There is a common misconception that if the talent are male, naturally beautiful or you’re after a natural look, that hair and makeup is an unnecessary component of the video making process.

Alternatively, where hair and makeup has been incorporated into a shoot, sometimes one can allow insufficient time for this part of the process on the basis that we “won’t have to do much, she is pretty” or “we want them to look natural”.

However this belief can be problematic for a number of reasons.

Hair and Makeup will improve your corporate video

Firstly, with High Definition, you see everything. Every pore, every hair, every spot. As a result, hair and makeup is critical to ensure a polished, professional and beautiful end result.

The craft is more about what you don’t see than what you do see. Blemishes, red eyes, dark circles, capillaries and redness, chapped lips, poorly applied makeup, dirty nails, fly away hair, shine, just to name a few. When these elements are not evident the viewer is free to focus on the visuals and the messages being conveyed. However when you can see these problems, the viewer is distracted and it can dilute your video. It‘s like trying to have a serious conversation with a friend who is unaware that they have a big bit of food in their teeth.

Secondly, when performing or presenting the talent’s focus is on their performance, not their appearance. They cannot see if their hair has moved or their face is shiny. The job of the makeup artist over the course of the shoot is to not only do the initial application, but to always be present on set watching for anything that may be distracting or breaking continuity. Fixing it immediately is part of making every shot that is filmed useable, with the talent looking the very best they possibly can.

Finally, hair and makeup is essential in character creation. Does the talent need to look like a successful corporate executive, a mum, or sweaty sports person? These personas are largely created via the use of hair and makeup as well as styling with the aim of making them believable.

Without hair and makeup, the finished product can often look unpolished, poorly produced and amateur. In a world where the viewer is constantly bombarded by media, this can sometimes mean the difference between them watching long enough to be reached by your message or immediately clicking away to something else.

If you’re thinking about making a corporate video and wondering about whether you need to have a hair and make up done for your talent, feel free to ask us your questions.