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How To: Make a Latex Skull Mold to Make a Plaster Skull

Dr Kreepy, Halloween craftsmen, shows a cheap and easy way to make full and partial skulls from Plaster of Paris! For this project, you will need a plastic skull, cheese cloth, a paintbrush, melting latex, anchoring cement, and Plaster of Paris. Watch this video special effects tutorial and learn how to build a latex skull mold to make plaster skulls or skull fragements.

How To: Make realistic Wolverine claws out of plastic scythes

If you are shooting a film with featuring the iconic X-Men team member Wolverine or want to dress yourself or someone else as him for some other reason, the claws are the most important part. They're what makes Wolverine Wolverine, at least externally (he didn't always have chops Hugh Jackman you studmuffin you!) and the ones you use had better look good if your costume is going to be a hit. This video will show you how to make some very authentic-looking Wolverine claws at home out of some s...

How To: Make a latex skin over carved foam

Are you in need of some kind of mold or cast for your next feature film, but need to save a few bucks? As an alternative to casting (making a shape from a mold) one can carve foam into a desired shape and then coat the foam with liquid latex. This will not create a perfectly smooth surface, but is much less expensive than casting as it requires fewer steps and less resources. So, with this video tutorial, you can learn what you need to know about making a latex skin over carved form.

How To: Create a realistic looking cinema style head shot

In this video, we learn how to create a realistic looking cinema style head shot. First, you will need a cheap toy gun, colored wax, and fake blood to create this. Now, you will need to get some footage of the shooter shooting the gun and flinging fake blood in the persons fake as they shoot. Then, take shots of the other person being taken back by the bullet coming at them. After you get several of these shots, apply the makeup to create a fake gun shot and then mesh all of these together to...

How To: Turn an Old Aquarium into a Cloud Tank & Create Creepy Alien Atmosphere Effects

Need some creepy visual effects for your alien flick, but don't want to spend a bunch of money? With some pretty basic materials, you can turn an empty aquarium into a "cloud tank," which can be used to create several different atmospheric effects. Before Hollywood started using CGI, cloud tanks were used for scenes in a lot of famous movies. Remember this one? Besides Raiders of the Lost Ark, cloud tanks also helped make some wonderful non-CGI effects in Independence Day, Close Encounters of...

How To: Create ink drop & spread effects

In this tutorial, we learn how to create ink drop and spread effects. You will need: coffee filters, fish tank, dropper, black ink, water, and a bowl. Next, pour water into your fish tank, then pour your ink into the dropper. After this, add in water into the bowl and place the coffee filter in it to soak it, then place it on a flat surface. For the first effect, drop the ink into your water and see what it looks like when you drop it into the tank, getting this on tape and using the proper l...

How To: Build a fake sword prop

It's medieval mayhem and you need a sword prop. Maybe you're larping, or maybe you just need a fake, dull movie prop blade for your action epic. Either way, this is a great weapons build project for a cool replica wooden sword. Watch this video tutorial to learn how to build a fake sword prop.

How To: Make Realistic Fluffy Cloud Props from Things Around the House

If you need a cloudy background for a photo or video, you can always turn an old aquarium into a DIY cloud tank. But, if you want something more fun and less creepy, these fluffy cloud props by Serena Thompson might be more what you're looking for. It'd even make a good Halloween costume if you tweak it a little. All you need is some balloons, tape, flour, newspaper, and a bunch of pillow stuffing. Serena made them by taping balloons together and applying a mixture of water and flour, then co...

How To: Make a fake movie prop brick

A fake brick is a great movie prop for any action film. You can break through brick walls, smash a brick in two, or throw a brick at someone without being charged with murder. The majority of this fake brick is made of foam. Watch this video tutorial to learn how to make a fake movie prop brick.

How To: Build your own Iron Man Repulsor Arm

If you love Iron Man 2 and wish you could have his gadgets or want to have a cool costume for Halloween, you too, can be Iron Man once you're done watching this video. This tutorial will walk you through the steps needed to convert household materials and inexpensive items you can find at virtually any store into an Iron Man suit repulsor arm.

