Every week, The Culture Custodian grants you an all-access backstage pass into the lives of Nollywood rockstars. You get to learn about their fascinating backgrounds, the behind-the-scenes stories, and more. This episode features make-up and special effects artist, Feyisayo Oyebisi (Feyzo).
For over fifteen years, Feyisayo Oyebisi has been in the makeup business. From her formative years, the Oyo-born creative was already exposed to visual arts, often painting and drawing cartoons for fun.
While she was a student of Sociology at Bowen University, she got the opportunity to intern as a make-up and costume assistant on the set of M-Net TV series Edge of Paradise that started airing in 2006. After completing her academic programme, she worked as a banker for a few years and ventured fully into the film industry as a makeup and special effects artist. Oyebisi has worked on the sets of critically acclaimed movies such as Ajuwaya, Ayinla, King of Boys 2, Ajosepo, Ile Owo, A Young Time Ago, A Tribe Called Judah, and A Naija Christmas.
As an SFX make-up artist, how would you describe your role in Nollywood to the average Nigerian?
The make-up artist is responsible for interpreting the character’s looks on screen. It’s like an interface between what is read via script and what is seen on screen by the audience. I also do a bit of costuming because I got into Nollywood interning with someone who did makeup and costuming. In the past twelve to fifteen years, I have done both, but my specialty is makeup and special effects for film and TV.
You studied sociology at Bowen University. And now, for over fifteen years, you have established yourself as a force in the makeup department in Nollywood today. How did your journey in the industry begin?
I started doing makeup right from secondary school. But when I was in the second semester of 200L at the university, a friend of mine returned from the holidays and started talking about visiting her sister on a movie set. She gave descriptions of how movies were made and what her sister’s role was, and it just fascinated me. I told her that I would love to intern with her sister and her sister’s boss during the summer holidays. I eventually got the opportunity to serve with my friend’s sister as a makeup artist and costume designer on the set of Edge of Paradise. That internship lasted two months. From that moment, I knew that it was what I wanted to focus on. I finished university and worked in a bank for three years while still doing makeup on the side. I did bridals, fashion shows, photoshoots, and so on. I was still doing short films and stage productions in Bowen. I left the bank in 2013, stopped looking for a job, and focused entirely on film. I returned to my sister’s friend and worked with her as a makeup and costume assistant on two more projects, and then the rest is history.
Can you recall any specific experience from those early years of practicing makeup?
I remember some friends of mine in school wanted to shoot a film, and we traveled to Igbinedion University. We didn’t have a script. They would describe what the scenario was and I would execute. I recall that there was a gunshot wound I was to create, and I had no precedent whatsoever. I had to check out what a proper gunshot would look like, and I used red nail polish and cotton wool to create that gunshot to the head.
Did you consider professional qualifications or training in the line of your career?
It was just about five years ago that I started to take physical professional training, particularly in special effects. Before that, I would just do research, watch YouTube videos, and do trial and error.
You have worked on several Nollywood projects and with different filmmakers. What drives you on every project and how do you approach each work differently?
The primary thing for me is that I am just fascinated by the idea of taking words and turning them into visuals. One of the most exciting things about my process is creating a mood board, and then being able to interpret the writer or director’s vision into what is seen on screen. That is usually my driving force.
In a situation where the director’s vision conflicts with your approach, how do you reconcile the creative difference?
I am expected to align with the director’s vision unless, of course, it is completely off or ridiculous. For instance, if we are trying to create a disease that exists, not something that is made up out of the blues, and there is research to be done, it is my responsibility to recommend and suggest with evidence. But if the director wants something different and insists, I align. There are creative differences, but it is never an issue because I know my place.
Let’s talk about Dare Olaitan’s Ile Owo, a psychological thriller film that earned you your first AMVCA nomination in 2023. Can you remember some of the makeup techniques you deployed on that project?
I had to create a particular monster creature in Ile Owo. The actor who played the role was 6 ‘4 or 6’ 5, and I had to extend his height with the SFX prosthetics he wore. I had to use elements such as silicon, latex, paint and build horns for that creature. I often tried to make the sickness of Akin Lewis’ character look worse or better, depending on what part of the story we were telling. There was also the beauty aspect of the project, which my team and I had to do.
There’s A Tribe Called Judah, the highest-grossing Nollywood film of all time, which earned you your latest AMVCA nomination. Could you recall your experience on that production, particularly working with the cast and other crew members?
It was extremely intense and challenging. I didn’t have issues with any member of the cast. Everybody was professional even with the vibes. I think I explored different parts of my creativity on that project as a makeup artist. I did SFX, body ads as well as some editorials. My team and I were responsible for the party looks. Interestingly, the costume party scene was shot for over four days. We also did some pyrotechnics on the project.
Are there the latest technologies and innovations in your field that you constantly have to catch up on to maintain similar standards as with other global film industries?
Yes. An example is the gunshot that we see in movies outside Nigeria. There is a tool called a squib, and it’s quite expensive here. Currently, in Nigeria, I do not know up to five makeup artists who have it. When I needed access to the mechanical one, I went online to look at it and built one using gardening tools just to create a similar effect. The only difference is that with the mechanical one, I can just be a specified distance away from the set and press a button, and then we see the gunshot effect. But with the fabricated one, I had to be close enough with my hose and trigger to get the same effect.
In June, you hosted a two-day masterclass, grooming participants in film and TV techniques and exposing them to secrets for creating brilliant makeup for the screen. How was the experience?
It wasn’t a big class but it just felt fulfilling being able to gather serious-minded people. We couldn’t cover the curriculum, but through the masterclass, I created a community. The masterclass is like the first installment of an academy or institute that is soon to come, and I look forward to that greatly.
From your experience, what are the challenges you have faced as a makeup and special effects artist?
Producers always complain that there is no money even when they have enough. When we charge producers with the consideration of how difficult it is to source certain products and how much they cost, it sometimes poses a problem because they don’t understand that the products are not available here in Nigeria. We have to ship them in, and the weakness of the naira is a concern too. Often, I look for a local address in the US or the UK and consider who is coming to Nigeria to bring in the products for me.
Besides the mood board that has been approved by the director, what other factors do you consider before deciding on the budget of your department?
To get the scope of the production quality, I usually consider who is producing, who is directing, who the leads are, and the location of shoots. I also think about the highlights of the story and production and the number of people I would need on my team. For instance, if I am going to shoot in a remote place, I think of how gruesome the production would be and what it would cost me and my team to be in that space.
How do you think stakeholders can further enhance the development of the special effects and make-up department in Nollywood?
Stakeholders need to understand that the makeup department is no less important than, say, the actors or other departments that seemingly take more money. It still hurts and irks me when producers come around and negotiate poor pay with us. Our pay is nothing compared to the international market, especially in the UK, where makeup artists earn per hour and get kit allowances.
