THE man behind the iconic avant-garde faces of the Hunger Games trilogy has revealed how make-up artists in America are "jealous" of those working in the film industry in Northern Ireland.
Brian Kinney, who has also worked on shows such as CSI, Sons of Anarchy and Mad Men, was at Movie House Cinemas in Belfast yesterday teaching the next generation of young make-up artists.
Mr Kinney, whose great-grandfather hails from Cookstown, Co Tyrone, hosted workshops for 40 budding artists taking them through a tutorial on how to achieve the now-famous film look.
He said he had worked for more than 20 years to "make it in Hollywood as a make-up artist and have been blessed to work on so many top projects like the Hunger Games franchise".
But he said make-up artists in the United States are impressed by the work going on in Northern Ireland, especially involving Game of Thrones.
"We are all jealous - everyone there (in America) wants to be here working on Game of Thrones and everyone here (in Northern Ireland) wants to go to Malibu beach and LA," he said.
"I think the industry here is wonderful, it's so exciting to see how far it has come."
Mr Kinney was delivering make-up artistry and special FX training in conjunction with Titanic Creative Management, a company that brings some of the biggest names worldwide to train local artists as the Northern Ireland film and TV industry booms.
Leanne Ross before her make-up session
Titanic Creative Management managing director Nuala Campbell said: "It is such an honour for us to work with artists at Brian Kinney's level and to receive bursary support from local companies like Movie House Cinemas.
"This kind of support is essential for young people who have the talent to pursue a career in film but cannot access the training due to financial barriers."
Leanne Ross sporting the Hunger Games look
