Hot Props & SFX Posts — Page 2 of 13 « Props & SFX

How To: Make a cheap realistic blood splatter

In this video, we learn how to make a cheap and realistic blood splatter. After you have made your blood, you will need to make sure it's the right color you need for blood. Now, take Kleenex and rip it into five different parts. Then, stick these into a tube and grab a pesticide sprayer. After this, stick the blood into the bucket for the sprayer. Now, when you shoot the blood splatter the Kleenex tissue will turn the color of the blood and look like brains or parts of the body that have bee...

How To: Use an outdoor green screen

Tom Skowronski teaches the secrets of using an outdoor green screen. An excellent summary is given below. First check the advantages of using green screen outdoor like a lot of space, sufficient light. In the same way check some disadvantages like noises from birds, children. For the screen materials you can use paper which is cheaper but it cannot be controlled if wind blow. You can also use a board or even paint a wall green which will be better. Now to set up the screen use the screen rods...

How To: Make cheap vomit effects

Ben and Paul of Zero Budget studio Blunt Productions demonstrate their way to do vomit effects on the cheap in the first of a many part series.

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: 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: Build a flamethrower movie prop

Make monster flames with this homemade flamethrower. With some materials from your local hardware store, you can make this PVC flamethrower in no time. It's perfect for your big blockbuster movie (or to just scare your friends to death). Just make sure you don't leave a fire trail behind you as you set fire to the sky. Actually, this flame maker doesn't shoot real flames, it's just a prop. Watch this video tutorial to learn how to build a flamethrower movie prop.

How To: Completely make a foam boffer sword for LARPing

This four-part video tutorial will show you how to make a basic boffer sword for full contact padded weapons fighting and live action role-playing.

How To: Build a really cool futuristic prop gun

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...

How To: Make easy fake wounds for Halloween or film

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.

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: Create your own prop smoke grenades & silver floating spheres from Phantasm

So, for this video you're gonna get a cool twofer! Are you making a cop movie? Or maybe a Sci-Fi military movie? Check out this awesome video, in it, you will learn how to make your own DIY grenades with some PVC pipe and also how to make those silver flying spheres from the Phantasm series, so cool!

How To: Make a realistic fake severed finger prop

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 rea...

How To: Build a laser gun prop and create laser effects

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 laser guns.

How To: Build your own prop shotgun

In this tutorial, we learn how to build your own prop shotgun. To make this, you will need: one 2x6 that is 2 feet long, one 1x3 eight inches long, two 8" diameter PVC piping 2 feet long, two one inch PVC end caps, picture hangers, assorted nuts, bolts, and crews. First, draw on the shape of your gun on the pieces of wood, then cut them up with a saw. Then, cut out a prong shape in the front and stain the gun to your desired color. Next, connect all the pieces together and attach the wall han...

How To: Build a fake cardboard security camera

Home security is as important as having a job. You have to protect your family and your valuables. If you can't afford a high tech security system, then maybe a fake security camera will do the trick. This security camera dud is also a cheap alternative for a film prop. Watch this video tutorial to learn how to build a fake cardboard security camera.

How To: Build a Tommy Gun prop on a budget

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.

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 fake heads

To make fake heads you will need Styrofoam head, flesh color spay paint, make-up kit, a wig, glasses, mustaches, fake blood and liquid latex.

How To: Build a zombie explosive head

How do you kill a zombie? Shoot it in the head, of course! Watch this instructional video to learn how to make a blow-up zombie head. This is the first in a 3 part tutorial that teaches you how to build a zombie head that can be rigged to explode. A great effect, for a microscopic budget!

How To: Make Your Very Own Hobbit Pipe—The Only Way to Smoke Pipe-Weed

A new trailer for Peter Jackson's Hobbit movie arrived recently, and it continues to look pretty awesome. If you're gearing up for the midnight premiere on December 14th, why not get into the spirit early by making your very own Hobbit pipe? In the film, the Hobbits smoke from signature rustic, wooden pipes with a very homemade look to them. Instructables user handcraftsup makes his own versions out of tree branches of what he believes real Hobbit pipes would like like. The tools he uses incl...

How To: Create an impaled chest effect for your Halloween costume or indie film

For the director on the cheap looking to make a good ol' fashioned zombie horror flick, or any other sort of flick that involves showcasing your characters with large pipes and more impaled through their chests, you may be scratching your head how to create the effect. It's actually easier than you think! All you will need is some pipes, basic tools and some time! In this awesome video you will get a full walkthrough on how to create the effect on a $40 budget!

