Wizard of Oz - Wizard Head

I'm designing a Wizard of Oz head. Here's the first four initial concepts:

The first is based off a sketch I drew. The wizard head always reminded me of the magic mirror from Disney's Snow White, and since Oz is the all-powerful emperor, I thought of a Mandarin from Imperial China. I had to include your classic bulbous-headed 1939 Wizard, of course; next, what gallery of terrifying inscrutible faces would be complete without an Easter Island Maoi statue? The last one intrigued me most of all: the Wizard puppet from the musical, Wicked. It was originally designed as a cross between Frank L. Baum's Wonderful Wizard of Oz book illustration of the head and the 1939 Tin Man. While the production head itself is a fairly complex bit of engineering, I've seen clips of amateur productions that feature a blacksuited cast member and a giant cardboard mask with movable lower jaw - simple, yet very effective (especially with red LED eyes). I'll keep you posted on further developments.

Rick Out.

Comments

Jonathan Smith said…

The Easter Island Maoi Head is the best one!! Good choice!

March 25, 2020 at 9:29 PM

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