Upcoming Season 3 characters: Koeksister | Protea | Leopard.
The masks on The Masked Singer South Africa are elaborate and glitzy and seem to come to life effortlessly but what
don't we see?
What secrets are hidden within them?
Season 3 premiered on SABC2 on Saturday 4 July at 19h00 and features a new crowd of 16 schlebs who must hide their identities as best they can.
We've wondered about the origin story of the masks across seasons and decided it's time to go behind the mask once and for all.
We spoke to executive producer Frankie du Toit from Rose and Oaks Media who produce the show for Primedia Studios.
This is what he revealed:
TVSA: Who designs the masks and who creates them? How long does it take to make each one?
Frankie: So it starts conceptually with me, Anele (Mgudlwa), and our creative team. We look at previous masks and global practices. Then we look at potential South African masks and what would be unique to us as a country.
That's in the conceptual phase. From there, we create 3D designs, which we give to Hollywood Costumes, our fabricators, who use a variety of materials.
Some parts are 3D moulded using different techniques depending on the design, particularly for the masks' heads. Some elements may also be 3D printed.
It depends on the design, but all of them are made by hand and by machine. It takes a long time to fabricate them and put them together.
You'll see in the season’s masks that some of them are fabric-printed. These are part of the designs we make, so we use a variety of techniques for them.
It is a cumbersome process that takes about two weeks to complete each mask. There is a large team of specialists in the factory at Hollywood Costumes, including sewing, printing, design and moulding.
Linda Mtoba as Lady Monster on Episode 2.
Frankie: The masks are created in collaboration with the celebrity, so they are well-suited to them.
After the design phase, with all its considerations in place, we consult with the celebrities. They pick parts of the mask and sometimes the theme of the mask as well.
So, it’s a collaboration with the celebrity throughout the process. There are various fittings with the celebrities to ensure they fit perfectly - in other words, they are tailor-made for each celebrity.
When we look at the design, we do look at where the face of the person wearing it is going to be. Some masks see through the actual eyes of the mask, a lot of them see through the mouth of the mask. It all depends on the costume.
In this season, for example, Protea looks through the mouth. There is a mesh inside the mask as well.
Some of the Masks can get heavy. Over the years, we have learnt to make them lighter than they were in Season 1.
Inside the masks, there are fans and all sorts of cooling systems that run through the mask to ensure that the person inside isn't cooking. It is very hot to be inside a mask.
We also look at movement. We look at disguising body shapes and sizes as well so that the detectives don't figure it out immediately who is behind the mask.
Somizi is very good at figuring out body shape and movement, but we need the people in the masks to be able to sing, to move and dance and perform. So, on this season, a lot of consideration has been taken on that side of things. And it's been spectacular!
If you watch the show, you'll see the amount of effort our celebrities make in terms of learning songs, learning performances that match the song itself and how they execute that on stage.
Many of them also embody the personality of the mask they had chosen. For example, they say, “I’m going to be a mosquito. How does a mosquito move? How does a leopard move? What are the movements I'm going to be making across the season?"
Some of them are clues on who the people are, but ultimately, it really brings the character to life on stage, and that's what makes The Masked Singer South Africa Season 3 so absolutely special.
Buzzing soon: mosquito.
Frankie: No, there is no graveyard of masks. Some of the masks are repurposed, so we do use fabrics and elements from previous masks to create new ones and try to recycle as much as possible.
We are quite conscious of the environmental impact when it comes to The Masked Singer South Africa and the masks themselves. None of them is thrown away. Ultimately, they are stored and also used for promotional purposes.
For each season, most of the masks travel across the country for various exhibitions, functions and other events. They do travel quite a bit after the show.
They are also used on very specific mannequins, so they are not in person costumes. The mannequins are also made in a specific way to suit most mask shapes.
Still to come: Spinach.
Spotty Dog.
Pineapple.