Active Props & SFX Posts
How To: Build your own DIY police taser for your film
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!
How To: Make the quick-draw sleeve gun from "Taxi Driver"
This video tutorial from IndyMogul shows you how to make the quick-draw sleeve gun from "Taxi Driver".
How To: Use video effects to clone yourself
Step 1: Film yourself in the first position which you want your audience to see. Step 2: Film yourself in the second position you want your audience to see.
How To: Make a realistic-looking Monkey Bomb just like in Call of Duty: Black Ops
This video shows you step-by-step instructions on how to make a realistic Monkey Bomb prop just like the one made by Dr. Richtofen in Call of Duty: Black Ops. You will have to find your own monkey but the finished product is guaranteed to bring hours of zombie-killin' fun! Make sure to get permission from your parents to make this prop!
How To: Create the effect of someone crawling through the TV
This week, Indy Mogul, Erik shows how to recreate the effect of someone crawling out of a TV. Just like in that scary movie The Ring. It's actually not expensive, just about $30. You will need scrap wood, poster board, tape, and flat bright green paint. Watch this video film special effects tutorial and learn how to make the effect of someone crawling through a television.
How To: Make a prop movie bomb
Dynamite your way to movie success with an explosive bomb. A fake explosive bomb, of course. TNT on a timer is a great movie effect for you action flick. Watch this video tutorial to learn how to make a prop movie bomb.
How To: Make prop glass out of sugar
Don't use real glass as a prop and end up cutting or hurting yourself. Prop glass made out of sugar looks just like the real thing, and won't end in a bloody mess. You will need two cups of water, three and a half cups of sugar, one cup white corn syrup, and one fourth teaspoon cream of tartar. Watch this video special effects tutorial and learn how to make prop sugar glass.
How To: Build a double bladed Darth Maul lightsaber using hardware store parts for $15
Darth Maul and his double lightsaber were by far the coolest part of Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. If you've got some DIY knowhow and want a costume / prop lightsaber that will stand out from the pack, watch this video to learn how to make a Darth Maul double lightsaber out of hardware store parts for $15.
How To: Make claws by folding pieces of paper
Claws make a very cool costume piece for all sorts of costumes, from Wolverine to werewolves to whatever sort of freeform clawed monster you can conceive. This video will show you how to make some cool finger-claws (not Wolverine-style) out of paper. They are surprisingly intimidating given that they are made out of paper, and will go a long way towards creating whatever creature costume you're working on.
How To: Jump over a car with film effects & tricks
In this tutorial, we learn how to jump over a car with film effects & tricks. First, you will take a long shot of someone pretending like they are jumping over a car, make sure they add in excitement. After this, you will take a long shot of a car driving over in the same area. Now, load your clips and add in the image of the person jumping with the image of the car. After this, use the magic tool to add them both in the same scene, then you will have a great film effect that makes it look li...
How To: Craft the aluminum wire armiture for a stop motion monster
Remember how when you were a kid you used to make bedsheet tents and act out Godzilla scenes with your toys, pretending to put on a movie? You can totally do that for a living - though, admittedly, you're going to have to step up your puppets a notch.
How To: Make the repulsor arm prop from Iron Man
Iron Man, and to a lesser extent it's sequel, represent the best of the new comic-book-movie boom and have rejuvenated the popularity of one of Marvel's most interesting characters. Do you want to make a Tony Stark costume, or dress someone you know in one for a film or party? This video will show you how to make one of the coolest and most important parts of the Iron Man ensemble: the repulsor arm ray gun.
How To: Make a spaceship for your very low budget film
Adam shows you how to make a spaceship for filmmakers on a low budget. You'll need a bunch of thermos bottles, paper cups, and a bunch of other stuff. Just watch, will ya?
How To: Make your very own sugar glass prop for movies
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.
How To: Build a "Ghostbusters" Ghost Trap Prop
What's a proton pack without a ghost trap? Useless, that's what. Don't pay megabucks for some fake Ghostbusters costume when you can build your own with household materials.
How To: Hacked Portal Gun Prop Actually Levitates a Companion Cube!
Portal, the popular game from Valve, has been critically acclaimed since its release in 2007. Its unique gameplay and humorous storyline is the reason for its popularity amongst nerds everywhere. This has also spawned a large community in cosplay and prop design. The most popular aspect of the game has to be the awesome portal gun. The gun creates companion portals on almost any surface that allow the player to jump form place to place with ease and also allows you to move heavy objects with ...
News: Bored with Your Cycle? Turn It into Your Very Own Batpod!
Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy has been one of the most successful film series of all time, so it comes as no surprise that everyone wants their own real-life versions of the Dark Knight's gadgets and vehicles.
Becoming the Dark Knight: 8 DIYers Show Us How to Build Batman's Belongings
The final chapter of Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy is here, The Dark Knight Rises, and if you're anything like me, it made you want to immediately don a cowl of your own and run around punching criminals. Don't forget though, one of the most awesome aspects of Batman is his never-ending supply of crazy gadgets. Unfortunately for most of us, we don't have a billion dollars, nor Morgan Freeman, so we'll just have to make do with some good old-fashioned DIY tricks. Read on for a rundown of ...
How To: Create a simple axe film prop
Check out this video from Chemical Reaction Tutorials (CRTutorials). If you love filmmaking, prop making, editing and everything else that goes along with making movies, then you'll want to see what Adam has to say about axes.
How To: Make your own Spider Man web shooters
Are you an enormous fan of Spider Man? So much so you wonder what it'd be like to be him and have his capabilities? In this episode of Indy Mogul's Backyard FX, learn how to make your own Spider Man usable web shooters! Use this prop for a low budget film, Halloween costume, or just for fun and take your Spider Man costume to the next level!
