A scary clown? A gruesome stab wound? scar? For Stacey Perry, that’s a day’s work.
The Louisiana-born makeup and effects artist has spent 15 years in the entertainment industry creating magic on numerous TV shows and movies, including the TV series “Twisted Metal,” which was filmed in New Orleans from May to August 2022. I put it on. .
All 10 episodes of the post-apocalyptic action-comedy series based on the video game were released on the streaming service Peacock in July.
From Louisiana to Los Angeles and back to Lafayette, Louisiana native Stacey Perry has worked as an effects and makeup artist on many major television and film productions.
She served as the show’s lead special effects and makeup artist, calling it “the most challenging show” she had ever been involved with.
“We worked really long hours,” she said. “We did it in New Orleans last summer, and you know how brutal the summers are over there. … But the showrunner, the director, everyone was so supportive. There were so many different looks, so many different characters. It made my daily commute even more enjoyable.”
Actors from “Where the Crayfish Sing,” “Greyhound” and “Green Book” have all felt the transformative effects of Perry’s transformation skills.
Perry, a Lafayette native, first became interested in effects as a child while dabbling in airbrushing at his father’s drafting company. It turns out that art and acting are in his genes.
“It’s pretty much a family business,” she said. “My oldest brother has been an actor since he was in high school, and both of my brothers were in the film and television industry. I always had a little bit of help.”
A turning point came with the low-budget show MC Outdoorz, directed by his brother Scott and starring his other brother Josh.
Perry said Twisted Metal, which was released to positive reviews earlier this year, was “the most rewarding show” he had ever been on.
“Everyone in all departments worked together to try to move the project forward,” she said. “I realized that what I wanted to do was make-up and make-up effects. It took off from there.”
Like most people in the industry, Perry gradually built up her career.
“It was kind of gradual,” she said.
“A lot of times we start out with smaller shows. … If a show needs additional support in the makeup department, you’ll be hired as an additional makeup artist. Depending on the size of the show, you’ll be hired as an additional makeup artist. Depending on what you do, you might be there for a few days, and if you do a good job, you can get invited to multiple shows and build up your resume that way.”
After a stint in Los Angeles, Perry returned to Louisiana when the industry began to expand locally. Alongside her work in film production, she works with her line of effects make-up, Luxe Skin FX, and her make-up, prosthetics and props “hub” for film production. One of my girlfriends has founded some businesses of her own called ParishFX.
These businesses are helping her survive the recent strikes that would have otherwise brought the film and television industry to a standstill. While Perry is managing to stay afloat, she said Halloween was an especially busy time of year when makeup artists are in demand, others weren’t so lucky.
“It had a huge impact,” she said. “Every job was affected. After we returned from the COVID-19 shutdown, we worked nonstop. Everyone in the New Orleans area and surrounding areas went from show to show, all from the same makeup trailer. I worked there until I moved on to another show.
“So it went from being extremely busy to a complete stop. We’re all hurting right now.”
They look different and have different personalities. It’s this variety, the constant quest to develop new styles, that makes this job so rewarding.
“With every new show comes new challenges,” she said. “Everyone is different. We basically always do the same thing when it comes to makeup, but there’s always new special effects or new ways to do something.
“The director might want to do things differently that we haven’t heard before, like, ‘Okay, we want to do this, but how can we make it work?’ What’s really important is to do something… It’s about finding a way to make it look real.”
Perry says she’s always trying to create new looks. Although the writers’ strike is over, she says her productions continue to be halted because the actors’ strike continues.
