Building a career out of makeup and special effects

Creating a movie involves a lot of people working behind the scene making the magic happen on the screen. Like many behind the scenes crew, makeup artists are usually some of the most underrated stars of each program.

While we are a bit familiar with how makeup artists work, a lot of us are still in awe at how special effects professionals can either help or break a movie. The work of these artists helps films or movies transform the actors’ looks creating a lasting impression that viewers either love or hate.

But to make a good-looking human being into a monster takes not only talent and dedication but also training and creativity.

Almontaser al Jahwari is an artist who loves scarred beauty and notices coolness in each object around him. Seeing details can sometimes be difficult for an ordinary person but not for an artist, one of the primary criteria is to have the eye of details and a clear vision of the look.

“When you start digging and learning about the makeup industry, chances are you’re beginning to look at makeup not just as a hobby or even a passion, but as a potential career. So, eight years back, this was my beginning. The competition in the field then was little and the field itself was rare and many people wouldn’t accept the idea, let alone consider it a career”, Almontaser shared.

“The growing of the film production company, years later, expanded the work in the field of cinematic make-up and many young talented people appeared in the scene competing to achieve the best. This is healthy of course and I believe we all succeed.”

“In fact, different makeup artists have different definitions of what “success” even means. Some have visions of gold statuettes, others want to see their work light up a high fashion runway, and others simply want to see how many cool ways they can spray fake blood around on the screen. Your goal is your own as long as you have one”, he said.

“Challenges exist everywhere. This is the fun part of life. If you achieve things simply, it won have any flavour later when you think about it. Since I turned my talent into a career, first thing was to make people especially those around me to accept what I am doing. This is one of my simple rights. Making them accept that artists can make a living working in salons, for private clients, and for cosmetics companies just as they can by working on TV shows and movies, was tough but eventually, they accepted”, he said.

Then, as the competition was little, the tools were so insufficient in the market. It was hard to get them. However, as film production companies specialized in short films increased, things started to get smooth.

“To succeed in the makeup business, like any field, requires hard work, dedication, and a certain amount of luck. You will be so lucky if you are surrounded by loving friends and family who support you with good advice and moral encouragement. Filmmakers and producers are also a big support to me and this was the reason why I continued in this unique field”, he said.

Now, Almontaser is one of the well-known young Omanis in cinematic makeup and he participated in many competitions in Oman, and also participated in the comic con festival in Dubai and won third place. “Sharing expertise when I met different make-up artists during this festival has added a lot to my career. These are the chances I am looking for and will continue searching for uniqueness,” he said.