Turn your own two-dimensional concept design into an otherworldly foam latex being. Learn the essentials of creating a camera-ready creature.
This course is ideal for anyone interested in working in a SFX lab or for anyone interested in becoming a well-rounded, on-set makeup artist.
MON - FRI
9.00am - 4:00pm
4 Weeks
140 Clock Hours
Students will learn how to correct a life cast of their model, sculpt the face and neck of a creature, make custom teeth, learn the art of mold making and foam casting, and how to apply and paint foam latex appliances.
Correcting life casts, sculpting on a life cast, creature design, mold making, latex foam casting, dental casting, creature teeth design, foam latex application and painting.
Clock Hours
Weeks
Clock Hours
Weeks
Tuition
Lab Fee
Materials
Total
Materials are required for class. Students are welcome to purchase pre-packaged makeup kits from Cinema Makeup School or may choose to put together a makeup kit on their own.
Click through the makeup kits below to see required materials.
While taking the special effects course you will need the materials from either of the following makeup kits below. Depending on whether you have received another prior overlapping kit you may only need supplemental materials.
*Required without purchase of character kit
Financing is newly possible for CMS students as well as other payment options! Click the link below to review your finance options.
Check out reviews of our courses and programs, straight from our talented graduates!
A year ago I had the joy of graduating from Cinema Makeup School with my lovely silicone severed head, inspired by the incredible Dusty Ray. Thank you to Andy Schoneberg, Mike Spatola, Podly James, Vaida Mikelenaite and the many teachers and interns who helped guide me through this course. It was one of the most memorable and affirming learning experiences I've ever had!
I am extremely grateful for my life, which gives me the opportunity to communicate with people who influenced me since childhood through the famous movies they worked on! Thanks to Cinema Makeup School which gives students and graduates the opportunity to attend such events and the chance to meet the best of the best in their business!
I never thought that I would know what I would want to do at only 14 years old and that 6 years later I would be here, next to my fake head that I sculpted, molded, cast, painted, hair punched, made eyes for…. and everything else it took to make another me. Dreams do come true. Thanks Cinema Makeup School.
I graduated from my dream school on Friday Cinema Makeup School! This has been one of the greatest opportunities and best experiences of my life. Being surrounded and taught by such creative and influential artists in the industry have been incredibly inspiring. Thank you to all the instructors, staff and classmates that were there supporting me everyday.
The first time I ever enjoyed attending school. I looked forward to this moment for so long, and my time here flew by like nothing. A school full of talented individuals that I learned from and created many unforgettable memories. This dream would not have been possible without my mom.
Just graduated from my dream school and I just couldn’t be happier and so grateful for the amazing experience, all the knowledge I got and the wonderful and talented people I met. Thank you to everyone who has supported me, encouraged me and believed in me in this beautiful journey.
I graduated from Cinema Makeup School! I have no words to thank everyone who was with me this year! It was the best choice of my life and I learned from the best teachers in the film and beauty industry! Thank you for the best year of my life and for all the knowledge you taught me.
Yesterday I did a thing! I’ve officially graduated and got my diploma from Cinema Makeup School! I am super grateful for all of the instructors that gave me a foundation so I can pursue my dreams. The classes I took (Beauty, Airbrush, Character, Prosthetics and Special Effects) this is only the beginning. I am super grateful for all of the AMAZING people I’ve met here.
“I’ve officially graduated! Thank you so much to all the staff, instructors, interns, and classmates that helped me and encouraged me along the way! I’m so grateful for my time there, and I’m excited to use what I’ve learned to make a career for myself starting now! Much love to everyone who has been supporting me and following my journey so far, and I hope to have lots of new content and projects up and coming!”
“This has been such an amazing journey that I will remember for the rest of my life. Surrounded by amazing art, talent, teachers and my friends that I consider family. Thank you Cinema Makeup School for this amazing opportunity that will benefit me for my future!”
Lu Conti https://www.instagram.com/lucharlotteconti/ “I never thought that I would know what I would want to do at only 14 years old and that 6 years later I would be here, next to my fake head that I sculpted, molded, cast, painted, hair punched, made eyes for…. And everything else it took to make another me. Dreams do come true. Thanks Cinema Makeup School.”
“WE DID IT!I can’t believe my time at CMS is (almost) over. I’ve had the time of my life and made friends I’ll have forever at this school. I’m so grateful for every person I’ve met, teacher I’ve had and every lesson I’ve learned from on this journey. This experience has truly changed and improved my life, not only as an artist but as a person. Everyday I am honored to call myself a makeup artist, sometimes I have to pinch myself because I’ve truly never been happier. I love you all and I can’t wait to see where we all go on this beautiful journey.”
“6.5 months later I graduated from Cinema Makeup School’s complete track! I want to thank all of the teachers and interns at Cinema Makeup School who have taught me so much, not just about makeup and SFX but also about America, language and life in general. I close this chapter in my life with a road trip around California and can’t wait to come home and execute all my knowledge! LA I’m going to miss you but I’ll probably be back sooner than later. Cheers!”
