This week's Episode is a conversation I had with Oscar and BAFTA nominee, Heike Merker about her work as makeup and hair department head on the film ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT which is getting a tremendous amount of attention this awards season. Finding herself quite literally on the Front Lines of this project, we talk about her challenges, the physical demands and how she discovered the ability to paint artistically using mud, dirt, pigments and even macha (!) to create stunning, painterly looks that convey the duality of war and the inner life of the film's protagonist. This was a tremendously hard film to make. Listen to Heike talk (hilariously) about getting so stuck in the mud that she literally couldn't move one inch. And how she found inspiration on set and in the moment for the film's signature macha mask look. Tune in!
2:30 - "They Shall Not Grow Old" dir. Peter Jackson main inspiration
3:15 dirt research
4:15 how the dirt look was created?
6:22 kabuki mask
7:00 how to keep continuity
7:31 approach like a painting
8:30 change of colors & blood
9:46 Daniel Bruhl & how I got the job
11:40 History of the novel
12:30 relationship w/DP
15:10 Conditions on the set
16:25 Hardest day on set
17:50 stuck in the mud
22:09 secret ingredients macha and macadamia nut
23:36 the two faces of the mask
26:36 on set inspiration
