When it comes to television, film and music videos, there are a ton of moving parts. A successful production incorporates essential factors such as talented actors and artists, special effects, soundtracks and more, but just think about what goes on behind the scenes that elevate these productions to the next level (hint: it’s a lot more than you think!).
Take hair and makeup, for example. While we’re sitting here trying to figure out how to master our Beauty Blenders and curling wands for our everyday looks, there are makeup and hair professionals out there creating countless looks that absolutely awe and inspire. Her Campus had the opportunity to speak with Kim Kimble, a celebrity hairstylist, beauty expert and entrepreneur with a flair for scene-stealing looks.
Creating high-concept styles for our fave queens including BeyoncĂ©, Mary J. Blige, Britney Spears and more, the Chicago native talked hair and entertainment with a splash of life advice. Working freelance in hair, Kimble explains that there’s no typical day in this glam world.Â
“A typical day varies because a freelance hairstylist works with different clients, and sometimes with the same clients in different instances,” Kimble tells Her Campus. “I could be flying and traveling one day… it just varies. It’s not the same every day.”
It’s all about creating a character.
With projects under her belt including the film Dreamgirls and Queen Bey’s Lemonade, plus clientele including Kerry Washington, Gabrielle Union and more, Kimble shares with us the differences between working with film, television and music videos.
“TV is about creating a character,” says Kimble. “Videos are about creating an image for a client. TV is usually more long-term, and movies and videos are [different]. You need to go by a script in developing the character for TV and film, and if you’re doing a movie or a music video, it’s like a treatment. There’s more fantasy, you can create whatever persona that you want to.”
Working as a celebrity hairstylist certainly comes with many challenges and rewards.
“One of the biggest challenges is trying to find a balance because a lot of times we work for ourselves, or you just work work work,” says Kimble. “Balance is important. You need your spiritual, you need your health. Learn how to save room for yourself and for other things that you want to do.”
“One benefit to being a hairstylist is that you get to change people’s lives,” Kimble continues. “They come in one way and they walk out feeling wonderful. We definitely serve a great purpose when it comes to hair, when clients get their hair done and how they respond and how they love what we do. If you put a smile on someone’s face or help them when they have a hair issue, when they feel good, for me, that’s one of the things I love most about styling hair.”
We enjoyed the pleasure of learning more about one of her more recent (and absolutely stunning) projects: Disney’s A Wrinkle in Time.
Just a few glimpses of the film alone can show you the beautiful mastery behind the looks created for these characters. With a stacked cast including Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon and Mindy Kaling, the Hair Department Head put incredible thought and care into creating stunning looks for these characters – notably the otherworldly looks for the three Mrs.Â
Talking more about one of her most favorite projects, Kimble dives deeper into the unique styles that were created for the film.
“The looks I created for A Wrinkle In Time were mostly with the Mrs. [characters], these universal beings,” says Kimble. “We didn’t really have anything to pull from because it didn’t really exist, so that was the most challenging because we had to create that look.”
“Starting with Mrs. Who, she was very eclectic and [cultural]. She wore a lot of quilts from all over the world from all different people. With her costume and collaborating with the director for one of the looks that she wanted for her, inspirations like Japanese, Asian, African and Colombian, all different types [of culture were involved]. She would wear quilts that would represent different cultures in the movie.”
“Then Reese [Mrs. Whatsit] was more of your whimsical but yet firey [being], so her hair kind of led to that. Having a more bohemian kind of style but firey because of the reddish-orange color that we chose for her hair.”
“And then last but not least Oprah [Mrs. Which] was more of the diva. She had big, textured hair and the colors in her hair represented the minerals of the earth. Blonde, a platinum, gold, those were her colors. She was the oldest and wisest of them all. So, that’s how I describe the Mrs., and then, of course, the other characters’ hair went with who they were. We had a couple of different characters – some from the universe, some from earth – and we appreciated the look between the two.”
Although Kimble says that the looks were eccentric, they still will relatable to the audience.
“The looks weren’t too crazy,” Kimble adds. “They were different enough so it wasn’t your everyday, regular hair. You want to be able to tell the difference between who the Mrs. were and the regular everyday characters.”Â
Obsessed with these looks as much as we are? You can experience Kimble’s amazing work in Disney’s A Wrinkle in Time as much as your heart desires beginning this Tuesday. The film is available on Blu-ray and DVD on June 5!