“Oh yeah, next to me is a master of airbrush Nelly Recchia, whom I admire not only as an artist but also as a person and a teacher. I have been following her work for years and I was lucky enough to learn from her and take my skills to the next level. Thanks to Cinema Makeup School and It Cosmetics for providing me with tuition and being great to me during my stay in the USA. It's clear why they're the best and why their students are the best make up artists. See you very soon! I will not let you down”
“GRADUATED! I have had the most amazing time as a student at Cinema Makeup School, but as of last Friday I am a graduate! My final project was a severed head of myself, but as a vampire right out of Buffy the Vampire Slayer… This project was a ton of fun and I’m so proud of what I made. Thank you to all of my teachers and everyone who supported me in this dream of mine. It’s been an incredible experience and I can’t wait to take on the world and SFX industry.”
“After 10 months of joy, laughter, wonder but also stress, tears and doubts, I succeeded. I had the chance to meet wonderful people who will remain forever etched in my memory. And it is thanks to the people who believed in me that I realized my dream.”
“Finally graduated from Cinema Makeup School - my final project was to make a realistic severed head of myself and it was so much fun!! Thank you so much Andy Schoneberg for an amazing class. I will miss you!!”
“I graduated! Memories that will last a lifetime. …My last final piece I created at Cinema Makeup School: a silicone decapitated head of myself. I couldn't have done it without the support of my amazing family and friends, old ones and new ones. So thankful I got the opportunity to be taught by the best and most humble in the industry who pushed us every day to be greater…. excited for what the future holds and feeling extremely blessed. Thank you to the entire Cinema Makeup School staff who made it feel like a safe and home-like environment for us every day allowing us to be creative and different. Forever grateful.”
“The first time I ever enjoyed attending school. I looked forward to this moment for so long, and my time there flew by like nothing. A school full of talented individuals that I learned from and created many unforgettable memories.”
“After 3 years of working 3 jobs and freelancing as a MUA I have finally been able to achieve my most important short term goal I had which was to attend the prestigious Cinema Makeup School in Hollywood California! I have had the honor to begin classes with the best instructors who never fail to inspire me with their successful career stories. It is truly an honor to have such successful people in my industry share their knowledge with me!”
“I graduated from Cinema Makeup School! I have no words to thank everyone who was with me this year! Was the best choice of my life and I learned from the best teachers in the film and beauty industry! Thank you for the best year of my life and for all the knowledge you taught me.”
“Thank you Cinema Makeup School for everything!”
“I graduated from Cinema Makeup School!! Super blessed for this experience and the many people I got to meet along the journey.”
“After 7 months I finally graduated from Cinema Makeup School! Thank you to everyone, especially our amazing instructors here who made my time here a great experience!”
“I did it. I graduated from Cinema Makeup School! Abou a year ago I made the choice to change my life around. I was working in mental healthcare and was using makeup as a coping mechanism to get through the stress of the job and the pandemic. I realized I was much happier when I was doing makeup and creating than when I was working in the healthcare setting. So, I decided to make a radical change and applied to Cinema Makeup Schooll, quit my job, and moved to Los Angeles. It was the best choice I’ve ever made and I’ve never been happier. It’s never too late to change your mind and follow your dreams. Thank you to my family, friends, and my amazing instructors at Cinema Makeup School! Your support has kept me going. I can’t wait for the beautiful roller coaster that this career will take me on!”
“I finally graduated from my dream school! Never in my life have I found something I’m so passionate for. I am so beyond grateful that I was able to attend this school and meet the most amazing teachers and friends here.”
“I am beyond happy to finally be a graduate of Cinema Makeup School. This experience has been absolutely amazing. I’m so grateful to have met so many insanely talented artists and be taught by legends in the industry. This is just the beginning of a wild adventure.”
“One of my absolute favorite shots from a blood paint demo on my severed head by Andy Schoneberg! Such an honor to work with this guy and he was an incredible inspiration & help to me throughout my Cinema Makeup School journey! Miss ya Andy, I hope you’re doing well!"
“Yesterday I did a thing - I’ve officially graduated / got my artist diploma from Cinema Makeup School! I am super grateful for all of the instructors that gave me a foundation so I can pursue my dreams. The classes I took (Beauty, Airbrush, Character, Prosthetics and Special Effects). This is only the beginning and I am super grateful for all of the AMAZING people I’ve met here.”
“Just graduated from my dream school and I just couldn’t be happier and so grateful for the amazing experience, all the knowledge I got and the wonderful and talented people I met. Thank you to everyone who has supported me, encouraged me and believed in me in this beautiful journey.”
“So, last year I had the opportunity to study one of my favorite subjects at Cinema Makeup School, Los Angeles. It was an experience of a lifetime #blessed.”
