Mary Hillman
Family name: Hillman
Work area/Craft/Role: Hair and Makeup
Industry: Film, TV
Company: Associated Rediffusion, Thames Television.
Websites: IMDb, BFI, Spicy Onion
Interview date(s): 12 April 2011
Interviewer(s): Mike Dick, Ruth Bolland, Steve Tappin
Production Media: video
Duration (mins): 140
Mary Hillman BECTU History Project Interview Time Sheet
Date: 12 April 2011 Venue: Teddington Studios Interviewer Mike Dick Interviewee Mary Hillman Tape 1
00:03:20 Motivation to come to London from Ireland 00:04:35 Went to Gertrude Hartley school.
00:05:28 Started work as trainee as BBC 00:07:20 Talks about apprenticeships
00:09:25 Types of programmes worked on at apprenticeship 00:12:39 Ready Steady Go
00:16:00 Allocation of Artists to make up staff. 00:16:50 Beatles
00:18:00 Discusses treatment of actors and different jobs of make-up artists. Marriage to Army Officer.
00:20:00 work at TVR
00:20:40 Working with the move to colour TV and the adjustments that needed to be made with make up
00:23:34 Moving into the film industry and problems of being freelance 00:24:00 Working with James Garrett & Partners doing adverts 00:25:28 Was a member of Naptey
00:26:27 Films started to work on. 00:27:00 Differences between Film and TV 00:28:35 Bugsy Malone
00:29:00 Worked with Sarah Monzani
00:30:10 Problem with Bugsy Malone due to strike problem at Pinewood. 00:31:12 Working with Jodie Foster
00:38:32 Step by step break down of working on film.
Mary Hillman BECTU History Project Interview Number 625
Date: 12 April 2011, Venue: Teddington Studios,
Interviewer: Mike Dick Camera Ruth Bolland
Interviewee: Mary Hillman Hair and Makeup Artist.
TAPE 1
00:03:20 Motivation to come to London from Ireland
00:04:35 Went to Gertrude Hartley school
00:05:28 Started work as trainee at BBC
00:07:20 Talks about apprenticeships
00:09:25 Types of programmes worked on at apprenticeship
00:12:39 “Ready Steady Go”
00:16:00 Allocation of Artists to make up staff
00:16:50 The Beatles
00:18:00 Discusses treatment of actors and different jobs of make-up artists. Marriage to Army Officer.
00:20:00 Work at TVR
00:20:40 Working with the move to colour TV and the adjustments that needed to made with make up
00:23:34 Moving into film industry and problems of being freelance
00:24:300 Working with James Garrett & Partners doing adverts
00:25:28 Was a member of NATKE
00:26:27 Films started to work on
00:27:00 Differences between Film and TV
00:28:35 “Bugsy Malone”
00:29:00 Worked with Sarah Monzani
00:30:10 Problem with “Bugsy Malone” due to strike problem at Pinewood
00:31:12 Working with Jodie Foster
00:38:32 Step-by-step breakdown of working on film
TAPE 2
00:00:26 Step-by-step breakdown of working on film continued
00:01:26 Talks about viewing rushes
00:02:20 Dandy Dan moustache Continuity on “Bugsy Malone”
00:04:20 Continuity
00:06:26 “Midnight Express” /Canada
00:08:15 “Midnight Express” /John Hurt
00:09:20 Use of blood
00:11:37 Dr Sleep/finding alternatives for make up at short notice
00:12:45 Pay and working conditions in the 70s
00:13:85 Working as a woman
00:15:50 Working as a mother
00:17:08 John Hurt
00:18:30 John Hurt/turning down “Elephant Man”
00:21:00 Actors choice on make-up artists
00:22:30 “Chariots of Fire” /Hugh Hudson
00:24:30 Boundaries of make-up artist and need to know blood and hair
00:26:45 “Chariots of Fire”
00:30:02 Monty Python “The Meaning of Life”
00:36:01 Terry Gilliam
00:36:51 Tools of the trade
TAPE 3
00:00:26 1984
00:03:14 Richard Burton
00:03:57 Travelling/ “Out of Africa”
00:05:40 Meryl Streep and Robert Redford bring their own make-up artists
00:07:24 Travelling/America
00:08:50 Make up part of history
00:09:45 Head of Department at Teddington Studios/working on development of HD
00:11:45 Magazine on make up from actors POV
00:13:00 Harem
00:14:10 Dance to the Music of Time
00:16:40 “The Magnificent Ambersons”
00:22:45 “Castaway” and Oliver Reed
00:23:40 Teddington Studios
00:232:50 Redesigning make up rooms in Teddington
00:25:50 The Shows at the Studio
00:27:17 Thames shutting down
00:26:55 Training Freelancers
00:28 Assessor for HT2
00:30 Assessor for NVQs
00:30 Current state of make up industry
00:33:24 Running Trainee Schemes/Freelance
00:35:11 Importance of training
00;38:35 Working long hours in current industry
TAPE 4
00:00:30 Role in BECTU and Unions
00:06:30 Hopes of the Industry
00:08:06 Reflections on career. Respect given by producers of “Chariots of Fire”
00:10:14 Personal achievement
00:11:00 High working standards and care shown on set of “Pirates of the Caribbean”
End of Interview
00:12:05 GVs of make up room at Teddington Studios + equipment
00:15:59 Exterior shots of Teddington Stuios
00:17:27 End of Tape
Mary trained as a Make-up Artist at Associated Rediffusion from 1961-1965 She worked in the television and film industries as: Chief Make-Artist/ Make-up/Hair Designer from 1967-1987 and 1993-2006. During this period she worked for companies such as TVR, ITV News. COI. and many commercial companies. She then moved into working on feature films such as Bugsy Malone , Chariots of Fire and Out Of Africa. Mary became Head of Make-up at Thames TV. 1987-1993 . While at Thames she redesigned the Make-up/Hair Areas. In 1990 Mary produced “ The Art of Make-up Exhibition” at Thames TV. In 1993-1994 she co-ordinated front of house at Teddington Studios, which included redesigning the dressing rooms, booking out front of house facilities, setting up guidelines for servicing dressing rooms, green rooms, make-up areas, wardrobe areas etc.
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