Referring to artist Ve Neill a contender in makeup is akin to calling legendary Cinematographer Gordon Willis a shooter. Ve’s work has netted some of the most inventive make ups in the last 20 years. She is a unique talent in the craft of film makeup, equally top of her game in the special effects prosthetic makeup world and unparalleled in designing unique character and beauty makeups, Neill transverses the broad spectrum of professional makeup crafts effortlessly.
Ve’s work has netted some of the most inventive make ups in the last 20 years.
Neill has a special affinity with actors, often working with the same thespians over and over, like star of “Pirates,” Johnny Depp. Neill transforms these A-listers into iconic film characters; Robin Williams as Mrs. Doubtfire, Martin Landau as Bela Lugosi in Ed Wood, and Michael Keaton as Beetlejuice. She won Academy Awards in the craft of Makeup for each of those films.
The 2006 Gore Verbinski directed “Pirates - Dead Man's Chest,” Captain Jack Sparrow, played by Johnny Depp, finds out he owes a blood debt to the legendary Davy Jones, Captain of the ghostly Flying Dutchman.
According to the movie's lore, Jones is such a deeply unloved and unhappy person that he placed his heart in a box, the infamous Davy Jones' Locker of maritime legend. Whoever can find and claim the undead organ will have control of him and his cronies. Jack must find a way out of his debt or be doomed to eternal servitude in the afterlife. Orlando Bloom’s Will Turner and Keira Knightley’s Elizabeth Swann are arrested and sentenced to death unless Will can get Lord Beckett Jack's mysterious compass.
Ve Neill does not hesitate to praise peer Joel Harlow’s work on making Bootstrap Bill come to life, whose bleached-out skin is covered with barnacles, all the appliances and pieces made by Neill’s own traveling laboratory. “The Bootstrap Bill makeups were sculpted and molded in Los Angeles but the appliances were all run at the location in the portable lab.” Shared Neill.
"We did a test makeup from one of the drawings Gore had artist Crash McCreery sketch one of the Cannibals and from there Joel and I designed all the other Cannibals makeups. Gore also had Crash supply us with the designs for all the stages of Bootstrap Bill. The final stage was altered slightly so that it could actually be done as a makeup.” Shared Neill.
A still from Pirates of the Caribbean : Dead Man's Chest.
“I designed the green mossed camouflaged makeup on the Cannibal who was hidden in the tree that captured Orlando. Joel and Richard Snell did the wonderful Skeleton Cannibal makeup. I also had fun doing the crazy eye ball and bug makeup Johnny wore for the Cannibal scene.
”Most of the teeth made for all the background and many of the principles were made on site as well along with all the scars and sores we used on a daily basis. The trinkets used for the cannibals makeups were accumulated during prep by either my team or myself during a trip I took to Africa earlier in the year.”
“Martin Samuel was on board again for this sequel as hair department head, I had an incredible team, we did days of test makeup for the cannibals, and if Gore came up with something crazy we were right there to make it on the spot.” Revealed Neill.
A still from Pirates of the Caribbean : Dead Man's Chest.
“I am most proud of the collaborative effort of all the Pirate makeup. The whole film is a triumph for any makeup crew, and I am equally proud of the whole picture. I believe it is impossible to pick one thing as it is the entirety that makes it so great.” Said Neill. “
Ve Neill is currently working on the last installment of Pirates of the Caribbean : At World’s End, which is wrapping principal photography.
Academy Awards, USA
2004 Nominated Best Makeup for: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
1995 Won Best Makeup for: Ed Wood (2004)
1994 Won Best Makeup for: Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)
1993 Nominated Best Makeup for: Batman Returns (1992) and Best Makeup for: Hoffa (1992)
1991 Nominated Best Makeup for: Edward Scissorhands (1990)
1989 Won Best Makeup for: Beetle Juice (1988)
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA
BAFTA Awards
2004 Won BAFTA Film Award Best Make Up/Hair
Emmy Awards
1998 Nominated Outstanding Makeup for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special
Hollywood Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist Guild Awards
2004 Won Best Period Makeup – Feature for: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
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