Welcome to Cinema Makeup School's E-Newsletter, which is created to keep you informed of what's going on at Cinema Makeup School. It features news about our students, alumni and esteemed instructors.

Cinema Makeup School recently welcomed a new instructor to the faculty. Christopher Bergschneider is currently teaching the Prosthetics course at CMS, and brings with his over 18 years of experience in special makeup effects. Some of Christopher's credits include Jurassic Park 3, A.I.:Artificial Intelligence, The time Machine, Men in Black 2, and Babylon 5, among many, many others. Over the course of his career, Chris has worked in Bulgaria, Romania, Belize, Argentina, Mexico, and South Africa. We are happy to have Chris as part of the CMS family!

Tom Devlin, Prosthetics and Special Makeup Effects instructor, recently finished Are You Scared? (Key Special Makeup Effects) for Mainline Releasing to be distributed through Lion’s Gate Films. He is also working on The Grim Reaper (Key Special Makeup Effects) for director Mike Fiefer - also through Mainline Releasing - and The Gay Bed and Breakfast of Terror (Key Special Makeup Effects) for writer/director Jaymes Thompson and MoDean Productions. Tom also attended the Hollywood premiere of Joshua, a horrific thriller to be distributed by Fangoria’s Gorezone Video. Tom also attended the American Film Market with Lloyd Kaufman (founder of Troma Entertainment and maker of the classic The Toxic Avenger) to promote the new Troma release, Poultrygeist: Attack of the Chicken Zombies! (Key Special Makeup Effects).

Beauty and High Fashion instructor Mireille Bertrand recently contributed an article to Salon City Stars magazine based on her coverage of LA Fashion Week, sponsored by Smashbox. She has also been working on fashion editorials and covers for GenLux, a fashion and beauty magazine based in Los Angeles. Mireille continues to be the Key Regional Makeup Artist for Esteé Lauder, appearing at events exclusively at Saks Fifth Avenue locations around southern California. Mirielle is the in-house Key Makeup Artist for Los Angeles-based designer Sue Wong, who also showed her collection at LA Fashion Week in October. She has lately been the personal makeup artist to Phoebe Price and will soon be interviewed by Style TV. Mireille also has a DVD on makeup application soon to be released by KnowledgeWare.tv.

Ralis Khan, a Special Makeup Effects instructor at CMS, recently wrapped production on Ambush Entertainment’s Unearthed and National Lampoon’s TV the Movie (Production Designer). During reshoots for that feature, he turned Preston Lacey into a live-action Shrek in the Florida swamps. Ralis created special makeup effects for the film Sevin Dust, outfitting 20 extras with burn-fused eye appliances. For a recent television commercial for the makeup line Shiseido, he constructed a “Mission Impossible-style” rip-away mask. Dead by Day, Ralis’s prosthetics-laden monster band, will be beginning a nationwide tour soon which runs until January 7th, and CMS graduate Keri Payne has assisted recently with the band members’ makeup. He has also contributed edible eyeballs and blood effects for Snoop Dogg’s Hood of Horrors. For the feature film Hacked, Ralis created custom prop weaponry (axes and mallets). He has recently worked on a photo shoot with legendary rocker Nikki Sixx, creating “sleazy glam” makeup and the special makeup effect of syringes coming out of Nikki’s fingertips.

Graduate Carlton Coleman has been working at Burman Studios, where he has worked on TV’s Nip Tuck, Gray's Anatomy, Invasion, and Threshold. He is now at WM Creations, working on the upcoming features Beowulf, Seraphim Falls, Rocky 6, The Omen (remake), and X-Men 3; and the television shows CSI, Lost, and Nightstalker. He also just finished an independent short film entitled Forced Alliance based on the Star Wars universe.

Naira Tarolian, High Fashion Photographic Makeup graduate, has been working with Ming Shiun We of L'Imaginery, as well as for Cinema Electric producer of " Portable Hollywood" compact shows for T-Mobil, Cingular, Sprint, Verizon, and many other international cell phone companies. She has also been the makeup artist for V Cast for Verizon- shows with hosts Kristin Halt and Janie Torazes - which air twice weekly. Naira continues to do makeup for catalogs, fashion events, and runway shows.

Aubrey Jensen was featured on Discover Channel's program "The Most Extreme" television show. The show's theme was 'the most extreme makeover'. A camera crew came all the way from New Zealand to film Aubrey, along with Catlin Stimpson assisting, create an entire full head foam latex appliance on Roselani Lozano, from sculpture to final application.

