American Salon July 2012 : Page 88

Hooray for Hollywood As a member of the Make-Up Artists and Hair stylists Guild of the international Alliance of Theatrical stage Employees (iATsE Local 706), my career in creating hair for films and TV shows has afforded me some really great opportunities. One that stands out the most for me was when i got the chance to meet the legendary hairstylist Ginger sugar blymyer, who wrote a wonderful memoir called Hairdresser to the Stars: A Hollywood Memoir (2002). The book Daniel Curet reflects on how the industry has changed over the years, hair’s key role in film and television and the iconic looks that stole the scene. Period Pieces The hair in period movies looks contemporary but has the ability to transport us to the precise era of the film. CLOCKWISE, FROM ABOVE: Russell Crowe’s hair in Gladiator (2000) reflected the gritty aesthetic of the 1990s; in The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964), Sophia Loren’s hairstyle had a Romanesque yet 1960s look; the hair in Mad Max (1979) was influenced by its current-day counterparts so audiences could visually relate while still paying homage to real historical hairstyles. Elizabeth Taylor’s look in Cleopatra (1963) had a 1960s vibe that inspired the geometric bobs of the time. 88 American Salon July 2012 PHOTOGRAPHY: CORbis

Hooray for Hollywood

Daniel Curet

Hooray for Hollywood Daniel Curet reflects on how the industry has changed over the years, hair’s key role in film and television and the iconic looks that stole the scene. As a member of the Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE Local 706), my career in creating hair for films and TV shows has afforded me some really great opportunities. One that stands out the most for me was when I got the chance to meet the legendary hairstylist Ginger Sugar Blymyer, who wrote a wonderful memoir called Hairdresser to the Stars: A Hollywood Memoir (2002). The book delved into her days as Natalie Wood’s hairstylist, as well as the times she worked with Sydney Guilaroff, who was arguably one of the most influential film hairstylists of his day. She recalled how different it was then to get the actors ready. On a regular day of filming, the actresses would go to the central hair and makeup department, where the hair would be set and combed out, and the makeup would be applied, and then they would proceed camera-ready to the stage and film under the supervision of a key hairstylist and key makeup artist. The hairstyle and makeup would be designed in advance by the department heads and, as a general rule, there wouldn’t be too many different hairstyle changes done on a character unless the script called for it. Times certainly have changed. Nowadays, we rarely have more than an hour to create and recreate looks and generally work out of traveling hair and makeup trailers. Sometimes we have proper prep time to create styles and have custom wigs made for films, but most of the time on TV shows we have to create looks on the fly. One thing that has become a game-changer is the use of HD Digital Cameras and LED lighting technology on both films and TV shows. Because the lighting for the new cameras can be extremely backlit or sharp, contrasts intensify. Flyaways and fuzzy hairs are very visible and really distracting from the overall hairstyle, as are very dark, very light or monotone hair colors. The sharp focus can also make lace front wigs visible at the hairline. Finally, the LED lights can make colors look flat or off-tone. How flat or off-tone depends on the specific light’s manufacturer. The tricky part is that these new effects are minimized to the naked eye on-set and maximized on the screen—what a surprise! ✂ —Daniel Curet For more than two decades, hairstylist Daniel Curet has worked on more than 30 film and television projects, including Fargo, (500) Days of Summer, The Good Girl, The Big Lebowski, Ally McBeal, Pushing Daisies and The Vampire Diaries.

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