BA (Hons) Hair and Make-Up for Film and Performance

Why study this subject?

The looks you create form a key part of an audience’s appreciation of a production. The hair and make-up industry is a global one, with the right knowledge and skills, your career within this profession could take you all over the world, working on a range of scripts, performances and styles.

Why study at Buckinghamshire New University?

With a history of delivering expert craft, art and design education for more than 130 years, Buckinghamshire New University is the perfect place to start your creative career.

As part of the Art, Design and Performance School at BNU, you’ll benefit from a practiced-based course, supported by contextual studies. You’ll also have the opportunity to work collaboratively across the school with other courses, ensuring during your studies you are building a varied network, like you would in the real world.

Led by a dedicated and experienced course team, you’ll benefit from their industry knowledge and the industry links they bring to the course. You’ll get direct access to guest lectures, who are specialists in the sector, and can benefit from live project briefs, master classes, and networking opportunities.

The University also has a teaching base at the iconic Pinewood Studios, which means there could be opportunities to engage with the community there. You’ll also be able to put your learnt skills and craftmanship to practice, whilst being in the hustle and bustle of the world-renowned studio.

As well as this London is only a 30-minute train ride away, enabling you to visit exhibitions, galleries, shows and watch emerging styles, to help you gain inspiration and ideas.

What facilities can I use?

Our Hair and Make-up degree has its own base both on our High Wycombe Campus and at our BNU Pinewood teaching base. These spaces feature equipment such as mirrors and lighting to help you create the styles you want to achieve.

As well as this you’ll work collaboratively with students from a range of courses, and act as the hair and make-up department for those studying costume design, film and tv and performing arts. With these students you’ll have direct access to our photography, film and tv and drama studios where you’ll be able to build your portfolio, and network like you would in the industry.

Our students' work

What will I study?

The practical elements of our course are designed with industry in mind. On the course you will explore pre-production and film set etiquette, which will help you understand the rules, roles and responsibilities of individuals in a production team, as well as explaining who you will report to and the expectations within a professional context.

It is key to master different makeup and hair techniques, so we’ll help you explore a range of period eras and how they form the basis for fashion designs. Alongside, your modules in prosthetics and special effect makeup will allow you to experiment with a range of materials to understand what it takes to bring characters to life.

It’s not just about crafting something that looks great, it will be your job to create character designs that fit a script. We'll teach you about various period hairstyles and show you how to recreate them. Most importantly you'll understand the history and theory that informs your designs and be able to reflect critically on your practice.

You'll get to grips with professional practice and we will help you to develop essential entrepreneurial skills. As many people in this area work as freelancers, we’ll teach you everything you need to know for success, from how to set up to paying taxes and creating a winning portfolio.