A make-up and special effects artist from Liverpool went from bookings in her back garden to Hollywood film sets.
Meg Hankin, a 26 year-old from Tuebrook, loved horror films and make-up prosthetics from a young age and now runs MegamorphisFX. After trying numerous career fields, including university, she took the plunge last summer and started accepting make-up bookings at her house, with her close friends becoming her first clients.
Meg said: “At first it was just my mates. They'd pay me a tenner to do their makeup or whatever, just to help me get some pictures out there. Then I made an Instagram account doing the special effects on myself".
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As work began to come in from university students working on their short films, Meg renovated her bare shed into a fully fledged studio. Soon, Meg got a van to transport her equipment and plucked up the courage to reach out to other directors.
Meg has gone onto work with numerous productions, including upcoming film Control which will be released later this year.
Her work ranges from standard make-up suitable for the lighting in film scenes to terrifying prosthetics fit for horror films. One particular highlight that stands out to Meg is when she applied to attend the prestigious Cannes Film Festival to become an accredited make-up artist.
The annual event previews films of all genres from around the world, and is attended by the biggest names in the industry. Meg was told however that the festival prioritised inviting producers, directors, and distributors over make-up artists.
She said: “I've kind of applied thinking I'm not gonna hear anything of it. It's very rare for makeup artists to actually be accredited."
However, her application was accepted and she soon found herself mixing with famous actors, directors and producers at the famous festival. However, Meg felt slightly out of place.
She said: “I was really lucky even going in the first place. Growing up in Tuebrook and then going to Cannes where it’s all fancy dresses and fancy wines, it was just a whole other world to me.
“My partner came along with me. You could just tell we were really out of place. I was wearing this really nice dress, but with a can of Carlsberg.”
Meg really enjoyed her time there, and described it as an “amazing experience” to be at Cannes and make connections with others in the industry. While wanting to prioritise work in film, she also offers make-up for weddings and parties, as well as masterclasses for up and comers in the field.
She is organising an event for Halloween on October 28 for precisely this purpose. Meg said: “I've done it to help local artists like myself, because I've been lucky enough to build myself up. I want to be able to help other people do that and let them showcase their work with this event.
“I know some events are charging like £30-odd to go plus drinks, so I'm planning on keeping tickets as low as possible and letting anyone get involved.”
Meg is grateful she backed herself and her abilities. She said: “I've had other people tell me that I should just get a regular nine to five job, and I know that that's perfect for other people, but I'm glad I didn't listen and just went with what I wanted to do.
“I'd rather be happy and enjoy the job I'm doing than be miserable and always be wondering, what if I didn't go for it?”
Reflecting on a whirlwind past year, she said: “A year ago, I was just sat in a little room in my house doing my sister's makeup for a night out, and now I'm working all over the UK and flying out to France. It came out of nowhere and it doesn't really feel real at the minute.”
You can follow Meg’s work via @morphmua_studio on Instagram or visiting her website here.
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