THE U3A packed the Kingsbridge Methodist Hall last week to hear a talk on life as a make-up artist in film and TV, including BBC’s The Coroner.

Sharon Anniss was the U3A’s January speaker on Friday, January 22. She was born in Totnes and grew up in Malborough, attending Malborough Primary School. She has now spent more than 22 years of her life as a hair and make-up artist in both film and television.

She first became involved with ‘show business’ at an early age, appearing in the Malborough Pantomimes, which had started in 1979, and for which her father was the lighting technician.

On leaving Kingsbridge Community College, she worked for a time at a Salcombe hairdressing salon, before leaving to work as an ‘au pair’ in America for a year. On her return, setting her sights on a career as a film and TV make-up artist, she decided to train at a make-up school in London.

After graduating, she spent about five ‘wilderness’ years, gaining valuable work experience, but earning negligible money! This is a largely free-lance industry and luck, as well as skill, plays a big part in how successful one becomes.

Sharon said her ‘break’ came when she joined the popular Inspector Lyndley series, with Nathaniel Parker, and spent three and a half years with the company, gaining more experience.

She learned that to become known in her field of work, is largely through ‘word of mouth’ and set about making herself known.

She learned to follow any ‘location signs’ – which direct those working on any ‘lot’ – to where the directors or producers have their office caravans. She knocked on doors and/or left her business card.

She also met up with girls who had been working in the industry longer than her, and gradually became part of the network, making long-lasting friendships, consequently finding more employment.

She went on to work on such well-known popular series as ‘Casualty’ ‘Holby City’ and ‘Spooks’. Her own personal favourite is ‘Waking the Dead’ with Trevor Eve and Emilia Fox, and lasted for five series.

Sharon’s talk was illustrated throughout, with slides showing the sort of painstaking work required to create the seemingly horrendous ‘injuries’ sustained by the characters in the story line.

Each job begins with a directors’ briefing, where all those involved discuss their requirements and the time-scale allotted or needed for the production.

This is NOT an easy life, demanding driving to early starts on cold, sometimes wet and wind-swept locations where 17 hour ‘days’ are the norm, and then having to drive home from wherever.

Sharon’s most recent and hopefully ongoing project has been ‘The Coroner’ starring Claire Goose, which aired on daytime TV in November last year. The locations used involved Dartmouth, Hope Cove and Slapton among many local places and a new series has been commissioned for this year.

We were shown graphic pictures of ‘gunshot wounds’, severed fingers, prosthetics, cigarette burns and ‘victims of fire’ bombs and car crashes – all painstakingly created by Sharon during the course of her career.

She told us of the dreaded ‘bald cap’ used when a character has, for some reason, to appear hairless. This involves many hours of work, matching the skin tones, blending and making the latex absolutely seamless.

She said that she photographs her work at every stage, in case it has to be re-created, as scenes are not shot consecutively.

She spoke, casually, of the ‘jugs of blood’ – syrup and sugar! – used during the making of the film ‘The Centurion’ and of the 500+ ‘short back and sides’ necessary for the hundreds of ‘soldiers’ while working on Spielberg’s ‘Warhorse’.

Some locations have stood out in Sharon’s mind – the views of London from the top of the Wellington Monument under the horses, and the creepy, old Scarborough prison – are amongst the most vivid for her.

Listening to Sharon, the audience were made aware of how much time and detailed work goes into creating just a few seconds viewing on screen - and sometimes even ends up on the cutting room floor!!

Coming to the end of her talk, the questions from the audience revealed that now she has a baby son, and working away from home is more difficult, she now also writes articles for published books on the art of professional make-up.

She has established herself as a wedding hair and make-up stylist, and would like to consider teaching the art, as a further career; passing on the knowledge and expertise she has during her fascinating years in this most unusual and exciting profession.

This was Sharon’s first ‘public speaking’ engagement, but judging by the applause and interest, I’m willing to bet it won’t be her last.