How to make an actor look older

[cedrictonk]

Hi,

I'm filming a movie this summer and my actors are all about 16.
They look ok, but what do I do about those baby faces? I want them to look like 18-20 year olds. Preferably with make up

 

[3CardMonte]

My best advice is to use your time now to actually find actors who are the age you're looking for. It'll be worth your time if you're looking to make it GOOD. 16 to 20 is especially difficult to do.

Remember that:
-wardrobe will help a lot
-lots of 20 year olds look like 16 year olds to begin with
-Do any of them have facial hair yet? that will give you all you need. Fake facial hair is difficult to pull off so you might want to avoid trying that.
-Practice their acting with them. if they can believably ACT the role you want them to be most your work is done for you. Buy them acting books. It might help

 

[NicoleME]

For female actors, you can have them put on some makeup....lipstick, mascara, eyeliner or lip gloss and have them wear some older looking jewelry. Stay away from the teeny bopper clothing too if you want an older look. Change their wardrobe to something that an older person would wear. For male actors, have them speak with deeper voices and maybe give them some fuzz around the chin to make it look like they have a freshly shaven beard and you could give them a small mustache as well, but this must be done well to look authentic because just buying a mustache from the costume store and throwing it on the actors will make it look like a bunch of kids trying to dress up in adult clothing.

 

[Fallingsunz]

there are tutorials on line that are on yahoo tv that can help you. act like it hollween and look at yourself in the mirror. of you actually on to getting it. you van get some face putty. i have a store here that sells it. you can use it to add wrinkles and other objects like warts. the you nee to have foundation and the match color make up. i had to play with it to learn how to do it. but it unquie and it last for a while and touch are needed after 4 hours

 

[temerson]

Men - facial hair (not stippled, but real hair), well-toned or bulkier (no baby fat looks), no designer clothes (only high school kids wear predominantly label clothes. College students are notoriously poor, and can't afford that stuff)

Women - no baby fat, well-endowed (will sell the illusion better. sad, but true), mature haircuts, again stylish clothes, but not designer

And, of course, your actors' ability to sell the illusion. It is really hard to feign not caring about what people think of you and that comfort and self-esteem that you naturally get when you turn about 20-21. There are just some life experiences and natural instincts that can not be taught. In dialogue, syntax and cadence changes, gets better, and you become more comfortable with it. You are comfortable around people who smoke, drink, and do some things that maybe they shouldn't have gotten into. The truth is, it's more about attitude than anything that can be changed visually.