Bronco behind the big screen: Alumna uses makeup to tell stories in movies and TV

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Ellen Arden, BFA ‘13, has worked on some of the most prominent films and television shows of the last 15 years, from “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” and “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” to “Ozark” and “The Walking Dead.”

As makeup department head and designer, Arden manages entire makeup teams for Hollywood productions while also working on design elements, like liaising with special effects teams to ensure that the look is right for every set piece and critical moment. 

“I work with the special effects houses to tell them our needs in putting concepts together. If somebody is injured in a scene, I have to figure out what prosthetics we should be using, how that will look and how far into reality we're going to go.”

So how did a girl from a small town in Michigan end up working on blockbuster films known throughout the world? Cut to Arden’s childhood in Albion, Michigan. 

Stars in her eyes

Arden’s early memories of film involve watching old Tom Mix cowboy movies with her grandparents. It wasn’t until she saw Robert Altman’s 1992 film, “The Player,” at age 10 that her passion for moving pictures took shape. 

“‘The Player’ is about the film industry. There's this opening sequence that is a long tracking shot, and there was something about it I didn’t understand—these old cars and fast-paced conversations—it was so different than where I grew up, on a dirt road outside of town.”

After high school, Arden began working on independent film productions and enrolled at Grand Rapids Community College, where she discovered her love for alternative film processing. Two years later, she transferred to WMU to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts in photography and intermedia. 

It was in the hills of Western’s campus where Arden’s Hollywood story was just getting started. When it came to WMU, it was love at first sight. 

“One thing I loved about Western was the great facilities that weren’t available at other places,” she says. “Western had a dark room that students could go and use whenever they wanted.”

As she honed her artistic craft, Arden found great support from Ginger Owen-Murakami, professor of photography; Bill Davis, professor and area coordinator of photography; and Adriane Little, director of the Gwen Frostic School of Art and professor of kinetic imaging.  

With excellent professors, interactive facilities and the freedom to experiment and explore, Arden’s art flourished, enabling her to learn lessons that would influence her later work in film. 

“At Western, I learned how to look at and read art differently, which helps me when I'm interpreting what we're shooting for films.”

Off campus, Arden also came to love the city and its vibrant arts scene. “Kalamazoo was a good environment to thrive in if you're a creative person trying to figure out where you're going, “ she says. “​​We were encouraged to participate in the community and start putting our work out there for others to look at.”

Her big break

After graduating from WMU, she continued working in film. Her big break came with the Lifetime movie “Prayers for Bobby.” Asked last minute to help with makeup on the film, Arden—whose makeup experience was fairly limited at the time—said yes.

“I really shouldn't have been there, but there I was. Sigourney Weaver was our main actress, and she had an assistant named Peter Robb King. He was the department head on ‘Star Wars.’ I ended up going to work with him; he became my mentor.”

From there, plenty of lights, cameras and action would follow. Under the tutelage of King, Arden’s career flourished working as a key second-in-command makeup artist before eventually heading up entire makeup units for major productions like “The Fear Street Trilogy,” “Werewolf by Night” and “Hawkeye.”

Arden is now working on yet another potential piece of pop culture gold. Her current project is an untitled film from David Robert Mitchell, director of “It Follows.” While the plot is largely under wraps, it is set to star Ewan McGregor and will take place in the 1980s. With the film’s makeup and design elements grounded in the past, Arden has been reflecting on her own past at WMU.

“I loved the art school. It's just such a tight little community and being able to look at everybody's work and see what people were creating, it was just a lot of fun,” she says. “Overall, I wish I would have had more time at Western. I feel like it was just too short.” ■