How To: Build cheap prop tombstones for Halloween or effects

Follow along with Dr Kreepy in this quick video tutorial on how to do cheap and easy tombstones for your home haunt. You will need a marker, a hobby knife or X-acto knife, a hacksaw, an electric rotary tool, black acrylic paint, black spray paint, white paint, a spray bottle full of water, a paintbrush, and foam board. Watch this video special effects tutorial and learn how to make a cheap prop tombstone for a Halloween decoration or a film prop.

How To: Build a Star Wars Lightsaber (Infographic)

There are many ways to make a lightsaber. You can turn a flashlight into a steampunk lightsaber, you can make a lightsaber from junk, and you can make one that looks totally real (if you've got the money and time). Heck, you can even make one in Photoshop. And now you can make one using an infographic! Who doesn't like infographics? This infographic by Herbert Pocket, which may or may not have been inspired by this lightsaber infographic, will show you the quick route to making a Star Wars wo...

How To: Make a breakaway cardboard chair prop

A breakaway chair is one of the best pranks, or one of the easiest effects for your indie film project. A breakable chair can be made out of simple household items, and is very cheap. The biggest material needed is cardboard. So basically, you'll make a cardboard chair, that breaks. Watch this video tutorial to learn how to make a fake movie prop brick.

How To: Make a military-style night vision goggles prop

Night vision goggles are one of the iconic pieces of equipment of the modern military. Getting a real pair is prohibitively expensive, especially if you just want to use it as a prop in your film instead of actually seeing at night. This video features instructions for making your own set of prop night vision goggles for cheap, giving any action or spy movie that you are making a much more modern, authentic feel. Also, now your characters can see at night, opening up all sorts of potential sc...

How To: Make cheap prop eyeballs for Halloween

Super cheap eyeballs without breaking the bank! While grapes are the safe standard to spook out trick or treaters, they don't look very realistic. For this project, you will need clear spray paint, white spray paint, black spray paint, blue acrylic paint, black acrylic paint, red acrylic paint, coat hanger or wire, tweezers, an artist's brush, a foam ear plug, a rag, sanding block or sanding paper, and bouncy balls. Watch this video prop-making tutorial and learn how to make cheap prop eyebal...

How To: Build a fake rock movie prop

We all know that movies now-a-days don't use real rocks, but fake rocks for their film sets. Why? Because it's safer, lighter, easier to movie, and you can design them exactly how you want them. So if you need a rock for your indie film project, make it yourself. There's nothing better than imitation. Watch this video tutorial to learn how to build a fake rock movie prop.

How To: Make a realistic werewolf claw

You can't have a werewolf movie without a werewolf, but how do you make one. Well, you should start of small. Try your hands at the wolf claws. To create these furry werewolf claws, you'll need a glove and some other materials. Watch this video tutorial to learn how to make a breakable prop computer. For written instructions on the actual claws, check out the WikiHow article, "How to Make Origami Paper Claws".

How To: Make an Assassin's Creed hidden blade prop

Adam from Chemical Reaction wants to show you a little movie magic. This video tutorial will show you how to make an Assassin's Creed hidden blade prop for your homemade film. If you're a fan of the Assassin's Creed video game, then you can't not make this hidden blade. This is a great prop for anybody wanting to recreate it for a fan film. It's cheap and quite easy and works pretty well.

How To: Make a reproduction of Freddy Krueger's clawed glove

Freddy's Alive! No, it's not the next part of the Nightmare On Elm Street series, it's the new remake coming out in a theater near you. And in celebration of the return of "A Nightmare On Elm Street", starring Jackie Earle Haley as Freddy Krueger, Indy Mogul's BFX made this great how-to video on making a cheap, but super-realistic, highly detailed replication of Freddy's iconic killer clawed glove. If you're a fan of the horror series and Freddy, this is the ultimate fan reproduction to make ...

How To: Make a blood spurting knife wound

It's time for Halloween, maybe it's time for your ultimate independent horror movie you've been dying to make, whatever the case may be, you're going to need some blood, you're going to need some weapons... you're going to need a bloody knife wound.

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