Hot Props & SFX How-Tos « Props & SFX

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: Create the zombie stomach rip effect with intestines for your horror film

An effective zombie movie special effect is when someone gets ambushed by a group of zombies, gets pulled to the ground, and as they feast on their flesh, they all reach in and tear open their stomach, pulling their instestines out and feasting! Want to create the same effect for your movie? Well, IndyMogul has the $40 solution for you in this video!

How To: Become a zombie with Halloween prosthetics

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.

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 Realistic Fluffy Cloud Props from Things Around the House

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. All you need is some balloons, tape, flour, newspaper, and a bunch of pillow stuffing. Serena made them by taping balloons together and applying a mixture of water and flour, then co...

How To: Make yourself look very old using basic makeup

In this tutorial, learn how to age yourself for any film or theatre project. This method of aging requires just a few simple makeup products that are cheap and easy to buy, if you don't already own them.

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 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: 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 a fake pregnancy belly prop on a budget

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!

How To: Make fake and drinkable blood

In this Halloween Science Video Series, Dr. Diana teaches you how to make fake and drinkable blood using ingredients from your kitchen. This recipe is perfect for your Halloween Party. Now all you need is some fangs for that blood to drip down, and you'll have the scariest costume.

How To: Build a replica .30 Caliber Machine Gun prop for sixty dollars

Here's a great Indy Mogul Backyard FX video that will show you how to build a replica of a .30 Caliber Machine Gun, perfect for your war movie. If you need a mounted machine gun prop for the big battle scene in your backyard Saving Private Ryan, watch this clip.

How To: Do a prosthetic skin tear effect

Conner is going to show us how to make a prosthetic skin tearing special effect for use in movies. First you need to get some liquid latex, some coagulated blood, and a paint brush. First paint a layer of liquid latex on the area that you want to have the tear away skin. Once it's dry, peel up one edge of the latex, this should make it easier later on when you want to tear away. Using a low angle and your hand to cover the latex at first, record the actor pulling the 'skin' away. Before the '...

How To: Make fake prop plague boils on the skin

Boils are the most visible symptoms of many nasty plagues. They make a person look pretty monestrous and will pretty reliably keep other people at arm's reach. This video will show you how to make a latex appliance of a skin boil, paint it to make it even more boilish, then apply it to the skin of a fried or actor. It looks so real, you might get sent to a plague colony.

How To: Create an ice frozen actor makeup special effect

This video tutorial from IndyMogul shows you how to create an ice frozen actor makeup special effect.

How To: Create realistic wounds and stitches

In this episode of BFX, Erik shows you how to create a gross and realistic gash that you can stitch up. It looks so good you can even stitch it up on camera! Plus Gary eats a sandwich and an homage to the Simpsons! What else could you want?

How To: Make fake intestines

Gross out—and fake out—your friends by making some frighteningly, disgustingly real-looking intestines. Inspired by the Instructables project: http://www.instructables.com/id/Great-looking-disgusting-intestines-for-horror-f/

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 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 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 wig stand for your cosplay wigs

If your into anime and manga, and even cosplay, then you probably have tons of homemade wigs laying around.

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: Build prop break-away furniture cheap

This week on BFX we teach you how to build break-away furniture, because if you break one more real chair over your friend's head, he's never going to act in your movies again!

How To: Create fake squeezable zits & robots for film or tv

In this episode of Indy Mogul's "YourFX", two great tutorials are gone over on how to make fake zits and fake robots. Indy Mogul's Backyard FX features cheap, DIY filmmaking tips and tutorials including special effects, props, and camera equipment. Be sure to search WonderHowTo for more videos from Indy Mogul and for more tutorials on building stage props as well as creating realistic film effects!

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: Do Joker scar makeup from the Batman Dark Knight movie

With the Dark Knight being one of the most successful movies of all time, the Joker is sure to be a sought after Halloween costume. While the make-up might seem tricky to apply, this video shows how to recreate it. Watch this video special effects tutorial series and learn how to do the makeup for the Joker from Batman's Dark Knight movie.

How To: Look masculine with makeup for cosplay

This is a video tutorial made to help out all those cosplayers on how to look more masculine using make up. This was originally made to help out guys who are pretty new to make up, but need to learn it for photo or cosplay purposes, and for girls who are trying to crossplay a male character and need to look more masculine. So, live anime and manga... cosplay it out with costumes and wigs and makeup and everything else.

How To: Make a breakaway cardboard chair prop

A breakaway chair is one of the best pranks, or one of the easiest effects for your indie film project. A breakable chair can be made out of simple household items, and is very cheap. The biggest material needed is cardboard. So basically, you'll make a cardboard chair, that breaks. Watch this video tutorial to learn how to make a fake movie prop brick.

How To: Make up a bloody gauged eye for Halloween

Even if you’re a Cyclops, you can’t expect to turn a blind eye to the most authentic Halloween make-up! Be part of the cringe-worthy fun and try our gauged eyeball make-up, brought to you by the pros. Make up a bloody gauged eye for Halloween.

How To: Build a prop flamethrower

Indy Mogul brings you GasMaskMagician, who shows you how to build a prop flamethrower for your movies.

How To: Make fake sperm

This video will show you how to make fake FX sperm out of some household materials.

How To: Give yourself a black eye using just a newspaper

In general, no one actually WANTS a black eye. But if you're filming a movie, in a play, or just want to freak out your mom and dad or friends, it's nice to know how to "put on" a fake one.

How To: Make DIY fog fluid for a fog machine

If you are an avid party-thrower, moviemaker, or are involved in some other activity that involved you frequently using fog machines, you're probably sick of paying for the fluid to make them work. No more! Watch this video for a guide to making your own cheap DIY fog machine juice / fluid at home.

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: 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: 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 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: 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 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: Make a latex skin over carved foam

Are you in need of some kind of mold or cast for your next feature film, but need to save a few bucks? As an alternative to casting (making a shape from a mold) one can carve foam into a desired shape and then coat the foam with liquid latex. This will not create a perfectly smooth surface, but is much less expensive than casting as it requires fewer steps and less resources. So, with this video tutorial, you can learn what you need to know about making a latex skin over carved form.