Props & SFX

In this tutorial, we learn how to make simple special effects for movies. First, you will need to set up a ladder that's tall enough to make the rail look like it's falling down naturally. Make sure the rain is hitting all around the person or you have sealed off an area. Make sure you also have the right attire to wear the clothing you have. Moving some pinto beans back and forth in a PVC pipe sounds just like rain, so record that. You can spray a garden hose up in the air and it will give a...

This Halloween, forget store-bought prosthetics and expensive makeup artists. If you're looking for that creepy undead look, nasty nails are easily made at home. This video will show you how to make some horrific and ghastly fingernails for your zombie, vampire or other creature costume. The key to these Halloween nails are clear plastic report / presentation covers that you can get from any office supply store.

If you loved the look of the robot hand from the Terminator movies, or the look of Hell Boys hand of doom, then you probably really want to be able to have one in your movie! In this video you will learn how to make a robotic hand on a low budget with moveable fingers using some pupeteering techniques.

If you remember in the Hangover, there was an incredibly funny scene where the guys were stuck getting out of going to prison by helping the officers demonstrate a police tazer in front of a group of kids on a school field trip. If you've ever wanted to make your own prop police tazer for one of your films, check out this hilarious and informative video! In it, you will learn how to create your own police tazer!

This video will show you some methods to create a fake Loch Ness monster photo. You will need a camera or a camera phone for this project. One method of faking a sea monster picture involves creating a clay model of a head and a neck of a sea monster and holding it underwater. The outline of your hand holding the clay will serve as the body of the monster. Another method which can be used to fake a sea monster can be done using a clothes hanger and holding it underwater. The hook of the hanger...

Have you ever wondered how all of the blood and dust that flies from wounds and bullet holes in Hollywood films gets shot through the air so convincingly? The answer is a pneumatic dust system. This video will show you how to make one yourself for almost no money, allowing you to achieve all sorts of cool special effects without any expensive digital technology.

Jason Voorhees single-handedly terrified millions of American children away from ever going to summer camp, and his iconic mask can still send people running to this day. This video will show you how to can quickly and easily make your own Friday the 13th Jason Voorhees mask out of papier mache and other materials. It looks good, and should be quite comfortable by mask standards.

Using guns in your independent films is risky business, and expensive to boot. Since you probably don't need to actually shoot anything, you can probably get by with a replica prop gun. If you're gonna do that, why not make it yourself? This video will show you how to make a realistic prop Glock handgun with working trigger, slide and magazine lock.

Vocaloids have to be one of the weirdest of the many weird things to ever emerge from Japan. They are basically synthesizer software programs that can sing any song a user creates in the voice of a character created for that Vocaloid. The queen of these Vocaloid characters is Hatsune Miku, who has become something of a cosplay darling since her software caught on. This video will show you how to make her cosplay replicas of her iconic headphones.

This video will teach you how to make a curvy fox tail for a fursuit!

It's not a complete Freddy Krueger costume without his famous glove! Learn how to make the famous glove from Nightmare on Elm Street to terrify your friends at the next Halloween party.

The human body is full of different kinds of fluids, most of which are either gross or dangerous to remove from a person for use in one of your films. Fortunately, most of them are pretty easy to replicate using household materials. This video will show you how to make edible prop fake blood, feces, vomit, and snot. They all look great, are safe, and will make you movie much more realistic.

The Alien movies, most notably Alien and Aliens, are icons of sci-fi horror, and one of their most well-known elements is the awesome power loader that Sigourney Weaver's character Ellen Ripley used to tear the aliens apart. This video will show you how to make your own prop replica of the power loader at home for cheap, so that you can destroy aliens in your own films or maybe pretend to maul some party guests.

In this video, we learn how to make fake blood for Halloween. You will need: small bottle, teaspoon, cut, clear syrup, red and blue food coloring, and corn starch. First, pour some syrup into the cup, then add in 2 tsp corn starch and mix together. Next, drop in some red food coloring and mix together. After this, add in blue food coloring and mix it together so you have blood red colors in the cut. When you are finished, you will have fake blood that you can use on Halloween at home and it...

