Life as a make up artist on set can be exciting, creative and hugely rewarding — but it can also be physically demanding and unpredictable in ways people outside the industry rarely see. No two days are the same. The location changes, the call time changes, you have cast changes, and sometimes the whole plan changes before you've finished your coffee.
After years working across film and TV, there are a handful of practical things that make a real difference to your day.
Your Kit Has to Move With You
People underestimate how physical the job is before you've even started work. You're not always walking from a car park into a warm studio. You're crossing a muddy field at half six, navigating a field of long grass, or carrying everything up a staircase in an abandoned building.
Your kit needs to move with you. Wheels that work over all terrain, a bag that doesn't topple the second you let go, and a clear bag for repacking kit last minute. We've all done it!
For years the default was a suitcase. Fine in an airport. A nightmare on set. Tiny wheels, rigid frame, and the moment you hit anything other than flat tarmac you're dragging it. Add a full kit's weight and it's a proper ordeal.
Organisation Under Pressure
On a busy set there's no time to rummage. You get pulled to touch up a cast member between takes, sort a continuity issue mid-scene, or prep someone who wasn't on the schedule. You need to put your hand on exactly what you need, straight away.
Organisation isn't about being tidy for its own sake — it's about being fast when it counts. A disorganised kit costs you time, and on set, time isn't yours to waste.
Pack smart. Constant-use products at the top. Everything else behind them. Fragile things properly protected. And your whole kit needs to survive a day of being moved, bumped and dropped without drama.
The Walk-In Nobody Warns You About
Every location has a walk-in. Sometimes it's fine. Sometimes it defines your entire morning. You arrive at the postcode, find a field, and realise the unit base is a ten-minute trek across uneven ground with no path, no lighting, and a drizzle for good measure.
Ask about the walk-in before you turn up. What's the terrain? Steps or a ramp? How far is unit base from set? Is there anyone to help? These aren't diva questions — they're practical ones that change how you pack.
When the walk-in is rough, you need a trolley that just gets on with it. Big wheels, a stable base, a bag that doesn't shift with every bump. The difference between a good walk-in and a miserable one is usually the equipment, not the terrain.
Looking After Yourself on Long Days
Fourteen-hour days are brutal. You're on your feet the whole time — bending, reaching, moving. By the end of it, your back, feet and shoulders will tell you exactly whether your kit setup is working for you or against you.
Cutting unnecessary lifting isn't laziness — it's sensible. A trolley that rolls properly means you're not carrying dead weight across a location. A bag at the right height means you're not crouching all day. Small decisions that compound over a long career.
Eat. Drink water. It sounds obvious but it's easy to skip both when you're flat out. Neither helps you do your best work. Look after yourself the same way you look after your kit.
Being Ready for What You Didn't Plan For
Sets change. Schedules shift. Someone who wasn't supposed to be on camera suddenly is. A scene moves outside. The brief evolves at the last minute. This is the job.
The make up artists who handle it well aren't the ones who packed for every scenario. They're the ones who know their kit well enough to adapt fast with what they've got.
That comes with experience — but it also comes from a kit that's organised and easy to move. Get to it quickly, shift it without fuss, find what you need without tipping everything out. You're already ahead of most problems before they become problems.
The Kit That Actually Makes a Difference
This isn't a product round-up. The things that make a difference on set are mostly about systems and habits. But I'd be doing you a disservice if I didn't mention the one piece of kit that genuinely changed how my location days run.
The right trolley changes everything. Not a luxury — a necessity. You move your kit every single working day, and doing it badly adds up fast. The Pro Nanna was designed for exactly this kind of work, by someone who's done it, and the difference it makes isn't subtle.
8-inch puncture-proof wheels handle terrain suitcase wheels can't touch. 35kg capacity means no compromises on what you bring. A foldable frame that fits in the boot without taking it over. Not marketing points — answers to real problems on real sets.
On-set life isn't always glamorous. But it's a lot smoother when the practical stuff is sorted. Get how you move your kit right, and the rest tends to follow.
