Mary Hillman
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 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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