If you and your friends want to make your own movie and need some cool stunts, this next tutorial should help. In the video, you'll find out how to make your very own sugar glass from scratch. This is perfect for breaking over someone's head and can easily be done within a few hours.

This video will teach you how to make two awesome props for you films for the price of one! Well, technically it's all free, but still, 2 for 1! You will learn how to make man-eating plant and a severed finger props, with instructions given by devoted viewers of Indy Mogul like you. All you need to make this stuff work is $35 for each project.

In this tutorial we learn how to simulate a shotgun kickback effect. Start off by purchasing a harness from a department store. Next, take the harness and strap it onto the actor. After this, have the actor put his shirt on and then cut a hole in the back for the hook in the back of the harness. Now, have the actor bend slightly forward, then pull in the actor quickly. Next, have another actor kick or hit something where the other actor would be standing. Combine both of these clips together to...

In this tutorial, we learn how to make a sniper rifle movie prop. First, go to this website to get the blueprints: Sniper. After this, draw your gun out onto a poster board and cut it out, you will do this for around 6 of these poster boards. When you are finished, use the hot glue gun to stick all of these together. Next, sand out the sides and attach duct tape to the sides to keep it together. After this, grab two empty water bottles and an empty toilet paper roll. Cut around the top of the...

Superman and the X-Men all had really cool superpowers that were the basis for their superhero status. Batman, on the other hand, had no superpowers other than a genius intellect and a prizefighter's physique. When he wanted to fly, he had to use a grappling gun he made himself. Livid. This video will show you how to make a prop version of the iconic Batman grappling hook gun for you next film using $30 worth of parts and a little bit of gumption.

Use gelatine prosthetics and paint techniques to create the ultimate zombie make up look - great for halloween or professional films! It's easy! So easy, in fact, that this clip can present a complete overview of the process in just under six minutes' time. For more information, including step-by-step instructions, watch this video guide.

Gambit is one of the coolest X-Men, and his kinetic energy powers are awesomely powerful. If you want to depict them using special effects in a film, this video will show you how to do it using three free pieces of digital editing software:

Fingers are the parts of the body most often severed from the rest of it, and if you have any interest in creating violent or edgy films there will probably come a time where you want to cut a finger off for a scene. This video will show you how to make a really realistic-looking fake severed finger prop. It isn't a severed finger technically, but a hand with part of a severed finger still attached, and it looks SO creepy. This prop will make any horror film or Halloween costume much more...

One of the many reasons for the Fallout series enduring popularity is the wide variety of creative and retro-futuristic weapons available for the player to lay waste with. Most of them are not real, but by gumption this girl has made one of them so! This video will show you how to make something like, but probably not as good-looking as, this amazing replica of the dart gun from Fallout 3. It's made of pretty much the same materials you make it out of in the game, and might be the single best...

Using guns in low-budget films is tough. You probably can't afford a real gun or a replica can you? Especially for more specialized guns. Fortunately, this video has the solution. It will show you how to make a really realistic sawed-off shotgun prop for cheap. You will need some carpentry skills and tools, but the gun looks so cool that even if you don't have those things now, you should probably invest in them. You'll be able to use them to make more props later anyway.

It's funny how unevenly the real world keeps pace with science fiction. Smartphones have capabilities that Gene Roddenberry never imagine a portable device could have, but guns still use tiny powder cartridges to launch hunks of metal at things. The phasers, ray guns, and blasters of Star Wars, Star Trek, and other sci-fi works have yet to appear. Don't let that hold you back! This video will show you how to make a cool retro ray gun prop that you can use with a Halloween costume or in a film....

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...

Wolverine's claws are the most well-known hardware in all of comics, and making replicas of them for Halloween costumes and film shoots is a popular vocation. This video will show you one easy way to do it using only paper. They look pretty cool, although if you want them to look more real a little bit of paint would probably go a long way. Either way, this is a cheap and easy project that will make you Wolverine costume much more achievable.

