Bonita High School's Pop Show - Phantom of the Opera
Annually Bonita High School puts on a choir performance that is staged and includes singing and Dancing. Director Todd Helm, an award winning Choir Director and Bonita's Choir Director, notified me he wanted a mask for the lead soloist of Phantom. The Phantom costume is going to be used for three nights of performance on the Cal Poly College theater stage.
The mask was sculpted on a life cast of the actor's (Matthew Migdat) face. A mold was then created using RTV Silicone. The mask itself is cast in strong urethane plastic and is held on by a clear elastic band.
Life Casting.
Life casting is a special effects process that is used to make nearly perfect stone replications of an actor or performer for the use of creating prosthetic and makeup effects. The performer has alginate or silicone applied to their face (leaving their nostrils uncovered) to take the impression of their features. The flimsy alginate is then backed with plaster bandages for support. After the alginate and plaster bandage shell is removed, the life cast is filled with a very hard and accurate stone.
I have produced several life casts, even one of myself! I have used these stone busts for the creation of my work. They provide an excellent base for sculpting masks and prosthetics. Here is a video of one of my life casts along with some photographs of the art in progress.