Media make-up students get presenters ready for their close-up

Students on the Specialist Hair and Media Make-up course have been getting TV presenters ready for the cameras on the set of VIP Birmingham. 

First year students Chloe Johnson and Nazia Begum were challenged with the task of preparing make-up for TV guest Nick Holzherr, who starred in The Apprentice, for an interview as well as three TV presenters and two models. 

The two students were selected from eighty UCB Specialist Hair and Media Make-up students, all of which made formal applications for this placement. Lecturers then made their decisions based on factors such as attendance and why students believed that they were best suited for this particular placement. 

Chloe Johnson, one of the UCB media make-up students on set, said “Working for VIP Birmingham was a great experience. I was very excited to be selected for this placement. It was a long day, but very rewarding, and I have gained pictures for my portfolio.” 

Jacqui Brookes, Higher Education Placement Tutor at UCB, said “All of our Specialist Hair and Media Make-up students are very keen to gain work experience to build up their portfolio, so it was very tough to pick just two students for this placement. Both Chloe and Nazia were so professional whilst on set and they have been asked to come back and do future work!” 

VIP Birmingham, a programme of Athena Productions (a company pioneered by five Birmingham City University media students), is the first in a six-part series aimed at ‘shining a light’ on the culture and lifestyle of individual cities. 

Hollie Woodfield, Producer of VIP, said “We are a third year project made up of five girls who aim to get the programme commissioned to local TV stations including the likes of London Live and CityTV.”