If you're making films on your own, good on you. Do you ever find yourself without the money or means to get the props that you need? Every day most likely. This video is here to both inspire and provide practical aide. It describes the construction of a really cool sci-fi gun (dubbed the MKX300) that this filmmaker made for his webseries out of mostly old bottles. It was cheap and looks incredible, so watch this video and either make your own MKX300 or apply these lessons to the construction...

The lasers from Halo might not be quite as famous as the assault rifles form the games, but they are still a very cool-looking and integral part of it. This video will show you how to make your own replica of the Spartan laser from Halo out of a toy gun called the Belt Blaster. The end result looks so real it might get you arrested by any cops from the future that you may run into, so be careful.

WonderHowTo loves paper artillery. More sophisticated in construction than Box Wars, plus tense on-camera drama to boot, Cardboard Warfare is a tight homage to the paper gun. Not completely sold on the acting, but I'm really digging the mise-en-scène.

In order to make fake blood for Halloween, you will need the following: a towel, a spoon, a container, red food color, white corn syrup, and blue food color. This will need to be done on a protected surface. You can use a towel to cover your work surface. Pour some light corn syrup into your container. Pour in enough food coloring to cover the bottom of the container. Add 20 drops of red food coloring. Stir it until it is even. Add one drop of blue food coloring. Stir it until it is...

In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to make a sawed0off shotgun. The materials required for this project are: hot glue gun, duct tape, cardboard, utility knife, black marker, spray paint and 2 paper towel rolls. Begin by tracing a shotgun outline onto the cardboard. Make 6 layers and glue all the layers together. Then smooth the edges with sandpaper and tape the outside with some duct tape. Now tape the 2 paper towel rolls together and tape it on top of the shotgun. Finish by painting the...

Making fake scars, abrasions, lacerations, and other wounds is one of the most entertaining parts of special effects and makeup work. This video help you get started, teaching you how to make a really gross, festering, fresh-looking fake arm wound that will scare the pants off of your audience (if you use it for a movie) or your fellow revelers (for Halloween or another costumed occasion).

Making fake wounds is an art form, and this girl is, if not a master, at least a very accomplished journeywoman. In this video she teaches us how to create a realistic-looking fake wound using only liquid latex, facepaint, and other simple materials. The end result is creepy and gross, and will make a perfect addition to your next Halloween costume or hot date.

Do you want to make your own action movies? Do you feel like your artistic vision would be enhanced by having a car with a rocket launcher on top of it in the film? You aren't alone. This video will show you how to make a car-mounted rocket launcher for $20 dollars out of simple materials. It won't blow up another car, but it will look really cool.

Finally, the professionals are weighing in on how to create fake wounds! This video features a makeup artist from the BBC demonstrating how to make a really realistic fake cut on the hand of an actor using theatrical makeup. The plastic pieces from a CD jewel case that resemble broken glass really set this cut apart from the other fake cuts on the site, along with the professionalism of the presenter.

If you want to make a movie with zombies, or the apocalypse, or the apocalypse and zombies, then you are going to have to learn how to create a really haggard-looking, disease-ridden face out of makeup. This video will show you how to do it using Rice Krispies, among other things. The end result is terrifying, and sure to scare your audiences or trick-or-treating targets into doing what you want (buying theater tickets or giving your candy, respectively).

Bruises may not be as gory or extreme as the gashes and slashes from some of the other fake-wound videos on the site, but they are an important part of the fake-injury world. I a brick falls on you, what you are going to have isn't a cut, but a very nasty bruise! This video will teach you how to make a realistic fake bruise on your arm out of makeup, which should be handy for you next film.

Do you feel like your whole paycheck is going towards buying store-brand fake blood from your local prop shop? You must be using a lot of fake blood, because the stuff isn't very expensive. If you want to make your own blood at home, this video will show you how, using only simple household ingredients that you probably already have.

There is no such thing as a sucking chest wound. All chest wounds suck. Except perhaps for fake ones, which are essential to making a really gritty, gory film in most cases. This video features detailed instructions on how to make a fake chest wound out of latex and other special effects materials. Since it is a prosthesis, it can even be reused! It is a little complicated, but the end result looks great, so try this out in your next movie!