Props & SFX Features
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: Make edible realistic fake blood
This video will show you how to make realistic edible fake blood. You will need the following: A tablespoon, container, red food color, a glass of water, syrup and flour. Mix three tablespoons of syrup, one tablespoon of food coloring and one tablespoon of water. Add one tablespoon of flour and mix well. You will end up with a very realistic looking edible fake blood.
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 a convincing briefcase full of money as a movie prop
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!
News: Paper Gun Bloodbath
WonderHowTo loves paper artillery. More sophisticated in construction than Box Wars, plus tense on-camera drama to boot, Cardboard Warfare is a tight homage to the paper gun. Not completely sold on the acting, but I'm really digging the mise-en-scène. Says creator Clinton Jones, aka, pwnisher:
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: 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: Make an Eragon sword out of wood
Ethan of Dead Fish Tutorials demonstrates how to make a sword from "Eragon." Eragon was given his sword Zar'roc by the wise Brom. All you need to have Zar'roc for yourself are some sticks you find in the woods, a bit of spraypaint and other cheap supplies, and a lot of geeky gumption.
How To: Create a fake knuckle wound with makeup
If you want to have your character punch a very hard object, or punch a person very hard, then it will help if you can show their damaged, bloodied knuckles afterwards. Now you can with help from this video. It will teach you how to create a very gory fake knuckle wound out of basic prop and makeup materials. Now your characters can punch with authority.
How To: Make a prop RPG
An RPG is a rocket propelled grenade, which is a common tool for enemy combatants in Iraq these days. If you need to have an RPG for your action war movie, then it's best to build your own prop one, since RPG's aren't exactly legal. Watch this video tutorial to learn how to make a prop RPG.
Friday Fresh: Make Your Own Police Taser & More
Every day of the week, WonderHowTo curators are hard at work, scouring the web for the greatest and most inspiring how-to videos. Every Friday, we'll highlight our favorite finds.
How To: Make squibs to strike the walls
Watch this instructional special effects video on how to make a squib to simulate fired bullets striking a wall. This squib making process will not work for contact on people. Follow the step by step procedure by watching this instructional video to produce realistic special effects for your film.
How To: Create a prosthetic scar
We tend to sympathize with those who get hurt. Do you want some extra care and affection from somebody you love? Then here is one great idea to make anybody give you their shoulder to cry on. This video helps you to make a prosthetic scar on your leg. Create a gory looking bruise with modeling wax, liquid latex, skin color makeup and coagulated blood. For best and genuine scars, make the cut look real deep and oozing with blood. Show it to your friends and see the results for yourself.
How To: Create zero budget gore special effects
Want to stick a load of blood and guts in your film? Don't have a lot of money? No problem! Just go to your local butcher shop.
How To: Make a Rorschach mask effect from the Watchmen
See how you can make Rorschach's mask from the new hit movie, "The Watchmen". For just under twenty bucks, Erik from Indy Mogul, will show you how to recreate the inkblot effect from Rorschach's mask in "The Watchmen" movie.
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: Build a foam boffer sword for awesome LARPing
Need a new foam boffer sword? Can't get into a LARPing event without it? Well, you better steal one, or make one, but this video will show you how to do the latter.
How To: Create a ghastly exposed muscle makeup look
Learn how to do a makeup look "exposed muscle" with Petrilude. Petrilude (aka Josh) is a guy that does makeup. You may think taking makeup tips from a guy is strange, but Petrilude is a talented makeup artist. If you are looking for party makeup looks, great for going out to the club, check out Petrilude's makeup tutorials. Search Petrilude on WonderHowTo for more amazing beauty looks: party makeup, club makeup, drag queen makeup, halloween makeup, costume makeup, goth makeup, and more.
How To: Apply Scarecrow brand costume vampire fangs
Just bought a pair of costume vampire fangs, and confused as to how to make them fit on your teeth? This tutorial shows you how you create the mold (focusing on Scarecrow brand fangs) and attach them securely to your teeth. Rawr!
Behind the Curtain: The Visual Effects of Boardwalk Empire
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.
How To: Make Samus Arans arm canon from the Metroid series for your costume
In the Metroid series you play as the inter-galactic, female bounty hunter known as Samus Aran and follow her adventures against Mother Brain and more! Guess this kid didn't mind being a female for Halloween, but more importantly, he was luck enough to have a super cool dad to help him build the arm canon from Samus' Varia suit! Interested in making it yourself? Details lie within!
