WEBVTT 00:00:08.296 --> 00:00:09.709 Hi, I'm Anthony Galde from 'Behind the 00:00:09.709 --> 00:00:11.669 Emerald Curtain.' Today, we'll take a look 00:00:11.669 --> 00:00:14.219 at the hair, and wig designs for 'Wicked.' 00:00:14.219 --> 00:00:16.689 From simple looks to elaborate headpieces, 00:00:16.689 --> 00:00:20.549 these imaginative styles are uniquely Oz. 00:00:20.549 --> 00:00:23.259 Wigs are so funny because we are all as 00:00:23.259 --> 00:00:25.279 human beings used to dealing with hair 00:00:25.279 --> 00:00:27.209 on our bodies and treating it in a certain 00:00:27.209 --> 00:00:31.209 way. The wig is an object; Tom Watson is 00:00:31.209 --> 00:00:34.319 a great, great, hair designer, and wig 00:00:34.319 --> 00:00:38.319 maker, so his wigs, he wants people to 00:00:38.319 --> 00:00:41.199 treat them like their own hair. Once we've 00:00:41.199 --> 00:00:43.889 made the decision of what the wig is going 00:00:43.889 --> 00:00:46.329 to be we know who is going to be wearing 00:00:46.329 --> 00:00:48.269 the wig, how the hair is actually going to 00:00:48.269 --> 00:00:50.029 move on the head, whether or not there's 00:00:50.029 --> 00:00:51.269 color change, what the color is going to 00:00:51.269 --> 00:00:54.329 be, then it's given over to the hands of a 00:00:54.329 --> 00:00:57.479 wig-maker. Susan designs the costumes to 00:00:57.479 --> 00:00:58.939 be asymmetrical, a lot of the hair is also 00:00:58.939 --> 00:01:00.459 asymmetrical so you'll see they'll be a 00:01:00.459 --> 00:01:03.149 single sided horn in the wig that goes up 00:01:03.149 --> 00:01:05.449 to the right side with a hat on the other 00:01:05.449 --> 00:01:07.309 side, so it's completely asymmetrical. 00:01:07.309 --> 00:01:09.129 All of Susan Hefry's original sketches 00:01:09.129 --> 00:01:10.949 included sketches of the hair. We look at 00:01:10.949 --> 00:01:13.139 the sketch, we try to understand the 00:01:13.139 --> 00:01:15.299 language that we are going to be using- 00:01:15.299 --> 00:01:17.779 The conversation has to do with the color 00:01:17.779 --> 00:01:21.359 of hair, the shape of the styles of hair, 00:01:21.359 --> 00:01:24.699 this conversation is about blending all of 00:01:24.699 --> 00:01:25.969 the elements together. 00:01:25.969 --> 00:01:27.959 Whenever any new actor comes into the show 00:01:27.959 --> 00:01:29.069 their hair is addressed almost 00:01:29.069 --> 00:01:31.049 immediately, there's always for every 00:01:31.049 --> 00:01:32.799 actor, even if they're wigged for the 00:01:32.799 --> 00:01:34.599 entire show, a conversation between 00:01:34.599 --> 00:01:36.789 the wig supervisor and myself about 00:01:36.789 --> 00:01:38.919 color, texture, length. 00:01:38.919 --> 00:01:40.709 Our job, as soon as we get our hands on 00:01:40.709 --> 00:01:43.579 the actor, is to measure them in every 00:01:43.579 --> 00:01:46.289 conceivable way. Most people for the first 00:01:46.289 --> 00:01:48.009 time are shocked that there are so many 00:01:48.009 --> 00:01:49.719 measurements to be had. To understand 00:01:49.719 --> 00:01:51.739 how to make the wig, you have to have 00:01:51.739 --> 00:01:54.789 literally almost a tracing of the head. 00:01:54.789 --> 00:01:56.849 We do a mold of their head, using 00:01:56.849 --> 00:01:59.249 basically a plastic bag and tape, and then 00:01:59.249 --> 00:02:02.429 we take that plastic bag mold that we just 00:02:02.429 --> 00:02:04.589 did and we stuff it out to meet certain 00:02:04.589 --> 00:02:06.249 measurements, so basically we'll end up 00:02:06.249 --> 00:02:07.779 having a duplicate of their head in the 00:02:07.779 --> 00:02:09.879 studio, and then we can build the wig on 00:02:09.879 --> 00:02:11.759 that duplicate. When we make the mold of 00:02:11.759 --> 00:02:14.389 the head we start by prepping the heads 00:02:14.389 --> 00:02:15.909 that we get the hair as flat as we 00:02:15.909 --> 00:02:18.379 possibly can, and then we get the plastic 00:02:18.379 --> 00:02:19.709 bag over their head and start taping it 00:02:19.709 --> 00:02:22.419 down so that we've basically covered their 00:02:22.419 --> 00:02:25.059 