1 00:00:08,296 --> 00:00:09,709 Hi, I'm Anthony Galde from 'Behind the 2 00:00:09,709 --> 00:00:11,669 Emerald Curtain.' Today, we'll take a look 3 00:00:11,669 --> 00:00:14,219 at the hair, and wig designs for 'Wicked.' 4 00:00:14,219 --> 00:00:16,689 From simple looks to elaborate headpieces, 5 00:00:16,689 --> 00:00:20,549 these imaginative styles are uniquely Oz. 6 00:00:20,549 --> 00:00:23,259 Wigs are so funny because we are all as 7 00:00:23,259 --> 00:00:25,279 human beings used to dealing with hair 8 00:00:25,279 --> 00:00:27,209 on our bodies and treating it in a certain 9 00:00:27,209 --> 00:00:31,209 way. The wig is an object; Tom Watson is 10 00:00:31,209 --> 00:00:34,319 a great, great, hair designer, and wig 11 00:00:34,319 --> 00:00:38,319 maker, so his wigs, he wants people to 12 00:00:38,319 --> 00:00:41,199 treat them like their own hair. Once we've 13 00:00:41,199 --> 00:00:43,889 made the decision of what the wig is going 14 00:00:43,889 --> 00:00:46,329 to be we know who is going to be wearing 15 00:00:46,329 --> 00:00:48,269 the wig, how the hair is actually going to 16 00:00:48,269 --> 00:00:50,029 move on the head, whether or not there's 17 00:00:50,029 --> 00:00:51,269 color change, what the color is going to 18 00:00:51,269 --> 00:00:54,329 be, then it's given over to the hands of a 19 00:00:54,329 --> 00:00:57,479 wig-maker. Susan designs the costumes to 20 00:00:57,479 --> 00:00:58,939 be asymmetrical, a lot of the hair is also 21 00:00:58,939 --> 00:01:00,459 asymmetrical so you'll see they'll be a 22 00:01:00,459 --> 00:01:03,149 single sided horn in the wig that goes up 23 00:01:03,149 --> 00:01:05,449 to the right side with a hat on the other 24 00:01:05,449 --> 00:01:07,309 side, so it's completely asymmetrical. 25 00:01:07,309 --> 00:01:09,129 All of Susan Hefry's original sketches 26 00:01:09,129 --> 00:01:10,949 included sketches of the hair. We look at 27 00:01:10,949 --> 00:01:13,139 the sketch, we try to understand the 28 00:01:13,139 --> 00:01:15,299 language that we are going to be using- 29 00:01:15,299 --> 00:01:17,779 The conversation has to do with the color 30 00:01:17,779 --> 00:01:21,359 of hair, the shape of the styles of hair, 31 00:01:21,359 --> 00:01:24,699 this conversation is about blending all of 32 00:01:24,699 --> 00:01:25,969 the elements together. 33 00:01:25,969 --> 00:01:27,959 Whenever any new actor comes into the show 34 00:01:27,959 --> 00:01:29,069 their hair is addressed almost 35 00:01:29,069 --> 00:01:31,049 immediately, there's always for every 36 00:01:31,049 --> 00:01:32,799 actor, even if they're wigged for the 37 00:01:32,799 --> 00:01:34,599 entire show, a conversation between 38 00:01:34,599 --> 00:01:36,789 the wig supervisor and myself about 39 00:01:36,789 --> 00:01:38,919 color, texture, length. 40 00:01:38,919 --> 00:01:40,709 Our job, as soon as we get our hands on 41 00:01:40,709 --> 00:01:43,579 the actor, is to measure them in every 42 00:01:43,579 --> 00:01:46,289 conceivable way. Most people for the first 43 00:01:46,289 --> 00:01:48,009 time are shocked that there are so many 44 00:01:48,009 --> 00:01:49,719 measurements to be had. To understand 45 00:01:49,719 --> 00:01:51,739 how to make the wig, you have to have 46 00:01:51,739 --> 00:01:54,789 literally almost a tracing of the head. 47 00:01:54,789 --> 00:01:56,849 We do a mold of their head, using 48 00:01:56,849 --> 00:01:59,249 basically a plastic bag and tape, and then 49 00:01:59,249 --> 00:02:02,429 we take that plastic bag mold that we just 50 00:02:02,429 --> 00:02:04,589 did and we stuff it out to meet certain 51 00:02:04,589 --> 00:02:06,249 measurements, so basically we'll end up 52 00:02:06,249 --> 00:02:07,779 having a duplicate of their head in the 53 00:02:07,779 --> 00:02:09,879 studio, and then we can build the wig on 54 00:02:09,879 --> 00:02:11,759 that duplicate. When we make the mold of 55 00:02:11,759 --> 00:02:14,389 the head we start by prepping the heads 56 00:02:14,389 --> 00:02:15,909 that we get the hair as flat as we 57 00:02:15,909 --> 00:02:18,379 possibly can, and then we get the plastic 58 00:02:18,379 --> 00:02:19,709 bag over their head and start taping it 59 00:02:19,709 --> 00:02:22,419 down so that we've basically covered their 60 00:02:22,419 --> 00:02:25,059 entire head with