Lecturer Đào Thùy.

The first students at the Design for Performance Department in the Hà Nội Academy of Theatre and Cinema recently received Bachelor of Arts degrees in make-up. This is the first course of its kind in the country where students get to work on creating superheroes and monsters using their make-up skills. Việt Nam News reporter Nguyễn Bình spoke with artist and lecturer Đào Thùy.

What can you tell us about the make-up art course?

This is the first make-up art course to train students for Bachelor of Arts degrees in make-up at the Hà Nội Academy of Theatre and Cinema.

Make-up art began at the academy in 2018. The first course had eight students and six of them graduated after four years.

More and more people want to enroll in the course, but take just 30 students maximum for each course. It was my proposal to create this course at the academy and at present we have 90 students on three courses. They get the chance to work at theatres, troupes, at festivals and with movie companies.

How did you feel seeing the first students graduate?

I’m proud of my efforts and my devotion to contribute to their graduation. Each of their work is like a valuable present to me.

I hope that the new graduates will be powerful in Việt Nam's entertainment industry in the future. They will help movie directors to create fictional characters for fantasy and science fiction movies that are rarely produced in Việt Nam.

What can you tell us about their training programme?

Make-up art is constantly evolving and greatly contributing to the success of theatrical and cinematic productions. In Việt Nam almost the make-up artists are trained without degree.

In the past only veteran artist Trịnh Xuân Chính was sent by the State to learn make-up in Poland. Vietnamese make-up artists are self-taught. Some of them are actors who don’t perform anymore and they shift to make-up.

Our academy is the first unit to train make-up artists at Bachelor's degree level.

Students make up a character. Photos baotintuc.vn

You are also a theatre actress. Why did you move into make-up training?

Make-up art plays an important role in film and television contributing to the success of blockbusters. The Avatar movie directed by James Cameron in 2009 is a good example.

The creation of three-dimensional computer-generated digital art helped the movie become one of highest revenue blockbusters in cinema history.

But it should be noted that Cameron wrote the script in 1995 and had to wait for the development of film and make-up technology for more than 10 years to turn his idea into an epic three-dimensional film.

I decide to learn make-up art because I see the increasing demand for it in the entertainment industry and in society as well.

When I was an actress I always thought about my character in make-up. After I got a Master of Arts degree in theatre, I was sent to study make-up art on a seven-month course in Beijing, China.

During my studies, I took an extra class at a make-up studio which is popular. I was lucky to get access to advanced technology in materials used.

At that time, I also attended a make-up contest and finished second which was great for a Vietnamese student like me.

After studying in Beijing, I also learned with artist Chính in HCM City.

What would you do to promote the make-up training?

I always tell my students not to worry about failure but don’t repeat the same mistake. If they don’t want to have failure it’s better do nothing.

I really want make-up art to be recognised equally as other professions such as set design and costume design. Domestic film festivals should also have a prize for the best make-up in movies.

We have make-up art for traditional genres like tuồng (classical opera), chèo (traditional opera) and cải lương (reformed theatre). I wish Vietnamese make-up artists could be on a par with international artists. - VNS