The South West’s first dedicated media make up school is to be launched in Bath next month by one of the industry’s top professionals.
Melanie Crump, who was born and raised locally, chose the city to launch Bath Academy of Media MakeUp (BAMM) to offer training in the type of specialist skills and techniques that have helped take her to the top of the industry.
Melanie’s credits include some TV’s most acclaimed period dramas and contemporary soaps including Hollyoaks, The Bill and Grange Hill.
While her glamorous clients have included actresses Amanda Redman and Catherine Tate, and TV presenters such as Georgie Thompson, Melinda Messenger and Jayne Middlemiss, she has also found herself on location knee-deep in mud and covered in fake blood on a mock battlefield.
Melanie, who has worked in the industry for more than a decade, said: “I wanted to provide an opportunity for the increasing number of people serious about studying for a job in media make up, but not wanting to travel or live away from home.
“I love Bath. It has some the finest educational facilities in the world. My aim is to get creatives travelling into Bath, not out of it. I wish I’d had the opportunity to study here.”
Melanie, now based in London and highly sought after in the industry, has hand-picked a team of top media make up artists to tutor a wide range of courses designed to give students the skills and expertise they need to succeed in an innovative industry.
Apart from making up the rich and famous, Melanie’s other great love is teaching and, she says, by starting up BAMM she has been fortunate enough to combine both.
The variety of the work open to make up artists is one aspect she loves – from helping give actors in a period drama an authentic look to working with household names.
“At The Brit Awards 2012 I was assigned to Olly Murs who was great fun to work with,” she said.
And booked onto Cliff Richard’s ‘Soulicious’ tour, he found herself making up soul legends such as Percy Sledge and Freda Payne.
“It’s at times like that I think, ‘Wow, you landed on your feet here girl!’,“ she said.
BAMM courses will span traditional fashion shoot make up through to bridal and air brushing. It also covers niche skills through courses in prosthetics, special FX and body art as well as a course in camouflage, where tutors will be working with surgeons from the charity Changing Faces.
Hair is also covered with courses ranging from barbering and cutting to wig making. BAMM will also be the only media makeup course in the UK to offer an Afro-Caribbean hair course.
All class sizes will be limited to a maximum of 12 students and will run from one day to 15 weeks.
At the end of training, BAMM will actively support students through help with placements and professional connections.
For more information visit www.bathmediamakeup.co.uk or call 01225 436181.
