Hot Props & SFX How-Tos
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 cheap moving dragon wings controlled by the body
Check out this video tutorial on how to make cheap dragon wings, controlled by body posture. You can do this project for $18 if you use plastic garbage bags and Scotch tape for the membranes. You'll see how to make very light and strong costume wings. How strong? That strong.
How To: Make feet and hand paws for a fursuit or other costume
If you like fur, and you want to make your own fursuit, the head is the hardest part and you may want to just order that from someone. But the hand and feetpaws are much easier, and as this video will demonstrate you can make your own at home. The video explains all of the steps, and should have you all furry in no time.
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 your own custom fit vampire fangs at home
You can make your own vampire fangs at home! Or any type of creature fang, really. You'll need to make a mold of your teeth first, which you can do easily by biting into non-toxic clay. Then you can use craft acrylic to mold the fangs to fit your teeth.
How To: Make ripped off skin makeup effects
This is a simple and effective way to get a gruesome ripped off skin look for home movies using toilet paper, liquid latex and make-up.
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: Do a makeup open wounded face effect for Halloween
Fake wounds are one of the most popular makeup elements to include in Halloween costumes, and are also very useful in making films. This video will teach you how to create a realistic open facial wound using makeup. It looks so real, any doctors that you run into will probably try to rush you to the hospital immediately.
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 fake blood and scary props
In this Halloween props video series, learn how to make fake blood and other Halloween props from Halloween expert Matt Cail. Matt will show you how to make fake blood for Halloween, using corn syrup and food coloring. He will teach you how to make Halloween props such as fake arms, and how to stuff the arms to give a realistic effect.
How To: Make a scary green monster latex mask for Halloween
In this clip, we learn how to create a DIY latex monster mask for Halloween or other fancy-dress event. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, and to get started creating your own one-of-a-kind monster masks, watch this fun video guide.
How To: Make fake sperm
This video will show you how to make fake FX sperm out of some household materials.
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: 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 straitjacket for your movie or for Halloween
Are you going INSANE cause you don't have a costume yet for Halloween? Worry no more, because this video tutorial from Thread Banger, Rob shows us a crazy tutorial on how to make your very own straitjacket.
How To: Make a flying crank ghost on Halloween
Check out this Halloween tutorial video to learn how to make a flying crank ghost. This is essentially like making a big Marionette ghost puppet. All you need is the following easy to find materials: a styrofoam skull, 7 wire coat hangers, black spary paint, pliers, cheese cloth, tacky glue, and laundry detergent. This flying crank ghost promises to be a delightful scare on Halloween trick or treaters!
How To: Make glowing LED creature costume eyes
By using LEDs that only put out a little light the eyes can be lit in dim room light but still appear white, the moment the eyes are in shadow they glow bright red. Watch this video tutorial to see how to make glowing LED creature costume eyes for your film or costume project.
How To: Make a Gory Cut-Off Leg Special Effect
Whether it's Halloween or your next gory, homemade horror flick, this cut off leg effect is perfect to scare the crap out of your audience. With cardboard and some poster board, along with a few other household items, this fake cut-off leg is sure to make a scene.
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: 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 a severed finger prosthetic prop
This is a completely cheap and easy prop effect for your low budget indie film (or backyard film)… a severed finger. It's actually a super-cheap way, but see if you can improve upon it. See how to create a severed finger movie effect.
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 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: Simulate a gun shot wound special effect
Watch this short tutorial on how to make a realistic bullet hit to simulate an actor getting shot by a gun. Materials needed include a pressure sprayer, clear tubing that will fit on to the hose of the pressure sprayer, a small Translucent PVC elbow, fake blood, duct tape, a funnel, a shirt you don't mind damaging.
How To: Do professional quality Voldemort from Harry Potter makeup
Voldemort, the seemingly unstoppable antagonist of the Harry Potter series played so compellingly by Ralph Fiennes in the films, is one of the best villains in the history of fantasy. If you want to scare the bejezzus out of some children this Halloween or pay homage to Harry Potter in a film, watch this video to learn how to recreate the Voldemort look without makeup and prosthetics.
How To: Create floating objects and razorblade props
In this tutorial, we learn how to create floating objects and razorblade props. First off, take your object and some double sided tape. Then, place the tape on the object to make it look invisible. After this, tape it to the middle of the plexi-glass. Have someone else help you move this, and then when you record it on video it will look like the object is moving around in the air without anything holding it. This is a great effect that looks even better on video! To create the razorblade pro...
How To: Build your suit of DIY Master Chief armor from Halo
Master Chief, the star of the Halo franchise before it's most recent iterations, is one of the most recognizable and beloved protagonists in gaming history, and that's without players ever actually seeing his body through his inconic and intimidating armor. If you want to dress up as Master Chief for a Halloween costume, film, or other purpose, watch this video to learn how to make your own DIY Master Chief armor for cheap.
How To: Make things disappear in a video
A short video on how to make things disappear by using a simple editing trick.
How To: Make realistic claw marks on the face with makeup
If you want to have a character get attacked by a predatory land animal in your movie, you are probably going to need to put some claw marks on their body to make it look realistic and visceral. This three-part video will show you how to create a really realistic open claw mark wound on an actor's face, or any other body part. It looks really, really good, now try it yourself and scare your family and friends!
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: Make cheap and easy fake blood
If you're making a cheap horror movie, you're gonna need fake blood, and lots of it! In this video, you'll learn how to make a liter of fake blood. And the supplies are everyday household supplies, costing less than a dollar!
How To: Build a smashable guitar prop
You're not really going to smash that guitar are you? It's a piece of art. Parker put together this tutorial to show how to build a prop guitar you can smash and let out all that rock and roll angst. You will need a glue gun, chess pawns, cardboard, duct tape, a gift box, glue, a garbage can, paper, paint, string, and a ruler. Watch this video prop-making tutorial and learn how to build a prop guitar for smashing.
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: Hack a prop ghost to fly continuously for Halloween
Check out this instructional video to learn how to hack a prop ghost to fly continuously for your Halloween display.
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 blood filled fake hand
For less then $35 Indy Mogul shows you how to make a realistic hand you can chop in half! Make an awesome bloody hand- great for a movie prop!
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: Make a really awesome Predator costume for Halloween or a costume party
The Predator might be the most badass alien ever depicted on film. If you want to embody these formidable lone hunters on Halloween or in a film, watch this video to learn how to make a really sweet DIY predator costume that requires only three costume pieces, with the rest filled in by you/
How To: Build a Snow Machine
Global warming gotcha down? Worry no more! Learn how to make a SNOW MACHINE!!!! Woohoo. Most of the ingredients are junk you can find around the house.
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!
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