Mad Max: Vivien Mepham's make-up kit

Make-up artist Vivien Mepham created all sorts of gruesome effects for George Miller’s high-octane road movie Mad Max (1979), which was partly inspired by Miller’s childhood in the rural Queensland town of Chinchilla, where car culture was fuelled by drag races and no speed limits. This original kit features homemade fake blood, sweat and dirt powders, Leichner crème cakes, mortician’s wax, kajal (eye make-up), bloody bandages, sponges and brushes, all used to craft the cuts, wounds and bruises that defined this daring film. It's an insight into the often unacknowledged craft of the make-up designer but also highlights the creativity and resourcefulness needed when working on a low-budget film. Mad Max went on to become a global franchise, cementing its place in cinematic history.