How we achieved the Avatar make up- Adebayo Yusuf

By Oluwafemi Dosu

The creative and most sought after make up artist, Adebayo Yusuf recently disclosed how he was able to achieve the exact make up done in the foreign movie, Avatar in a Nigeria gospel movie without using any foreign material.

Yusuf who was speaking exclusively to Gospel Film News in an interview noted that he was a bit scared when the producer, Opeyemi Akintunde informed him about the kind of make up she want in the movie because he has never done such make up before.

“When we were called for that location, that is sister Opeyemi Akintunde, she said we are going to do something like that in the movie, that she want to see Avatar. I now asked if it is the real Avatar, she said Yes! I was a bit scared. My boss, Abayomi Ojo was there with Sean Paul. My boss now told me that Bayo this is what you are going to do, to get real material is very expensive in the market and i told him i have some materials we can use also. I told him we are going to get some paints and some other things, he said okay and he sent some money to me to get those materials,” he disclosed.

The dynamic make up artist stressed that after getting those metarials he was looking at the picture of Avatar day and night asking God to lead him and when himself, his boss and his colleague, Sean Paul were doing the make up people around were surprised that such could be achieved.

“Atimes when you want to do such thing just be asking for the wisdom of the Holy spirit. You will allow God to lead you on what you want to do. When we are done with the Avatar make up i was just looking at the person, looking at the picture comparing both and at the end we give glory to God,” he reiterated.

Yusuf who has done make up for countless films when asked how he can rate himself noted that If any make up artist humble him/herself and allow God to lead him/her, such will not rate him/herself it is people around, seeing the work that will rate the person.

“Sometimes my boss will call me, Bayo go and do this work, and there is no location I’ve been to that they will not say the person that train this person is Abayomi Ojo,” he added.

He further revealed that his background as a make up artist started sometimes ago when he was still a muslim. “Any time I watch a film, I used to see different kind of things like special effect. Ever since then I’ve been saying i will like to be doing those things. When i gave my life to Christ, i went to Mount Zion Institute of Christian Drama, it was after that i saw Abayomi Ojo. Mount Zion students want to have a film shoot then, I now call him and told him sir, I have interest in this your make up stuff. He now said i’m going to pay a certain amount that he will know if I’m serious or not.”

“Since then, we started the make up together, I paid the little i can afford and he has been calling me for location since then. We go to locations together even till now. After his training, i came home again, searched online and saw alot of special effect. I have been training myself since then and God has been helping me. That was how I started the make up,” he noted.

About The Author