Make-up artists and hairstylists who are members of the Academy ofMotion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) have been granted branch status by theAcademy's Board of Governors.

Branch status will allow the approximately 120 make-up artists andhairstylists who are currently members-at-large to elect one individual fromtheir ranks to represent them on the board. This will increase the size of theboard to 43.

Details about the change and election materials will be sent to membersof the new branch in time for them to select the new governor before theDecember meeting of the board.

The single-governor branch will be unique, but the representationof a craft area on the Academy board by a single governor is relatively common.

Costume designers, production designers, set decorators, sound editors,sound mixers and live-action short-film makers all have a single representativeon the board.

'There is a very strong sentiment among the governors not toincrease the size of the board to the point that it becomes unwieldy, so the ideaof even this slight expansion was not approached casually,' AcademyPresident Sid Ganis said.

'But in view of their numbers within the organisation, andthe fact that every year we award the highest honour in filmmaking - our statuette- to an achievement in make-up, it seemed only fair to give these artistsa voice on our board.'