that happen on set, or the storyline of the project. I will favor some jobs because of the crew members or the location. Its so rewarding to be a part of the film making world. For example, I got a request to change the appearance of an actor. When I arrive on set, I find out that people are trying to smuggle someone out of the country, so they need to make it appear that someone doesn’t look like themselves. Or it can doing special effects for military training. Its a new crew for each project, and you make tons of memories.“

Beatrice also shared that she preferred working on smaller indie movies, rather than large projects from big corporates. “Funny you ask that. Most of the times, its the small indie films that are more interesting and fun. The major movies - like union jobs, such as law and order, or Amazon movies, the jobs are usually boring, the crew is massive so you’re overwhelmed, everyone goes by certain rules/standards. With independent movies, they don’t pay much but the projects are way more fun because you have downtime to talk to people, most of the time they are shooting in their own backyards or their friends houses. The crew is more down-to-earth and chill, and there is more leeway.”

We were also curious to find out how much research goes into a single project, and here’s what the artist shared, “Honestly, it depends on the project. I always always always collect reference photos, I have several folders of reference photos. And this can include stuff like burns, cuts, bruises, weird deaths, skin diseases, old age, anatomy, costumes, and inspirations. Theres alot of fascination with death, dark concepts and it takes a bit of self awareness to learn to be okay with that.”

When asked about the hardest part of the work Beatrice does, she wasn’t holding back as she gave a few valid reasons, “The hardest part about my work is that people don’t realize how costly a lot of this stuff can get. And when a lot of film makers want a lobster meal, they can only afford a mcdonalds sandwich. I WISH that I could work for free, I’d be super happy. However, materials are costly and I have bills to pay. I LOVE going big, and being able to create big effects and cool insane makeups, but I also have to explain to people how much time and money goes into this. Its not easy, and it’s a process. 

Being on set can be challenging too - because sometimes you can butt heads with different artistic mindsets, or you’re in a location that is… annoying. Like filming outside in the winter, or shooting in the woods during the summertime with no bathroom nearby and tons of mosquitos ready to devour you. The hours can be long, and the rates are constantly fluctuating. Its rough, but its fun.”

Lastly, we asked Beatrice to share some tips on how you Pandas could take your Halloween costumes to a next level using very minimal effort.

”Personally, im such a fan of eye contacts. They always make a look more intense… and TEEEEEETH! Usually, the most BASIC makeup I get asked to do, especially during haunt season is paling a face, heavy high contrast contouring, veins. Some people can get away with throwing blood splatter on themselves and calling it a day. But if you wanna get fancy, try drawing a cool design. Take. Your. Time. Practice practice practice. You can transform yourself into ANY character, how amazing is that?”