Star Trek Communicator badges rule. If you're a Trekkie, you know they are iconic to the TV series. The Next Generation, Voyager, and Deep Space Nine all had these awesome communicator badges.
So I'm making this short film about a girl that materializes her envy by expelling a fish/buglike creature FROM HER EYES. Visual FX (Maya, 3DS Max, etc.) could do the trick, but post production is expensive and we have no real budget for it. The monster will actually be a physical puppet, so that's covered.
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.
Portal has been one of the most critically acclaimed and universally loved games of the last few years, and there's plenty of fan art to prove it. From building a Portal gun, to a gravity defying Companion Cube, and even installing Portal onto a graphing calculator, fans have found some innovative ways to show their love for the games.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 was...
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 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.
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.
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.
If you're a filmmaker on a budget and you've got some farce up your sleeve, this video is for you. Watch Indy Mogul's Backyard FX explain how to build a really realistic looking latex pregnancy belly, so that your romantic comedy can grow!
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.
If you're looking to give your Mafia movie a real, authentic, look, but don't have a ton of cash check out this great Indy Mogul Backyard FX video to learn how to build a Tommy Gun. It may not fire bullets, but this fifty dollar prop packs some real punch.
Looking to create the look of a blockbuster Sci-Fi epic, for the price of a student film? This Indy Mogul Backyard FX video will show you how to build incredible looking science fiction armor out of foam for about eighty dollars. Be sure to follow these instructions carefully and be patient.
Check out this great episode of Indy Mogul's Backyard FX where you'll learn how to build a Mole Man makeup appliance on a budget. For less than thirty dollars you can create a shockingly realistic, and creepy, Mole Man latex appliance.
Are you working on a zombie movie and need to step your gore up? Or do you just want to scare your friends with an ultra-realistic halloween costume? Check out this video that shows you how to apply a prosthetic.
These goggles are great for a stage prop, cosplay, Halloween, or any videos you may make! They're made to look like Sam Fisher's tridents from the game series Splinter Cell.
This tutorial shows you how to create your own monster, from start to finish, out of foam latex. You can use this as a prop in your movie by using stop motion techniques. Get your inspiration for the monster from anywhere!
If you're a fan of the hit video game Fallout, you may want to check out this how-to video which gives an overview of building several different props from the game. Check it out and see if you can get your Pip-Boy 3000 up and running. No mutants allowed!
What more to say? It's a light saber! You will need need 1 1/4 inch PVC pipe, a dremel, a drill, a hot glue gun, a riveter, some rivets, a 12 inch metal pipe, a brass nut, a beveled rubber washer, a one inch thumb screw, a rubber door sealer and some hardware.
Who doesn't like zombies? This tutorial shows you how to get the ripped face prosthetic from Nimba Creations, and how to apply it. This is a fairly pricey prosthetic, so make sure that you get your money's worth by making it look as awesome as possible!
HBO's hit period drama, Boardwalk Empire, is chock full of elaborate effects, created by VFX company Brainstorm Digital. Below, get a behind-the-scenes survey of the before and after breakdowns of scenes from the first season.
Make your own hoverboard prop from the Back to the Future movies! You can do this whole project for about twenty dollars. You will need a large piece of foam board, green posterboard, some Tupperware, a few pieces of hardware, scrap Velcro, metallic plastic and paint and brushes.
Many action or crime dramas revolve around briefcases full of money. But you're just an indie film maker - you don't have that much money! How can you make a convincing briefcase full of money without having to take out a small loan? Indy Mogul is here to show you how!
You can take an old mic stand and turn it into your own DiY camera stabilizers! This quick tutorial shows you how to take this piece of relatively inexpensive equipment, a little extra hardware, and put together your own Steadycam.
Add a little animation to your live action shots! This tutorial shows you a few alternative techniques, such as adding in backgrounds using a greenscreen or incorporating light painting into your film. Make sure you shoot at the highest megapixel setting possible.
You don't need to buy an expensive ring light, you can make your own at home. You'll need a sheet of sturdy plywood, a pencil, some string, a dimmer switch, the light bulb sockets, some electrical wire, a drill and some hardware.
The hardware you will need is: two tubes of 15mm aluminum, sheath pipe insulation, rubber plugs for chair legs, super glue or epoxy, media plumbing tape, and assorted hardware - screws and bolts. A craft knife will also be useful.
Including a teleporter scene in your science fiction movie? This tutorial shows you how to use a compositing effect so you can replicate the look of the Star Trek transporter. It's fairly easy - all you need are three separate, easy to work with layers.
This tutorial shows you how you can make your own do it yourself green screen out of a bed frame, some hardware (a staple gun is key) and a green blanket (or any large length of appropriately colored green gabric).
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!
Without teeny little clay sculptures, you'd have no stop motion movies. While you can purchase a plethora of premade monsters to star in what you believe is the next "Godzilla," you can save some hard-earned money by making these monsters yourself.
Are you a fan of those old-school animated stop-motion movies? You can make your own easily, and the best way to get started is to make some durable, bendable puppets.
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.
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.
The claymore is one of the most insidious weapons ever devised, responsibile for millions of limbs lost in the Vietnam War. This video will show you how to make a much safer prop version out of cardboard and papier-mache to use in a film that still looks quite realistic.
Far Cry 2 set the bar for video game graphics when it came out, and it's grenade launcher is one of the best-looking in games. This video will teach you how to bring the grenade launcher into reality by making a replica out of cardboard and clay, perfect for a film or costume.
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.
Three disparate but useful indie filmmaking techniques, one video. One stop shopping just in time for the holidays. This video will teach you how to make day into night with editing, normal things giant with filming, and make actors fall from high places without hurting themselves unduly.
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.
Pre-production is a much less complex process for an indie film than a big-budget one that needs stars and permits and such, but it's still vital to shooting a good film in a timely fashion. This video will walk you through Ryan from Film Riot's entire pre-production process, including script breakdowns, free casting calls, budgeting, getting a crew and locations.
The greenscreen has allowed filmmakers to take us to worlds they never could have otherwise, but they can ruin a movie when used poorly. Watch this video for a guide to picking a screen, lighting it, and getting a good key for it using Final Cut Pro or After Effects.