Eshter Nakaziba often does make-up classes and impromptu showcases. PHOTOS | ANDREW KAGGWA
It’s the make-up artists who age and de-age actors; they are responsible for making us feel sad about a character because of how they make them appear; they appeal to how we approach actors through appearance.
In genres such as period dramas and biopics, make-up is essential because it enhances realism and authenticity in character portrayals. Make-up is what bridges the gap between the audience and the onscreen world by ensuring characters appear as they would in real life or during a specific period. In Uganda, make-up has come a long way. There was a time when the department was non-existent; for people at the time, all it took was applying chalk to someone’s head to age them and some red colour in the forehead to show blood or a wound.
However, thanks to the internet and self-taught make-up artists such as Michael Wawuyo Sr, the industry has drastically changed, and more enthusiastic players have come onto the scene.
Esther Nakaziba is one of the energetic make-up artists on the scene. Her work is hard to miss because it doesn’t stay in films and TV series she has worked on. She does make-up classes and impromptu showcases; she frequently posts on her social media platforms. Nakaziba has worked on a slew of music videos, TV dramas, theatre shows, as well as feature films.
To be specific, however, she was part of the make-up department of award-winning TV series Prestige, Museveni’s war drama 27 Guns, Bed of Thorns, Ubuntu, Taama, Jimbi, Sunset in Kotido, and Loukman Ali’s Netflix African folktales episode, Katera of the Punishment Island.
On Monday, courtesy of the American Film Showcase and the US Mission Uganda, Nakaziba and Jennifer Zide will conduct a masterclass on film make-up artistry at the American Centre in Kabalagala from October 14 to 19. During the masterclass, both Nakaziba and Jennifer Zide will take up-and-coming make-up artists through drills of interpreting the script and creating the right choices for the make-up of different films.
Nakaziba says that besides actors and directors, most of the Ugandans working in other departments of films have failed to appreciate the importance of reading the script but believes one can’t make the right make-up decisions if they are not guided by the script.
Jennifer Zide will be bringing onboard her Hollywood experience, which Nakaziba says she will be glad to learn from her considering the fact that the department in Uganda is still growing, yet very promising. Jennifer Zide is a Los Angeles-based make-up artist whose catalogue of works has been enjoyed worldwide and grossed billions of dollars. She has been part of the make-up department of films such as The Knife, Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer-led Nope, Barbie, Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood, and Marvel films, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and Captain Marvel, among others.
Nakaziba has been running make-up classes for the past three years and an annual three-day exhibition at Motiv; she says she is happy her work is starting to attract the right audience. This is the first make-up-centred masterclass by the American Film Showcase, who earlier this month organised a training on making films and documentaries using smartphones.