How To: Make a breakable 2x4 wood board prop

Yes, a smashable board of wood. Just what the propmaster called for. A long 2x4 piece of wood prop is perfect for smashing overtop somebody's head during an action scene. The smashable board is easy to make, too. But not as easy as breaking it. Watch this video tutorial to learn how to make a breakable 2x4 wood plank prop.

How To: Make a cheap corpse head prop for Halloween

Dr Kreepy, Halloween crafter, shows how to obtain a rotting head without killing someone! For this project, you will need a skull, paintbrushes, liquid latex, black spray paint, brown paint, and cotton balls. Watch this video prop-making tutorial and learn how to make a cheap corpse prop head for Halloween.

How To: Make a time bomb prop and

Time bombs are a stimulating and ubiquitous part of action films. This video features a handy tutorial on how to make a realistic-looking time bomb at home out of basic, cheap materials that can be used to add tension and drama to any of your movies. Warning: do not let the authorities see your bomb without knowing what it is first! It is very realistic.

How To: Build a fake wall that you can smash

This video will give you tips on how to make your very own fake wall that is perfect for smashing, thrashing, or just plain old throwing people through. This backyard special effect should really spice up your amateur film making. Just be careful, this fake wall can sometimes look like a real wall.

How To: Create a really cheap blood splatter effect

Keir MacDonald shows you a cheap technique for making a practical blood-splattering effect for gunshots and other special fx in your films.

How To: Make a Flamethrower prop out of PVC for your film

Turn up the heat in your background movie with this awesome Flamethrower prop build. If you're making a movie on a tight budget, let Indy Mogul Backyard FX show you to turn common materials like PVC piping and squirt guns into a realistic looking Flamethrower.

How To: Make a homemade electric chair

Whether you’re pro or con on the death penalty issue, there’s nothing more terrifying than having a real live electric chair in your own home! So you should probably just use these simple steps to create a mock-electric chair to “shock” your guests! This Fear.Net Halloween video shows us how to make a homemade electric chair to frighten the Trick or Treaters this holiday season! Make a homemade electric chair.

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 awesome Sci-Fi armor for less than one hundred dollars

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.

How To: Make a cardboard sword for Cosplay

Check out this step by step instructional video to learn how to make a Cosplay Sword from cardboard and wood! Make sure you have all of the following materials to start making your Cosplay sword: spray paint, hard cardboard, wooden dowel, bendable metal wire, silver colored tape, embellishment, super glue, hand saw, paper clay, masking tape, scrap papers, pen knife, and a PVC pipe. Watch this Cosplay video and enhance your role playing with this tutorial!

How To: Build a blood-covered pumping heart for your movies

Are you at the bottom of the donor list? Making a movie that calls for a fake beating heart? Then you need to watch this episode. Erik from Indy Mogul will show you how to make a bargain chest ticker for less then $37 dollars

How To: Make a Bigfoot costume for film or Halloween

This fun video shows you how to make an inexpensive Bigfoot costume for Halloween. You will need an old pair of shoes, an old wig, a bald cap, brown makeup, crepe hair, old newspaper, a foam head, a few spray paint lids, a bottle of spirit gum, liquid latex, and modeling clay. This should cost you less than $30. First build up the shape of the face on the styrofoam head with clay. Make sure to add ugly details to your face like a large nose and brow ridge. Next, add seven to ten even layers o...

How To: Build a lightsaber prop for film making

Backyard FX shows how to build a real lightsaber. Erik Beck unearths the original lightsaber blueprints from the special effects creator for Star Wars, and show you how to buy parts to a real lightsaber so you can have your own custom Star Wars weapon. In the test film you'll see our rotoscoping technique on how to complete the effect with some simple computer animation. You will need chrome plated slip joints, black vinyl rubber, a nylon slip joint, a rubber slip joint, rubber O rings, and m...

How To: Make DIY Hatsume Miku Vocaloid headphones for cosplay

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.

How To: Make a fake single barrel pump-action shotgun prop

Shotguns are great for obliterating things that are close to you. Single barrel pump-action shotguns are the one most readily available to most folks, and if you want to depict one in one of your films without buying one or risking injury to your actors, this video will help you. It will show you how to make a prop shotgun out of cardboard and some other tools that looks pretty realistic and will let you shoot with guns without risking shooting anyone.

How To: Make realistic looking prop swords

So you want to make a film, and in that film you want to have a sword, but you can't buy one, not to mention real ones are pretty dangerous. Your insurance costs will go through the roof! Well, here's you solution. Check out this helpful two-part video tutorial on how to make your own prop swords, which means less dangerous swords. Actually, they're made out of metal, so you still might just somebody with them yet.