# Key Makeup Artist

Source: https://storiara.com/roles/key-makeup-artist
Last updated: 2026-09-14
Author: Spencer Kaufman, Storiara

> The key makeup artist leads the makeup team on a production, designing and applying makeup for principal actors and maintaining it through the shoot. The key breaks down the script for makeup needs, runs the makeup trailer schedule, supervises additional makeup artists, and keeps continuity photos and notes. On larger shows the key works under a makeup department head. In Hollywood makeup artists are members of IATSE Local 706.

The first person a lead actor sees most shooting mornings is the key makeup artist, often before sunrise, in a trailer chair. That hour affects the actor's mood and the schedule. If makeup runs 20 minutes long on a heavy day, the first shot moves 20 minutes, and every department feels it.

## Breaking down the script for makeup

A key makeup artist reads the script for anything that changes a face or body: time passing, illness, injuries, blood, sweat, dirt, tattoos, aging, weather, crying, and period looks. The breakdown lists each character by scene and [story day](https://storiara.com/glossary/story-day), so a cut on the cheek in scene 20 is tracked as it heals through scenes 25, 31, and 48.

A short example for one character:

| Scenes | Story day | Makeup note |
|---|---|---|
| 12, 14 | Day 3 | Clean, natural |
| 20 | Day 3 night | Fresh cut on left cheekbone, blood trickle |
| 25 | Day 4 | Cut scabbed, bruise developing under eye |
| 31, 33 | Day 6 | Bruise yellowing, cut healing |
| 48 | Day 20 | Faint scar only |

Those scenes may shoot in any order, so the key keeps reference photos of each stage. If a cut needs a prosthetic appliance, the key brings in a [special effects makeup artist](https://storiara.com/roles/special-effects-makeup-artist) or lab.

## Prep and camera tests

In prep, the key meets the director and the costume designer to talk through looks, then does makeup tests on principal actors, ideally on camera under the DP's lighting. A look that works in the trailer mirror can read very differently on a modern digital sensor under LED light, so a test before day one is worth the time.

The key also orders products and supplies, hires additional makeup artists for heavy days, and sets up the trailer with the key hair stylist. Actors' allergies and skin sensitivities go into the notes before the first application.

## Call time arithmetic

The key gives the 2nd AD estimated times for each actor so the call sheet works. Say the first shot is scheduled at 8:00 AM and the lead has a bruise look plus a period hairstyle:

- Makeup: 60 minutes
- Hair: 45 minutes
- Wardrobe: 15 minutes
- Walk to set and final touches: 15 minutes
- Total: 2 hours 15 minutes, so the lead's call is 5:45 AM

If two actors need the same makeup chair, the 2nd AD staggers them or the key brings in another artist. The guide on [how to set call times](https://storiara.com/blog/how-to-set-call-times) covers the full process.

## On set

After the trailer, the key or another makeup artist follows the actors to set. Before every take the 1st AD calls for [last looks](https://storiara.com/glossary/last-looks), and makeup checks shine, sweat, tears, and blood levels against continuity photos. Between setups the key reapplies what's been worn off by eating, crying, stunts, or heat. At wrap, makeup comes off in the trailer. The 2nd AD records each actor's out time after removal, which on SAG-AFTRA shows feeds the [Exhibit G](https://storiara.com/glossary/exhibit-g) time report.

Continuity is shared with hair, costume, and the script supervisor, since blood on a collar belongs to two departments.

## The box rental

Makeup artists almost always rent their kit to the production as a [box rental](https://storiara.com/glossary/box-rental). A professional kit can include brushes, foundations in dozens of shades, airbrush equipment, hygiene supplies, a chair, and lighting, all built up over years. The box rental is a weekly amount agreed on the deal memo with an inventory list. It isn't wages, so no fringes apply. Productions often reimburse consumable products bought for the show separately from the box fee, with receipts, so the deal memo should say which is which. The [kit and box rental guide](https://storiara.com/blog/kit-rentals-and-box-rentals) goes further into how this is paid.

## Union rules and membership

In Hollywood, makeup artists and hair stylists are represented by the Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild, IATSE Local 706. Local 706's join page lists several routes onto the Industry Experience Roster for film, streaming, and TV work:

- The 60-60-60 method: 60 days per year for three different years, not necessarily consecutive, within the last five years, on non-union productions in Los Angeles County at minimum wage
- A waiver: 60 days total on the same union project, with the producer requesting the waiver and prior work history documented
- A production flip: 30 days on a non-union production that becomes a union production

Makeup artists must also take a color blindness test and complete safety classes through Contract Services, along with ID and a recent pay stub. Minimum rates come from the Local 706 wage schedules under the IATSE Basic Agreement; the union and payroll companies can confirm current figures. In New York, hair and makeup are covered by IATSE Local 798.

## Getting there

Makeup artists come from beauty, fashion, theater, and cosmetology backgrounds, then build credits on commercials, music videos, and non-union films. The key position usually comes after years as a makeup artist on a department head's team.

## Storiara in the trailer

Storiara lets you highlight a line in the script and add it as a makeup or hair element, and its Assets module has a Makeup & Hair category with photo and cost fields for each item. That gives the key a first-pass breakdown by scene to check. See [Props & Wardrobe](https://storiara.com/feature/props-wardrobe).

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the difference between a makeup department head and a key makeup artist?

On big productions, the department head designs looks, manages the budget, and does the lead actor, while the key makeup artist is second in command and runs the trailer day to day. On smaller shows one person does both and is credited as key makeup artist.

### What is a makeup box rental?

A weekly fee paid to the makeup artist for using their own kit: brushes, products, airbrush equipment, chairs, lights, and supplies. It's written on the deal memo, paid separately from wages, and products used up on the show may be reimbursed on top of it.

### How do you join Local 706 as a makeup artist?

Local 706 lists several routes onto the Industry Experience Roster, including working 60 days a year for three different years within the last five years on non-union productions in Los Angeles County, or 30 days on a non-union production that flips to union. Makeup artists must take a color blindness test.

### How early does makeup start before call?

It depends on the look. A natural makeup for a contemporary drama can take 30 to 45 minutes per actor, while aging, injuries, or prosthetics can take hours. The key makeup artist gives the 2nd AD time estimates for each actor so call times work backward from the first shot.

## Sources

- [Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild, IATSE Local 706: How to Join](https://local706.org/how-to-join-local-706/)
- [Contract Services Administration Trust Fund: Industry Experience Roster](https://www.csatf.org/rosters-lists/industry-experience-roster/)
- [AMPTP: Contracts and wage scales (Local 798 New York agreement listed)](https://amptp.org/contracts/)