tape, so that forms the 61 00:02:25,059 --> 00:02:27,309 actual shape, and then we use a sharpie 62 00:02:27,309 --> 00:02:30,669 to outline exactly where the hairline is 63 00:02:30,669 --> 00:02:33,669 on each person, so you know, if they have 64 00:02:33,669 --> 00:02:35,419 a widow's peak we can capture that, if 65 00:02:35,419 --> 00:02:37,529 they have a receded hairline we capture 66 00:02:37,529 --> 00:02:39,559 that, then after that we measure- we take 67 00:02:39,559 --> 00:02:41,439 a series of various measurements, 68 00:02:41,439 --> 00:02:44,039 circumference, across the back of the nape 69 00:02:44,039 --> 00:02:46,539 from the front-center to the back, over 70 00:02:46,539 --> 00:02:48,759 the top of the head and so forth. We take 71 00:02:48,759 --> 00:02:50,909 those measurements so that we know how 72 00:02:50,909 --> 00:02:52,849 we have to stuff that mold out later, so 73 00:02:52,849 --> 00:02:54,449 we have something to compare it to. 74 00:02:54,449 --> 00:02:56,649 It's literally the road map of a person's 75 00:02:56,649 --> 00:02:58,769 head. Once we have the head wrap we take 76 00:02:58,769 --> 00:03:01,419 the headwrap and find a canvas block whose 77 00:03:01,419 --> 00:03:03,439 circumference is about the same as the 78 00:03:03,439 --> 00:03:05,309 circumference of the actor or actress's 79 00:03:05,309 --> 00:03:07,489 head, then we place the mold onto the 80 00:03:07,489 --> 00:03:09,729 block, tape it down, then actually make 81 00:03:09,729 --> 00:03:13,129 a series of cuts into that mold and start 82 00:03:13,129 --> 00:03:14,749 stuffing it with polyfill, and that 83 00:03:14,749 --> 00:03:17,079 allows us to basically stuff the head out 84 00:03:17,079 --> 00:03:19,289 till we get to the exact measurements 85 00:03:19,289 --> 00:03:21,709 that we've taken before, and that gives us 86 00:03:21,709 --> 00:03:23,329 the duplicate of their head. There's two 87 00:03:23,329 --> 00:03:24,569 ways we can make the wig: either we 88 00:03:24,569 --> 00:03:26,259 start with nothing, and we build a 89 00:03:26,259 --> 00:03:27,609 foundation, we build everything, or we 90 00:03:27,609 --> 00:03:29,139 start with an existing wig, rip off the 91 00:03:29,139 --> 00:03:31,569 front, rip off the top, and customize it 92 00:03:31,569 --> 00:03:34,369 to the person. It takes about anywhere 93 00:03:34,369 --> 00:03:37,599 from fifteen to forty hours to build the 94 00:03:37,599 --> 00:03:39,327 wig, most of that process is putting hair 95 00:03:39,327 --> 00:03:41,827 in the cap, then we start building the wig 96 00:03:41,827 --> 00:03:44,577 from scratch that very day. Every hair is 97 00:03:44,577 --> 00:03:47,427 put on by a craftsperson, every hair is 98 00:03:47,427 --> 00:03:49,787 put into that wig using methods that've 99 00:03:49,787 --> 00:03:52,067 been around for 300, 400 years now, so 100 00:03:52,067 --> 00:03:53,797 nothing's changed about wig making in the 101 00:03:53,797 --> 00:03:56,047 past three centuries. On 'Wicked' 102 00:03:56,047 --> 00:03:58,817 Broadway there're approximately 120 wigs, 103 00:03:58,817 --> 00:04:02,817 including facial hair as well, which is 104 00:04:02,817 --> 00:04:04,607 much larger than most shows. Other 105 00:04:04,607 --> 00:04:06,687 productions of 'Wicked' have about 109, 106 00:04:06,687 --> 00:04:10,037 110 wigs as well, so right now there's 7 107 00:04:10,037 --> 00:04:12,657 productions in the world, that's 800 wigs 108 00:04:12,657 --> 00:04:14,827 just for 'Wicked' alone. It's impossible 109 00:04:14,827 --> 00:04:16,947 to talk about a costume if you're not 110 00:04:16,947 --> 00:04:18,487 talking about the hair too, the hair 111 00:04:18,487 --> 00:04:20,267 design for the show is intrinsic to the 112 00:04:20,267 --> 00:04:22,507 design of the costume, to all of a piece. 113 00:04:22,507 --> 00:04:24,397 The wigs are really what pull it all 114 00:04:24,397 --> 00:04:26,547 together, for all of the time and energy 115 00:04:26,547 --> 00:04:28,407 we spend making the clothes -and they 116 00:04:28,407 --> 00:04:30,457 are exceptional- the clothes the shoes the 117 00:04:30,457 --> 00:04:32,667 gloves the hats, it's not a costume 118 00:04:32,667 --> 00:04:34,371 it is not finished, they're not in 119 00:04:34,371 --> 00:04:36,921 character until they have a wig on.