“I had so much fun in our maquette class last week, it was my first time sculpting as well! Here’s to my lovely little capricorn minotaur dedicated to all my earth signs out there! Shoutout to Andy Schoneberg for a brilliant class as well!”
“Thank you to everyone who has supported me and who I have met. These past few months at Cinema Makeup School have been some of the best times of my life. I couldn’t have asked for more.”
“I had a great time learning at Cinema Makeup School. Thanks to the teachers for all their help and knowledge.”
“My first day of college at Cinema Makeup School in Los Angeles, California - March 2020. 1 Year & 1 month ago, I didn’t know that I was in for one hell of a ride! The best month of my life at the school of my dreams.
Cinema Makeup School you guys were so amazing in so many ways especially how you handled us as students in the new world pandemic of Covid19! Thank you for everything.
No one knew how the whole world was changing into our “New Normal”. It has been a very challenging and hard year for all of us in some way or another. Many people lost so much. But on the positive side, I can say that it was the best time of my life, the time that I spent at Cinema Makeup School, the world's greatest (in my opinion anyway!) was more valuable to my future career and life than I ever thought possible.”
“…Thank you to my fantastic teachers for giving me soooooo much support in order to finish this elaborate piece! And an even bigger thanks to the interns for staying late after school to help me make SOOOOOO many molds!!!”
“This journey has been amazing!! I can’t believe this character is finished! I’m so happy with how it turned out! My first ever SFX character I created all the way back in Sketch and Paint to now in SFX class…I want to thank Emily Margaret for being the best model ever! And all my teachers for helping me get to this point!”
“Here is my Botox from Hell Dominatrix Alien! I’m so proud of myself for being able to execute this idea that I’ve had for months! The drawings at the end are what I created for another class and I decided to bring that idea to real life. I’m so grateful to have had some amazing people Devin Mcdonagh and Michael Spatola help me along the way of creating her!”
“I can’t believe I made this silicone head from scratch! From life casting, to clay pouring, to sculpting, to molding, to painting, to hairpunching, to eye making - this girl did it all by hand, I’m so proud of how it turned out (despite a few flaws). In only 4 weeks I created something from nothing and now it is art. Thank you Irina Strukova, Cece Yao, Cindy Woods, Robert Lindsey, Studio ADI, Cinema Makeup School and all my classmates for your guidance and assistance in different parts of this process. I can’t wait to make another!”
“GRADUATED FAM! INDO REPRESENT!… After 6 months of hard work, dedication, frustration, tears, sweat, blood of learning more, leveling up my skill, knowledge and craft - I’m flying back home to Indonesia next week. The end of 2019 and the start of 2020 has been the best time of my life. I rediscovered, reignited my passion in art and expressing my creativity. I understand and find myself more. I will never regret flying on this impromptu trip, being completely outside my comfort zone 13000 miles away from home and my family to attend classes at Cinema Makeup School. I met the most inspiring teachers who mentored me, made a lot of amazing talented friends, classmates and I met the love of my life! I can’t wait to see what’s next in my journey, I’d love to inspire more people and share more work and my personal journey!”
I attended Cinema Makeup School this past year and loved every day of it. I took the complete track which included all of the classes they offer, and I am coming away with a ton of knowledge and network. The class sizes are pretty small so the teachers are able to help students individually, and answer any questions they may have.
CMS graduates are highly regarded artists in the film & tv industry;
their credits tell their story.
Whether exploring Cinema Makeup School virtually or visiting our Los Angeles campus, see why CMS is right for you!
Master otherworldly looks with advanced techniques. Learn to design futuristic aliens, cyborgs, and intergalactic characters.
Elevate your costume game with professional cosplay makeup. Discover how to accurately bring pop culture characters to life.
Perfect your skills for live performances. Learn techniques built for intense stage lighting and distant audiences.
Dive into the realm of myth and magic. Create stunning elves, fairies, and enchanting mythical creatures.
Unleash your inner ghoul with advanced monster styling. Learn sculpting and prosthetics to design terrifying beasts.
Transform features and master bold artistry. Explore extreme contouring, dramatic eyes, and vibrant color palettes.
Achieve the perfect undead aesthetic with professional tips. Master everything from subtle pales to realistic blood effects.
Embrace the dark and dramatic with gothic techniques. Perfect the art of sharp liners, deep shadows, and moody lips.
Bring 2D animation into the real world. Learn how to create exaggerated eyes, stylized proportions, and vibrant looks.
Master bone structure and anatomical illusions. Perfect for Halloween, horror shoots, or avant-garde projects.
Merge man and machine seamlessly. Learn to apply metallic finishes and exposed mechanical prosthetics.
Blend human and animal features flawlessly. Create enchanting woodland creatures with specialized prosthetics.
Transform into the wild with realistic animal designs. Master fur texturing, snout applications, and feline features.
From classic circus to terrifying horror styles. Learn durable base applications and exaggerated feature design.
Creep out the crowd with intricate spider artistry. Discover how to paint realistic arachnids and multi-eyed mutations.