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: Stunt fight Kung Fu style
In this week's episode of Backyard FX, Erik visits the Indy Kung Fu Masters of West Haven Brook to learn some awesome tips for movie fight scenes. They talk about the counting, sound effects, pull backs and camera movement necessary for orchestrating a great fight scene.
How To: Build your own lightsaber props from Star Wars
In this episode of the popular web series Systm, you'll learn how to make your very own lightsaber prop from the "Star Wars" movies. Many of the components are surprisingly simple - old flashlights, windshield wiper blades, etc. But when you them together, you can have an effective prop for a lot less than you'd pay for a reproduction.
How To: Turn yourself into a werewolf for under $50
Turn yourself into a werewolf for under $50. The guys at Indy Mogul will show you how to create werewolf prosthetic makeup for your films.
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: Set up and light a green screen
Andrew shows you how to set up and light a green screen for special effects.
How To: Build a jet pack movie prop
Remember the Rocketeer? The rocket jet pack that he wore? Jet packs are the coolest sci-fi props that haven't been perfected in "real life" yet. Almost, but not quite. For now, film rocket belts or rocket packs will do. Like in the Bond flick "Thunderball" and in the Star Wars movies "Attack of the Clones" and "Return of the Jedi". It's even in "Fahrenheit 451" and "Minority Report". But your homemade DIY jet pack might be the best of all. Watch this video tutorial to learn how to build a jet...
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: Apply a wound with gel filled silicone & movie makeup
Cinema Makeup School instructor Greg McDougall goes through the steps your need to know in order to create a silicone wound on a student. He starts off by explaining the products needed in order to get the best results. Greg then proceeds to apply and explain how to place a prosthetic piece on your face and how to get it to blend into your skin color. After apply the prosthetic he begins to color in the wound to make it look more realistic. To finish off and get the best result you apply fake...
How To: Create advanced zombie makeup and fake guts
In this episode of BFX, Erik from Indy Mogul takes Zombie effects to the next level. If an exposed skull and yummy non-toxic guts are what you dream about, then you're a sick person. However you should still watch this episode in all it's "gory". Also seek mental treatment.
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: 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 Spartan 300 shield
In this tutorial, we learn how to make a Spartan 300 shield. You will need: paper mache, durable cloth, gold spray paint, newspapers, cardboard, nuts and bolts, and the cap to a trash can. After you have these, cut out a large piece of cardboard and place it over the trash can cap in a circle shape. Then, dip newspaper strips into the paper mache mixture and apply it to your shield, taking your time to make it smooth. Let this dry, then cut two strips of cardboard and place it in a 'v' shape ...
How To: Create a giant spider web with rope and bolts
Watch this video tutorial to see how to create a giant spider web with rope and bolts. To make this giant Halloween spider web effect, you'll need a bunch of rope, a frame and 24 eye bolts. You can use this technique to weave a spider web at any scale, as long as you have an even number of at least 24 points to fasten to, around four sides.
How To: Make chroma key blood and a golden Desert Eagle
For the first part, make chroma key blood: Ingredients: glue, flour, mix with water like papier mache, three drops of green and two drops of yellow food color. This combination gives more of a fluorescent chroma key look.
How To: Build and shoot a ray gun and shrink an object for a film with effects
The shrink ray as always been one of the oddest and least-useful sci-fi guns, but alien invaders seem to love them and so we'll keep seeing them. If you want to use a shrink ray in a film you're working on, watch this video. It will teach you how to first make a generic ray / laser gun, and then how to make an object shrink in After Effects.
How To: Create an oozing fake wound
The cost of acrylic paint and corn syrup? Minimal. Freaking out your friends beyond all reason? Priceless.
How To: Fake super powers
Learn how To fake super powers. Helpful for filmmakers on a low budget. Part 1 of 2 - How to Fake super powers.
How To: Make a Necronomicon prop from the "Evil Dead" series
In this video, we learn how to make a Necronomicon prop from the "Evil Dead" series. First, gather all of your materials together so you can make this prop. After this, cut up piece of cardboard into the desired shape, then tape them and make sure it's able to open and close. Next, you will use tape to make it look like creases in the skin and create the face by rolling it together. Use masking tape to connect these and make it look like it's all part of the same skin. Next, mix red, yellow, ...