High Definition Broadcasting

What is High Definition Broadcasting and how does it affect make up and hair artists?

High Definition Broadcasting is essentially the upgrade from standard television broadcasting, it broadcasts television in High definition which means higher pixels, therefore getting an overall better quality of television. The image is a lot clearer and you can see particular shots in a lot more detail. The first high definition broadcast in the Uk began in 2006 (BBC). The majority of television channels are broadcasted in standard definition but the major broadcasters have now started to broadcast in high definition, e.g. BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 etc.  This also effects films as well, most films are shot in high definition and shown in high definition, this means that the image is a lot clearer therefore you have to make everything look as realistic as possible, because the camera will pick up every little detail.

High definition is so much sharper and clearer than standard definition that every detail is picked up on camera. You can see pores, wrinkles, blemishes so much clearer than you used to which makes it a lot more difficult for makeup artists when it comes to applying make up to actors. Too much makeup and you can tell you have been caked in makeup and it looks horrible and too little and you look flat faced. HD makeup is very popular now and brands such as Make Up Forever have their own HD line specifically for pictures,film etc that are shot in HD. For example their HD powder has been designed so that it doesn't give the actor the ashy, pale flash back that a regular face powder can give. HD make up tends to have high coverage because this way it makes the skin look flawless in photos and on camera. 

Also when using SFX and prosthetics in tv or film, it is very important now that the artists take the time to make it look as realistic as possible as it will be very easy for the viewer to tell if it hasn't been applied properly and to see whether it looks like the actors real skin or not.

As for the hair stylists, again because the image is so clear, the viewer can see every detail meaning that they will be able to see wonky partings/sections, stray hairs, baby hairs, pins within the hair, hair extensions, extra hair pieces & also wigs can look a lot less real if shot up close. This means that hair stylists have to make sure that the hair looks as realistic as possible if using extensions, or wigs. They also have to hide their pins well when doing updo's and make sure the hair is as slick and precise as they can get it, because any fly aways and stray hairs will pick up on the camera. The colouring of the hair is very important as well if the stylist is using extensions or extra hair pieces to create a hair style, it's important that the extension or hair piece is the exact same colour as the models real hair.