Independent narrative short film shooting in the Portland area is looking for a Makeup / Special Effects Makeup Artist to join our crew.
PROJECT: Invoking Karen
GENRE: Dark comedy / supernatural political satire
SHOOT: First two weekends of November 2026, with the third weekend held as backup
LOCATION: Lake Oswego / Troutdale area
COMPENSATION: Unpaid passion project
We're deep into pre-production with our director, producers, principal cast, camera department, sound, production design, costume, locations, VFX and post-production already in place. Makeup is one of the final crew positions we're looking to fill.
Our primary makeup requirement is for the lead actress, including normal character makeup and a significant practical injury effect after she is accidentally stabbed in the throat.
We're specifically looking for someone comfortable with some combination of:
Camera-ready character makeup
Practical wound / trauma makeup
Blood effects
Prosthetic appliances or similar SFX techniques
Maintaining makeup and wound continuity across multiple setups and shoot days
The throat wound will be photographed fairly prominently, so practical SFX experience is especially valuable. We also have digital VFX available for enhancement where appropriate, but our preference is to create as much of the effect practically in camera as we reasonably can.
This is an unpaid independent production, and we don't pretend exposure is compensation. We're assembling a group of Portland filmmakers who want to make a genuinely good, weird little movie together, with the hope that this becomes the beginning of an ongoing narrative filmmaking team.
Experienced professionals, emerging artists, film students and makeup artists looking to expand into narrative/SFX work are all welcome to reach out.
If interested, please send:
Your name
A little about your makeup / SFX experience
Portfolio, website, Instagram or examples of your work if available
Your availability during the first three weekends of November
What makeup / SFX supplies or kit you normally work with
If you've ever wanted to make a convincing throat wound and then turn the victim into something significantly worse, this might be your movie.