High Definition Broadcasting And How It Affects Make-up & Hair Artists

HD gives you exceptionally clear, crisp pictures with vivid colours and up to five times more detail than standard definition. Programmes made in HD can provide the best possible quality pictures on current equipment. Only a high definition television, high definition digital box and high definition broadcast used together provide high definition viewing.

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HD standard make-up = Film standard make-up

HD make-up trials suggest that some colours at the red end of the spectrum resolve more strongly and vividly than on film stock, SD video or to the naked eye. This can create problems with any uncorrected redness in your artiste's skin and also careful consideration should be given to your choice of blush and lip colour, particularly some "period authentic" shades which may look somewhat different on camera and hence require modification. 

With more than four times the sharpness and clarity of a conventional SD recording, make-up for HD needs to be blended extremely well - at least to 35 mm film standard. The demarcation lines from cosmetics that are inadequately blended are far more obvious in high definition.

The soft blending that is so quickly and easily accomplished with an airbrush has made it a popular applicator for HD work.

But if you are adept at applying perfectly blended foundation and facial contouring conventionally and it looks great on film, you shouldn’t have too much problem creating make-ups for HD.

Non-micronised setting powders are inclined to show on HD. Use a micronised powder and you should have few problems. Dusted off properly, the powder particle size is just too small to read on camera. A number of manufacturers produce such powders suitable for use on HD.

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Top Tips:

Prepare the skin
Too much makeup can appear really obvious on HD. Cleansing, toning, moisturising and evening out the hydration of the skin is very important for HD. The better we prepare the canvass, the better the make-up will look.

Airbrushing 

Airbrush cosmetics are made from micronized pigments that are far less detectable on camera. An airbrush kit contains a mini compressor. When switched on, this expels compressed air. The finish can be very lightweight due to the atomisation of the cosmetic. This is what gives the illusion of flawless skin and why airbrushing is so fast and synonymous with HD.

Another bonus of airbrushing is the length of wear. It tends to last longer than conventional makeup, and needs less retouching throughout the day.

The product is easily blended and leaves no hard lines of demarcation, so there’s nothing to distract the audience. If you have hotspots, you can lightly dust the area with transparent powder to lessen the shine.

You can also use the airbrush for highlighting, contouring and even to apply blusher. Poorly blended blusher looks terrible in HD, so use airbrushing to smooth out any imperfections.

Setting powders
One product that can sometimes prove problematic in HD is traditional setting powder. Although frequently invisible to the naked eye, these non-micronized powders can sometimes give the skin an ashy, dull caste on camera. Specialised HD setting powders are available in both loose and pressed forms to combat this problem.

Final checks
Most make-up artists working in television will be used to checking their work in the mirror, because in standard definition, as a general rule of thumb, the mirror sees what the camera sees. However, with High Definition, just as in film, you also need to eyeball the make-up closely. Any problems apparent to the naked eye will also become apparent on HD and film.

Website references:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/faqs/bbchd_channels
http://www.woodbridgeproductions.co.uk/hd5.htm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/academy/production/article/art20130702112136285