Special Effects

Special Effects are one of the most difficult aspects of filmmaking for people with no money (as you know). However, with a little time and a LOT of creativity, most problems can be solved. Here are a few pointers and some answers to frequently asked questions...

As you know, right now Skipsterfilms are into making slasher movies, so we've been spending A LOT of time researching into some basic techniques. One thing that everybody seems to want to know is how to make...

Fake Blood

Making fake blood is simple beyond belief, even though people insist on making it complicated. Here's the basic idea- get corn syrup, and add red food coloring with a smidget (how's that for vague) of yellow until it's the right color. Simple simple simple! I actually tried this for the first time and was impressed by the results, especially since most of the recipes I've seen have been more complicated. However, if that's not good enough for you, here's a Skipsterfilms original...

If you'd like it to look a little more gory, you'll need-

Gelatin
Cherry Kool-Aid
water
fake blood

Combine the gelatin and Kool-Aid, then add a small amount of water, mixing until you have a paste. Apply to the desired area, and wait. Within a few minutes it will harden. Apply fake blood over top, and it will look nice and messy. Warning, this stuff hardens pretty fast, so only prepare as much as you'll need. SKIPSTERFILMS APPROVED technique- I was involved in a mock accident at our school for the PARTY program (prevention of drunk driving). My friend Tracy (actress in the French film) supposedly went through the windshield of a car and was lying on the road "dead". The police were planning to just use fake blood for the technique, but I figured we could do better and ran to the foods lab to whip up the gelatin mix. I applyed it to the top of her head (in her hair) and then let a lot of fake blood run over it. She looked really, really, realistically hurt. It was disturbingly gory. For info and pictures, see theMock Accident page.

Stab Wounds

Now that you know how to make fake blood, lets apply that knowledge!!! This too is a fairly simple concept. You will need-

A retractable knife (preferabley),or
two knives(one with a complete, DULL blade, the second missing most of the blade)
a solid piece of plastic or metal
a latex glove or a condom
fake blood

To begin, strap the piece of plastic onto the victim, placing it where he/she will be stabbed. Attach a baggie of fake blood (in the finger of a glove or the condom) over top of it. Cover it with their shirt (duh). If you have a retractable knife, this will be easy- just stab the knife onto the blood bag [NOTE: Retractable knives must be treated with EXTREME caution- if they aren't hit perfectly straight, the blade can catch, not retract, and you suddenly have a rather big problem on your hands. It's always a good idea to put a solid backing/plate behind the blood bag to avoid any accidental stabbings. Although accidental stabbings do contribute greatly to the realism (a lot like accidental nose bleeds, right Damon?)] You'll have to be a bit more creative if you are using the 2-knife method. The best way is to show the complete knife raised, then cut the shot and continue with the half-blade on top of the plate. That's kind of cheap, but if you're careful with the camera angles and are quick, it'll look okay.

Bullet wounds

I've never tried this myself, so until I have I'll simply direct you to a site that explains it wonderfully --> Blood and Bullets for No-Budget Movies

Roadkill

Since my "I did this the night before and Damon worked on his for 2 months and I STILL beat him in the costume contest" Halloween garb took 2nd place, I thought I'd take the time to share with you a few of the tricks I used to develop it. Here's a look at the costume in question-

ROADKILL
The picture doesn't really do it justice, I scared a couple people walking around the school...Now here's what it takes to do-

Cuts

Roll 2 long, thin pieces of kleenex and connect them at the ends, leaving the middle part separated. Using liquid latex, apply the kleenex to your skin in the desired area of the cut. Make the outer edge rise from the skin, and the inner edge (the "cut") rise sharply. Apply more than one layer of liquid latex and cover with makeup (and blend). Squeeze fake blood into the center of the cut and let it run down. This is a SKIPSTERFILMS APPROVED technique- for our French flick I did this one on my own arm, and it was sickeningly gory. If you squeeze enough fake blood in the middle of the cut, it'll drip realisticly and be generally gross. TRY IT!!!

Bruises

I usually use eye shadow, but creme make-up is more effective. Anyone who's ever had a broken nose will agree- the colors that appear are VIBRANT. You'll need to put a plum color (or reddy-purple for the males)in the middle as your base color. Blend the outside and add a little green in spots around the edges and yellow surrounding the whole thing. The good thing about using eye shadow is that it's easy to blend- if you're using a creme make sure the colors bleed into each other well and use translucent powder on the whole thing afterwards. Practice this one.