While it’s the actor job to ‘become’ their character and bring their stories, personality and all of the mannerisms and idiosyncrasies that make them unique to the screen, it’s those behind the scenes, like makeup artist Flavia Vieira, that come together to transform the actor to look like the character in the script. In film and television believability is everything, something Vieira knows all about.

For Vieira, each actor is a canvas waiting to be transformed into someone else, someone we can watch on screen and effortlessly believe that they’re the real thing in a way that helps us get lost in their story.

Most filmmakers that have worked with Vieira call the Brazilian native back to their set for future productions due to her precision as a makeup artist and the diverse nature of her skill. Filmmaker Camila Rizzo first saw Vieira’s power as a makeup artist on the film “Oust,” which led her to tap Vieira to come on board as the makeup artist on her own films.

Rizzo explains, “‘Oust’ needed a lot of makeup work, and I saw how detailed Flavia was and I decided to invite her to work on my film ‘My Two O’Clock’.”

Flavia’s work on “My Two O’Clock” was key in making the film’s stars Nick Larice (“Je T’aime, Au Revoir”) and Henry Mark (“Grey’s Anatomy,” “Unusual Suspects”) look the part of their characters, and the film ultimately went on to win the Global Film Festival Award, the LA Shorts Awards’ Diamond Award, the Award of Recognition from The IndieFest Film Awards and was chosen as a Semi-Finalist from the Los Angeles Cinefest.

“Flavia was very effective on set and she did a great job making the right makeup,” says Rizzo, who then hired Flavia once again to come onboard as head of makeup on her newest film “Headway.”

Based on real characters, “Headway,” which wrapped production earlier this year and stars Hayden Currie (“The Mirror”) and Connor Chess (“TMI Hollywood,” “Heartbeat Away”), revolved around the converging stories of two very different characters- an autistic boy (Currie) and an MMA fighter (Chess) facing the end of his career.

“She overpassed my expectations. ‘Headway’ had difficult makeup because one of the main characters is a fighter who had just been knocked out. During the pre-production, Flavia and I had some meetings to discuss every detail of the fighter’s wounds and how she would work on the make up during the passing of 3 months time to keep the continuity,” explains Rizzo. “During one of the Headway private screenings a couple of people came to me to say how impressed they were on the continuity of the fighter’s wound and how real it was.”

Second to none, Flavia’s skill in creating the kinds of special effects makeup that ranges from gory fight wounds to using prosthetics to completely transform an actor to look like an otherworldly creature, which she did for the sci-fi film “Bloody Eyes,” has brought the sought after makeup artist quite a bit of attention for her work.

Though the intense transformations she pulls off on set definitely highlight the strength of her craft when it comes to complex looks, the key for any successful makeup artist in the film industry is to understand, from the minor to the monumental, the aesthetic changes the actor needs to best fit the character in the script. And it’s that keen understanding that has made Flavia such a powerhouse behind the scenes.

“I always like to discuss the looks with directors and writers… Especially when I’m creating the looks of the characters. The writer invented the character. The director is bringing him to life on the screen. What I need is to understand the core of the character to be able to translate it into the look,” explains Flavia.

For the multi-award winning film “Becoming Lucy” directed by Luisa Novo, Flavia was tasked with doing ‘beauty makeup’ for the majority of the characters, however one character, Lucy, the lead played by Maitlyn Pezzo, required a drastic hair change, one that the overall story relied on. After Lucy’s father leaves her mother for a young blonde, and she discovers her teenage crush likes blondes as well, Lucy decides to dye her blonde in order to attract their attention, but the result is disastrous.

In order to transform Lucy’s look Flavia devoted extensive attention to finding the perfect wig, cutting it to look the actress’ real hair and color testing it until she reached the perfect ‘imperfect’ shade.

“[Flavia] was the head of makeup, hair and wardrobe… She was essential in getting the wig to look believable. Get the color and texture right, and adding the style to it that fitted each scene. Without that the story would have failed. She also did an excellent job in adding personality to each character,” explains director Luisa Novo. “Flavia doesn’t accept doing a bad job. She does whatever it is in her power to make each project the best it can be. Her makeup and hair skills are fantastic, and she treats the actor so well that they always want to work with her again.”

Key to the film’s success, Flavia’s skill and attention to detail for the characters in “Becoming Lucy” led her to receive impressive industry praise that included earning the Diamond Award for Best Makeup from the LA Shorts Awards and the Bronze Award for Best Makeup from the International Independent Awards in 2017.

Though she’s made a prominent name for herself as a movie makeup artist, Flavia Vieira is no stranger to leading the makeup departments on popular commercials and music videos. Earlier this year she was the head makeup artist on the Tropkillaz music video for ‘Milk & Honey’ featuring Aloe Blacc, which has nearly three million views on YouTube.

For the Tropkillaz music video, as well as the commercial she did for McDonald’s Brazil, which featured Tyler James Williams from the hit series “Everybody Hates Chris,” Flavia aired on the side of minimalism, using her artistry to highlight the natural features of those on screen.

Flavia says, “An actor, man or woman, wouldn’t feel comfortable in front of camera without makeup, or even without knowing a makeup expert took out the shininess out of their skin and took care of unwanted hair flyaways.”

As a makeup artist Flavia Vieira’s knowledge and seasoned skill behind the scenes keeps her working on set more than most. In addition to several upcoming films and television series, she says she is also excited to be a part this year’s 48 Hour Film Project, which takes place in August. With a production team of all women, Flavia says “We’re in it to win it!”