It’s not often that I write two blogs in one week, but then it’s not often that I have time to sit at my laptop! September, right through to early November has seen a full-on workload with many miles covered, many faces and bodies transformed and the rest of Team Kate working out and about keeping the brand name out there – my next blog will be introducing you to my assistants and student assistants!
During October I did an interesting shoot for Pfizer, considered one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies, at the West London Film Studios in Hayes. The job was commissioned through Pharmedicare Ltd, who create intelligent digital experiences for sales and marketing teams in the global healthcare sector. http://www.pharmedicare.co.uk/ After initial discussions on what was required for the shoot and where the final images would be seen, two actors were chosen to become the patients and we took over the Intensive Care Unit at the studios.
Not having worked at these studios before, I got chatting to Carlton Jarvis who owns the sets, props and equipment there and who runs Mediscene, a prop-hire company unrivalled for its “on set” medical expertise and realistic simulations. http://www.mediscene.co.uk/ Carlton is from a clinical background and is well qualified in many specialities, such as anaesthetics, surgery and resuscitation and has an in depth knowledge of many aspects of current and past healthcare procedures. He also holds formal teaching and management qualifications in healthcare and Mediscene is staffed only by medical professionals: doctors, nurses, ODPs, midwives, radiographers and other professions allied to medicine. He set up the patients with the correct monitor settings etc after I'd done the makeup.
The hospital sets at the studios are absolutely incredible – you’ve probably seen them in countless medical scenes in films and TV dramas! Every detail is accounted for, from the heart monitor machines, x-ray screens down to the leaflets in the “waiting area”.
I can’t, for obvious reasons, put out the final Pfizer images but they’ll be used in medical literature in leaflet and brochures across the globe. Pharmedicare were delighted with the outcome and hopefully I’ll get to work at the studios again! “Thank you for what turned out to be a great shoot - the finished product looked great, thanks to your make up!”
And the bottles of vanilla essence? Infected urine for the catheter and bag!
