COSTUME PARTY MURDER - 5/4

TW: GORE, BULLET WOUNDS


RESEARCH COLLAGES

After we were sent the script for Costume Party Murder, we were asked to create a script breakdown and a research collage for every character. I went through the script, took notes of each character's transformation, and put together what I would use for my inspiration.

Marc La Rou - 30, gangster with a 5 o'clock shadow, later appears riddled with bullet holes and a streak of purple paint on his face.

Mr. Silver - 40, a disheveled, Beethoven-esque musician who later appears dressed in a chef's costume.

Ms. Aubergine - 60, excessive makeup with a towering bouffant; a beauty queen past her prime. Later appears as a murderous clown.

Professor Onyx - 50, a macabre-looking man with sunken eyes, later appears in a vampire costume.

Ms. Celadon - 30, local weather woman; immaculate presenter. Later appears in a pirate costume.

Friar Hickory - 70, age-worn and grizzled, later appears wearing a Marie Antoinette costume.

Ms. Slate - 20, a brazen punk woman; wild hair, piercings, and notable EYELINER. Later appears wearing a Cleopatra costume.

Dean Cain - head of the local university, meticulous in his appearance although his style is decades-old, later appears in a Jekyll and Hyde split face look.

Detective D'Aboville - 40, Hercule Poirot-type, waxed stache, first appears in a Phantom of the Opera costume.

Constable Claire La Lune - 30, freckled rookie of the force, first appears in cat makeup.

SCRIPT BREAKDOWN

I took my notes on a piece of note paper and read over the script, noting whatever details are mentioned about each character. Because I was assigned the character of Marc La Rou, I paid special attention to his details. (I was really excited to play him - I love doing drag!)

MARC LA ROU - CHARACTER DETAILS

Before I started my makeup, I checked the in-text description of his appearance. "Gangster" is more of a look communicated in clothing than in hair and makeup, but I did the best I could to create the look with what I had.

Marc has two looks - one in his gangster costume, and one after he's been murdered. I looked at pictures of drag kings to create his first look, paying special attention to their contouring, and looked at pictures of real bullet wounds for his second. I tend to make older-looking kings, but since Marc is in his thirties, I paid really close attention to what younger-looking kings do.

BEFORE

AFTER

LOOK #1

LOOK #2

For the first look, I used eyeshadow to create defined cheekbones and contour. I was sure to use it even on areas of my face that were already naturally shadowed, just so it wouldn't look as strange to see the false shadows. Marc has a five-o-clock shadow, so I gave him faint stubble and shaded his chin with black eyeshadow. For the second, I painted circles in highlight around my face, surrounded them in red, and filled in the middles with black, maroon, and more red. Adding fake blood and Vic's for gore and shine completed the effect. For the purple streak across his face, I literally just rubbed my fingers in purple creme paint and smeared it across my face. I had to be really careful - I was borrowing my neighbor's clothes, and I didn't want to stain them. I wasn't able to find anything appropriate for a classic mobster, so Marc ended up looking more like a greaser instead. To push the look, I made a really quick "cigarette" out of sketch paper and brown makeup.

What I Learned

I really had a lot of fun with this look! I'm super proud of how Marc's bullet wounds turned out, and I ended up really happy with the drag makeup I created. I learned that most men don't really have that super angular cheek that I was originally doing, and their cheekbones should be shaded up, not down. Now that I've learned this, I see it all the time in men. I also learned a lot about creating, if not convincing, then recognizable bullet wounds, and I'm excited to refine my technique later on. This class was so much fun, and I'm so glad I got to take part in it! Thank you, Anna!