entire head with tape, so that forms the 00:02:25.059 --> 00:02:27.309 actual shape, and then we use a sharpie 00:02:27.309 --> 00:02:30.669 to outline exactly where the hairline is 00:02:30.669 --> 00:02:33.669 on each person, so you know, if they have 00:02:33.669 --> 00:02:35.419 a widow's peak we can capture that, if 00:02:35.419 --> 00:02:37.529 they have a receded hairline we capture 00:02:37.529 --> 00:02:39.559 that, then after that we measure- we take 00:02:39.559 --> 00:02:41.439 a series of various measurements, 00:02:41.439 --> 00:02:44.039 circumference, across the back of the nape 00:02:44.039 --> 00:02:46.539 from the front-center to the back, over 00:02:46.539 --> 00:02:48.759 the top of the head and so forth. We take 00:02:48.759 --> 00:02:50.909 those measurements so that we know how 00:02:50.909 --> 00:02:52.849 we have to stuff that mold out later, so 00:02:52.849 --> 00:02:54.449 we have something to compare it to. 00:02:54.449 --> 00:02:56.649 It's literally the road map of a person's 00:02:56.649 --> 00:02:58.769 head. Once we have the head wrap we take 00:02:58.769 --> 00:03:01.419 the headwrap and find a canvas block whose 00:03:01.419 --> 00:03:03.439 circumference is about the same as the 00:03:03.439 --> 00:03:05.309 circumference of the actor or actress's 00:03:05.309 --> 00:03:07.489 head, then we place the mold onto the 00:03:07.489 --> 00:03:09.729 block, tape it down, then actually make 00:03:09.729 --> 00:03:13.129 a series of cuts into that mold and start 00:03:13.129 --> 00:03:14.749 stuffing it with polyfill, and that 00:03:14.749 --> 00:03:17.079 allows us to basically stuff the head out 00:03:17.079 --> 00:03:19.289 till we get to the exact measurements 00:03:19.289 --> 00:03:21.709 that we've taken before, and that gives us 00:03:21.709 --> 00:03:23.329 the duplicate of their head. There's two 00:03:23.329 --> 00:03:24.569 ways we can make the wig: either we 00:03:24.569 --> 00:03:26.259 start with nothing, and we build a 00:03:26.259 --> 00:03:27.609 foundation, we build everything, or we 00:03:27.609 --> 00:03:29.139 start with an existing wig, rip off the 00:03:29.139 --> 00:03:31.569 front, rip off the top, and customize it 00:03:31.569 --> 00:03:34.369 to the person. It takes about anywhere 00:03:34.369 --> 00:03:37.599 from fifteen to forty hours to build the 00:03:37.599 --> 00:03:39.327 wig, most of that process is putting hair 00:03:39.327 --> 00:03:41.827 in the cap, then we start building the wig 00:03:41.827 --> 00:03:44.577 from scratch that very day. Every hair is 00:03:44.577 --> 00:03:47.427 put on by a craftsperson, every hair is 00:03:47.427 --> 00:03:49.787 put into that wig using methods that've 00:03:49.787 --> 00:03:52.067 been around for 300, 400 years now, so 00:03:52.067 --> 00:03:53.797 nothing's changed about wig making in the 00:03:53.797 --> 00:03:56.047 past three centuries. On 'Wicked' 00:03:56.047 --> 00:03:58.817 Broadway there're approximately 120 wigs, 00:03:58.817 --> 00:04:02.817 including facial hair as well, which is 00:04:02.817 --> 00:04:04.607 much larger than most shows. Other 00:04:04.607 --> 00:04:06.687 productions of 'Wicked' have about 109, 00:04:06.687 --> 00:04:10.037 110 wigs as well, so right now there's 7 00:04:10.037 --> 00:04:12.657 productions in the world, that's 800 wigs 00:04:12.657 --> 00:04:14.827 just for 'Wicked' alone. It's impossible 00:04:14.827 --> 00:04:16.947 to talk about a costume if you're not 00:04:16.947 --> 00:04:18.487 talking about the hair too, the hair 00:04:18.487 --> 00:04:20.267 design for the show is intrinsic to the 00:04:20.267 --> 00:04:22.507 design of the costume, to all of a piece. 00:04:22.507 --> 00:04:24.397 The wigs are really what pull it all 00:04:24.397 --> 00:04:26.547 together, for all of the time and energy 00:04:26.547 --> 00:04:28.407 we spend making the clothes -and they 00:04:28.407 --> 00:04:30.457 are exceptional- the clothes the shoes the 00:04:30.457 --> 00:04:32.667 gloves the hats, it's not a costume 00:04:32.667 --> 00:04:34.371 it is not finished, they're not in 00:04:34.371 --> 00:04:36.921 character until they have a wig on.