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Making of the Phantom "Valentino" Wig
A key part of the Phantom's signature look in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical is that sleek hairstyle reminiscent of Rudy Valentino. This extreme, slicked-back style is not difficult with the proper type of short, straight hair, but for those of us not willing or able to do that to our own hair, a wig must be employed.
My first Phantom "Valentino" wig
Howard McGillin's Phantom wigs
Wigs are used throughout the various productions of Phantom to get this
particular look. These hairpieces are custom made/tailored for each
actor. Because of the nature of that slicked-back style, they must be hand
ventilated (hair tied by hand onto the lace foundation) as the front hairline
must look completely natural. As a result, they are neither cheap nor easy
to recreate. Fully ventilated, professionally made wigs can easily go for
upwards of $3,000 depending on style, types of hair, etc. In the spring of
2007 I decided that I would take this project on in time for the Halloween
season, at the time knowing nothing about wig making. I educated myself to
the best of my ability through books, online tutorials, video resources, and
talking directly with professionals and amateurs alike. By the time August
rolled around, I had struggled to make a lace foundation and had begun the
ventilating process in my spare time. After a painful week of stabbing
myself repeatedly with the ventilating needle, I had finally begun to get the
hang of it. Professionals often state that a fully ventilated wig can take
around 40 hours to construct, sometimes more. Given my complete lack of
skill I figured on 80. Truth be told, I lost count; I did start at the end
of July, and by mid-October the wig was completed. Scary notion, isn't
it? Keep in mind I did not work on it everyday.
The Process
The process of wig making involves more than just putting hair onto the
foundation. It starts by taking a head cast of the subject, to accurately
duplicate not only their hairline, but the shape of their head. From there
the head cast is placed onto a wig block and the wig maker begins planning the
actual wig. Ventilating is the process of tying the hair to the foundation
material, which is typically a strong lace. Also known as hand knotting,
ventilating is a highly labor intensive process. A special needle (also
known as a knotting hook) is required in order to grab the hair and tie it to
the foundation. You can learn more about this process by visiting the
following links:
Wig making at
Makeup-FX.com
YouTube
Feature: How It's Made - Lace Wig
The Materials
The basic supplies for a full lace wig are as follows:
- Canvas head block
- 1 yard of Lace foundation
- Knotting hook(s) and holder
- Scissors
- T-pins
- Bulk human hair
The canvas head block is extremely useful.
I suppose you could always use a Styrofoam head block if money was a concern,
but at $30, I figured the canvas blocks were a great investment. The
foundation material you choose is vital to the durability of your wig.
I've heard of people interesting in doing their own hairpieces by using flesh
colored tulle - this is indeed possible as tulle is a similar size and shape to
wig lace, but in my opinion it is a very poor substitute! Tulle, like wig
lace, comes in a variety of shapes and sizes (based on the size of the
holes). However, I think it is a much weaker material. I purchased a
bit of tulle in 2007 when I first started. I made a foundation out of it
for practice, and tried venting some hair onto it. For the most part I
found it hard to do so without pulling the fabric out of shape. Tulle
stretches and can also be easily torn compared to the stronger wig lace.
So I ended up deciding that it was indeed worth it to spend the money on proper
wig lace as a foundation material. My wigs are constructed entirely off of
fine film quality lace. No, a full yard of lace is not needed, but I am
very thankful to have ordered it when I did as I currently can't seem to find a
supplier. I managed to make another wig foundation out of the extra left
from the first one, and that will come in handy this summer (see below).
There are several sizes of ventilating needles available (one through seven),
based on the number of hairs they're designed to grab. I have a size one
needle for use on the front hairline, and a size five for pulling upwards of
four hairs at a time.
The hair I chose to use was #2 dark brown Indian Remy hair. It is not as
high a quality as the ever so expensive European hair, but it is excellent
considering the price. I've heard poor things about using cheaper Asian
hair, and given my budget, European hair was out of the question. The Remy
fit in nicely as a middle of the road option, and I've had absolutely no
complaints regarding the quality of the product.
Results of the First Wig
Considering I had no wig making or
hairpiece experience at the time, I think this project came out quite
well! "Valentino" was a success, but having gained knowledge and
insight as I completed it, I began to notice what I had done wrong. First
off, I had not accurately drawn my hairline when doing the initial head
cast. As a result, the hairline of the wig is off; one sideburn is
slightly longer than the other, and because I used a wig block of a slightly
larger diameter than I should have, it did not match the shape of my actual
head. Perhaps the biggest mistake I had made was ventilating too thinly
across the top and front of the wig. I had to take to wearing a black wig
cap so that the wig would look more full.
Valentino v2.0
I wanted a chance to learn from the first wig and correct the mistakes I had
made, so this spring I resolved to construct another. I'm currently
in the early stages of constructing a second wig; and am taking greater care in
the initial planning. When doing the head cast I made sure to have my hair
up in a wig cap as I would have it under the wig. The purpose of this is
not only to get a more accurate look at the hairline, but also to account for
the extra coverage the wig will need with all of my hair underneath it. I
bought a smaller canvas head block, and now that head cast is sitting on the
head block, stuffed with tissues, in order for me to build the foundation on the
shape of my own head. This should ensure a perfect custom fit (provided I
don't screw it up again).
"Will you make the alopecia
wig?"
In the Lloyd Webber stage musical, the Valentino wig is removed, revealing the
Phantom's "real" scalp, which is practically bare save for some thin
and patchy hair (see the McGillin wig photo above). The actor playing the
Phantom wears two wigs over the bald cap to achieve this effect. I could
easily make an alopecia (the term used to describe that condition) wig, but
since I do not use a bald cap in my makeup (too difficult to realistically apply
by myself), I would never have the chance to use it.
So, you want to make a wig?
I've already had a few people ask me about this process and how to go about it,
which is why I created this page. This style of wig making, again, is
highly laborious, so it should not be taken lightly. There is a certain
level of commitment to it, since it requires so much tedious work. The
materials also are not entirely cheap; yes, they are a fraction of what one
might be looking to spend on a professionally done wig, but if you were looking
at doing this, you'd still be looking at about $150 or so just in
materials.
Most people simply style their own hair, or buy a costume-grade wig from a Halloween/costume store. Those can run anywhere from $20-$80, depending on the type of wig and the material it's made out of. You could theoretically create your own custom hairline on a commercial wig by installing a lace piece to the front, and venting hair onto it. This is also labor intensive, but not nearly as bad as making a full wig from scratch!
Comments or questions regarding the Valentino wig? Feel free to email me at Phantomtango1[at]yahoo[dot]com or sign the guestbook!
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