How To: Create the low budget bullet ricochet effect
Tomi shows you home to create that cool bullet ricochet dust effect for your low budget indie film.
How To: Make a level three foam boffer sword for LARPing
If you're a LARP maniac, or just a fan of LSD-themed (Latter-day Saint) games and activities, then you can't miss out on this. Check this video out to learn how to make a foam-padded sword that is easy and inexpensive. This level three boffer sword will take care of your LARPing opponents like Chuck Norris. If you're a fan of live action role-playing, then this boffer sword is the best of the best for kicking serious ass.
How To: Make fake blood
Scare the crap out of people this Halloween by sporting some very realistic fake blood. This recipe also makes for a nice and cheap movie prop. You will need 20 oz. of light corn syrup, red, blue, and yellow food coloring, cough syrup, and chicken livers. Watch this video prop making tutorial and learn how make fake blood.
How To: Make an Iron Man Arc Reactor Prop
Adam's tutorial on an Iron Man Arc Reactor Prop.
How To: Replace the sky and make a UFO with special effects for a film
Alien invaders are a constant threat, so it is important that filmmakers continue their long tradition of making educational films like Independence Day to ensure that we know what to do when the invasion comes. If you want to make aliens films yourself, watch this video for tips on using compositing to replace the sky and make an awesome UFO / flying saucer.
How To: Crush a head with special effects and use three-point lighting for a film
No matter how desperate they are for work, most actors will not let you crush their heads for your film. The potential for career development afterwards would be limited. This video will teach you how to crush a head with special effects for a film and then how to use three-point lighting to make your films look more professional.
How To: Make unzipped eyes with makeup
Apply the zipper eye makeup Halloween costume look by gluing real zippers below your eye. This gives a really creepy, skin opening look. Make it more gruesome with fake blood and darker eye makeup. It's originally a MAC makeup look, but many use it for scary costuming or an industrial zombie look.
How To: Make a realistic cardboard replica M32 grenade launcher
Grenade launchers are some of the most important heavy weapons used by the world's infantry, but getting one for yourself is hard even in gun-loving America. This video will teach you how to make a cardboard replica of an M32 grenade launcher perfect for filmmaking or an elaborate costume.
How To: Build a flesh eating plant from Little Shop of Horrors
Straight from the Little Shop of Horrors to your front lawn! Watch this video to learn how to build a flesh eating plant prop that you can use to give people a good scare, in your next movie or when Halloween rolls around.
How To: Build a mini machine gun prop
Feeling a bit like Bonnie or Clyde, without the reckless disregard for human life? This mini machine gun is a great prop for Halloween or a homemade action movie. You will need a joystick, pipe, cardboard, a small box, PVC pipe, a cylindrical box, a hot glue gun, a sharp knife, and a stand. Watch this video prop-making tutorial and learn how to make a mini machine gun.
How To: Construct a drill arm from the video game series BioShock
If you want to put the finishing touches on your new BioShock cosplay outfit, of if you just think it would be awesome to charge at your friends with the favorite weapon of Big Daddys across Rapture, this is a guide for you.
How To: Build a crowbar prop out of foam rubber
Trying to act out a fight scene with real weapons can be dangerous, so this foam rubber crowbar is the perfect prop for theatre or film. This Backyard FX segment by Indy Mogul will guide you through making your foam weapon. So grab some rubber latex, foam, and a few other tools and start constructing your crowbar.
How To: Create a cloning effect
Send in the clones! Steve Nelson teaches you how to create a digital cloning effect for your films. Create duplicates of your actors on screen.
How To: Make gun shot wound FXs with wax and bubble gum
Special effects is swell, especially when it utilizes the wonderful ubiquity of wax and bubble gum to make wounds look unbelievably believable. Ewww gun shot wounds.
News: The N7 Rifle from Mass Effect 3 Replicated in Extreme Detail
There's still about eight months before the final chapter in the Mass Effect series comes out, but some trigger happy fans are already building replica costumes and prop weapons to celebrate the upcoming release. BioWare themselves recently commissioned some of these projects, which were shown at their booth at Comic-Con 2011 a couple weeks ago in San Diego. One of these projects was the armor that turian Garrus Vakarian sports in Mass Effect 3, by Kommissar Props. But even more impressive wa...
How To: Make a fake Glock pistol prop with functional slide, trigger and magazine lock
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.
How To: Build the A.S.H.P.D. Portal Gun from Portal and Portal 2
How cool would it be to have your own A.S.H.P.D., aka Portal Gun? Find out for yourself. Learn how to build your own Portal Gun, just like the one in the game, from affordable parts by watching this Indy Mogul Backyard FX video guide.
How To: Create a hole in the chest special effect with green screen and gore
Indy Mogul Backyard FX is here with an awesome, cheap, special effect build that will have your audience jumping out of their seats. If you're a filmmaker on a budget you've got to watch this video and learn how to make a hole in the chest effect that look exactly like there is a hole in the actor's chest.
How To: Create a ground explosion SFX for your film on a tight budget
Just because you don't have money to blow doesn't mean you can't blow things up. If you're looking to add a Michael Bay quality explosion to your backyard film project, check out this Indy Mogul Backyard FX video. The total cost of everything you need to make this special effect is less than one hundred dollars.
How To: Build a Pirates of the Caribbean inspired prop sword for thirty dollars
Yar! If swashbucklin adventure be yer fancy, check out this awesome Indy Mogul Backyard FX video to learn how to build a Pirates of the Caribbean style sword prop out of foam. This video explains what materials you need and what tools you'll use.