Cinema Makeup School — Local services in Los Angeles

UPDATE: I have since spoken to a different representative of the school regarding this matter and was delighted to find out that they are willing to work on a solution with me. The Cinema Makeup School - contrary to my assumption based on my encounter, which I described below – has the best interest of their students in mind and are of course working towards improving every student’s experience at their facilities. The reason behind my situation was properly, if not fully, explained to me and the school will be searching for viable solutions to this problem on my behalf. BUT I came here without expecting a scholarship and even after winning it, wasn’t expecting a cash prize. Therefore, the answer I received today or even an attempt to assist me in this situation would have been fully. However their first response to my inquiry didn’t just fail to explain the reasoning of the school but also conveyed an unwillingness to cooperate or negotiate. Furthermore it was downright disrespectful. So while I retract my statement and apologize sincerely to the school and everyone involved in this truly unfortunate matter for my shortsightedness and any trouble that might have caused, I must conclude that the school should choose it’s representatives more wisely.

I have just had my first month in the Special Effects Track at the Cinema Makeup School in Los Angeles and so far, it’s safe to say that this is turning out to be an unforgettable experience. Before starting my time at the CMS I applied for the Rick Baker Legends of Creature Design Scholarship and won. This however was after I had already registered with them as a student and paid the tuition of about 26,000 $. The scholarship has no cash value and is not retroactively applicable, a fact only made clear to you once you receive your certificate. After receiving the certificate and learning about the rules that apply to its viability, I requested the school to give me suggestions for a workaround. After almost two weeks of no reply I finally got a definitive answer by approaching them about the matter a second time. The gist of the answer I received from the school’s director was: Congratulations for winning the scholarship. We are sorry but since the scholarship has no cash value, you most likely won’t be able to benefit from it. However, if you continue to excel in your work, we might be able to provide you with opportunities to work without pay. Keep an eye out on Facebook and keep applying, although we can’t promise you anything. And just so you know, it is incredibly hard for international students to get employed in this industry so it would probably be easier for you if you go back to your country after your courses are finished. This conversation provided me with a valuable opportunity to gain some insight into the thinking of the school’s administration and how they set their priorities. I think it is fair to say that those lie neither with ensuring a good quality of life for their students, nor with working to help their students reach their goals. All that being said, I must mention that I am genuinely enjoying my time at the CMS. The school is well equipped and all the instructors and interns I have met so far are very kind, supportive and incredibly talented. If not for my aforementioned conversation with the school’s administration, I wouldn’t have had any doubts or regrets about my decision to attend. But after this experience, I would advise anyone who plans to register at the CMS to be aware of the schools goals and intentions if not that of the good people...

First of all it’s worth mentioning that the teachers and administration staff were all lovely and worked really hard. However other than this the school was hugely disappointing. The place is derelict. When I first arrived I thought the school had shut down or I was in the wrong place - I was not. Facilities are poor. Cleanliness is bad. For a lab running 12+ students prosthetics at once the ventilation was absolutely horrendous. There was 1 open window for the whole 2 roomed lab and 2 really nosey ‘ventilation systems’ that seemed to be doing nothing (all other windows were boarded up). I was over charged by around $800, it took over 3 weeks to return to me but the fees of this mistake all came out of my pocket. The syllabus included several things that we didn’t even learn. One major thing that wasn’t taught (but was promised) was foam latex - when we took our end of course written exam 90% of the questions were on foam latex. So a teacher ran through the test and just told us all the answers the day before. There were many other bad incidents that I won’t go into but overall the course was stretched over 4 weeks - in my opinion this could have been taught in 2.5. There were several days and the entire last week were we weren’t learning anything but just practicing… which I understand is a very important factor but not 7+ days when you’re paying around $1,000 a week for the pleasure. Perhaps I’ve been spoilt with all the previous brilliant makeup schools I’ve attended before but Cinema Makeup School gets a 2/10 from me - it doesn’t justify charging these...

This is the best experience I have ever had!

I have always wanted to go to Cinema Makeup School. so when I read all of the reviews here I got nervous because I had already made a deposit for a class. I was afraid some of the things I read in here were true. So I decided to change the class to a less expensive one to give it a try and if I lose the money it wouldn't be so bad. Well, let me tell you this was such a great experience all the way around. First, is really easy to get to the school by using the train, it leaves you right in front of it! The staff is really nice, everybody that I had contact with was helpful. My instructor was Rod Maxwell and he is incredibly good, shares all of his knowledge and is a really fun guy! I loved it. My class was the FX Crash Course. Learn a lot, could ask questions that were out of the program and got the help I needed. Got to meet the great Ve Neil that was checking every class, which is awesome, it gives you the confidence that they care about the classes. I totally recommend this school, and my advice is to start with this class, so you can get a taste of most of the...