Graduate Michel LeJeune’s work was recently featured on the cover of Instinct magazine and Pink magazine, both with 6-page spreads inside. He has also been working as a freelancer with Bobby Brown, and is currently an educator for DUST Makeup. He has been the Key Makeup Artist for a Dom Perignon commercial, for the world premiere of Soul Plane, and for the new advertising campaign for Samsung. Michel will also be the Key Makeup Artist for the upcoming off-Broadway show, Arlen.

Christopher Graham, a recent CMS graduate, was the makeup artist for Miss Nevada – “Wanda Joy Sparks” - in the Best in Drag Show on October 16, 2005, an annual celebrity fundraiser for Aid for AIDS in Los Angeles. The event featured elaborate costumes and production numbers with choreography and music – all performed by men in drag who aren’t professional female impersonators. Judges included Kathy Griffin (who opened the show for the third year), Marcia Cross, Jennifer Coolidge, Tori Spelling, Jo Anne Worley, Loni Anderson, Holland Taylor, Rachel True, Caroline Rhea, and Melinda Clarke. He also assisted instructor Mirielle Bertrand with her article on LA Fashion Week for Salon City Stars magazine.

CMS graduates Dominic Alfano and Tyler Dolph have both been working for GM Foam, a Van Nuys-based supplier of special makeup effects products to the film and television industry. Dominic has also been working closely with CMS instructor Tom Devlin on Poultrygeist: Attack of the Chicken Zombies!, The Harvest, and Are You Scared?, with more projects lined up for the future. He and CMS graduate Catlin Carroll also worked together on the fan film Tomb Raider: Tears of the Dragon. Tyler has been putting in time in both Tom Devlin’s and Jeff Farley’s shops, and has worked on Farley’s films Ssslither and Lightspeed, as well as Poultrygeist: Attack of the Chicken Zombies! with Tom Devlin.

CMS students Alex Aguayo, Jennifer Castaño, Gage Hubbard, Lauren Kluba, and Myra Rodriguez transformed guests into ghouls, fairies, and other creatures of the night at the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce’s annual Halloween Party at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

Gayla Basehart, an instructor at CMS, has been keeping busy with several projects in the music industry. Lately she’s worked on shoots for VH1 and the TV Guide channel, and has an upcoming music video for a currently untitled project with the legendary Eighties group Devo.

Michelle Bankson, CMS graduate, is currently working on The Go Getter, a film written and directed by Martin Hynes (writer for Stealing Harvard) starring Jena Malone, Zooey Deschanel, and Lou Pucci. She also recently was Key Makeup Artist for Live’s latest music video, “The River.” Sarah Kowalick, another CMS graduate, is assisting Michelle on The Go Getter and assisted her on “The River” as well.

Catlin Carroll, Master program graduate, has been busy on a variety of film and video projects. For a music video for Koofax, she served as Assistant Prosthetics. On TV the Movie, she assisted CMS instructor Ralis Kahn in the Art Department. She was Assistant Makeup Artist on the film short, The Clone, and a Makeup Artist on the fan film Tears of the Dragon and Darkworld. Catlin was the Key Makeup Artist on the film New Day Rising, and a Lab Assistant for Tom Devlin on Troma Entertainment’s Poultrygeist: Attack of the Chicken Zombies!

Sarah Tarling, a graduate of the Master Makeup program currently living in Brunswick, Maine, was recently interviewed by the Portland Press Herald. Sarah led a two-day workshop at the Space Gallery in Portland, Maine on special makeup effects to coincide with Halloween. Sarah is also working on two plays, Maniac and The Brain That Wouldn’t Die, for Running Over Productions.

Daimie Melvin, a current Master student, recently finished working as Key Makeup Artist/Special Makeup Effects on Dance of the Water Clowns, a short film for Instant Studios.

Graduate Meredith Stedman worked on the movie Graves Method, directed by Clay Banks and Brian Potter. The film is still in post-production. She has also been freelancing with MAC Cosmetics and doing makeup for photographer Matt Egan. Meredith has also been busy with many headshot sessions and weddings throughout Southern California.

Graduate Karina Gomez is now Key Makeup Artist for Trato-Hecho at Univision, after daychecking for one year at Primera Edicion.

Sandra Hakim, graduate of the Professional Makeup Artistry program, will be working as a makeup artist on an upcoming feature starring Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony.

On December 14, 2005, a camera crew from CANAL+ - a premiere European cable network - recorded video for an upcoming episode of a series on non-traditional careers. Cinema Makeup School was chosen to spotlight makeup artistry and classes in Character makeup, Prosthetics, and beauty were filmed, as well as instructor Nelly Recchia applying a body paint to student Cassandra Church, Students were also interviewed for the piece, which should likely air in Europe sometime in January 2006.