How To: Make fake, breakable glass
Erik from Indy Mogul shows you how to make sugar glass for $20. Sugar glass can be used to create breakable or break away glass FX for your films.
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: See through people's clothes with a video camera
This video tutorial teaches you how to see through clothes using a blank roll of film and any video camera that has night vision. You won't see people completely naked, but you can see undergarments and the "shape" beneath...If your imagination just isn't cutting it anymore, check out this how-to video and start getting a peak at people in a slightly less clothed state.
HowTo: Create a Six-Frame Animation with a Single Sheet of Paper
Pioneered by Rufus Butler Seder in his popular children's picture book Gallop!, and ably demonstrated by WonderHowTo favorite brusspup in the video below, "scanimation" refers to a novel (but distinctly old-timey) technique for cramming multi-frame animations onto a single sheet of paper by a process of superimposition and selective interference. Interested in creating your own scanimations? It's easier than you'd think. In the following clip, Paul Overton of Dude Craft presents a complete ov...
How To: Make a prop adult diaper with a towel or trash bags
Don't spend the money or suffer the embarrassment of going out to buy adult diapers. Prop diapers are easy to make using just a towel or some white trash bags. Watch this video costume design tutorial and learn how to make a folded prop towel or trash bag adult diaper. Make a prop adult diaper with a towel or trash bags.
How To: Make a Lightweight Body-Mount Rig for Filming Unique Front & OTS Shots
Cinema is a matter of what's in the frame and what's out, according to director Martin Scorsese, who asserted that when describing his life's work. Getting the perfect shot can turn an otherwise ordinary scene into something great, both on and off screen.
How To: Make ninja weapons for your movies
Erik Beck from Indy Mogul shows you how to build budget ninja weapons (ninja swords and stars) for your film projects.
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 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: Create a gruesome skin burn with household products
In this tutorial, learn how to create a bubbling, fresh burn on your skin using cheap, simple products from around the house. This method is cheap and easy and will make one of the most gruesome and painful looking burns you can think of. This is perfect for filmmaking, Halloween or theatre projects!
How To: Make realistic claymation characters
As a beginning stop-motion animator, there's a lot of trial and error. What tools and materials do you use? How do you sculpt realistic clay figures? This video tutorial walks you through some of the essential materials, and demonstrates sculpting a torso out of Super Sculpey.
How To: Create fake slit wrists with special effects make up
Learn how to use make up to create a fake slit wrist for Halloween or making movies.
How To: Create a Cardboard Shader in Maya 2011
Create Your Cardboard Masterpiece Before you can create the shader, you must create an object to test the shader out on so that you will feel comfortable with your results. I have chosen to do the traditional cardboard box for this.
How To: Record Great Voice-over Dialogue with an iPhone
Sound production doesn't get any cheaper than this. If you need some quick, professional-sounding voice-over dialogue for a student film or YouTube project, then all you need is an iPhone, an app called VoiceRecord and an ordinary blanket to block the background noise.
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: 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: Do a simple dutch angle camera trick with a tripod
MatttChapman shows you how to add a simple dutch tilt to your filmmaking bag of tricks. Tripods conventionally only pan and tilt, but this trick adds an extra dimension. All you need is a tripod and a camera! It's just a matter of messing with the base plate to get this simple dutch angle.
How To: Make an Assassin's Creed hidden blade prop
Adam from Chemical Reaction wants to show you a little movie magic. This video tutorial will show you how to make an Assassin's Creed hidden blade prop for your homemade film. If you're a fan of the Assassin's Creed video game, then you can't not make this hidden blade. This is a great prop for anybody wanting to recreate it for a fan film. It's cheap and quite easy and works pretty well.
How To: Create force jump effects for your movies
How to make Jedi force jump effects as seen in the Star Wars movies for your own films using Effects Lab and Windows Movie Maker.
How To: Make a dramatic spotlight from a household lamp
In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to make a guerilla spotlight using household items. Users will simply need a cardboard cylinder and a light source. Te materials used in this video were a toilet paper roll, piece of aluminum, gaff tape and a lamp. Begin by cutting a couple of 90 degrees slots in the middle of the foil, slide in the tube ad secure it with tape. It should be a bit longer than the tube. Now wrap it around the light source. This video will benefit those viewers who produ...
How To: Build Pyramid Head from Silent Hill for cosplay
Pyramid Head. You've heard the name before. You've saw him in action. Now cosplay as him. This costume could be used for Halloween, cosplay, or just for the hell of it. Pyramid Head is a fictional monster from the Silent Hill video game and movie. So watch this four-part video tutorial to see how to do it. If you can follow these instructions, you could never need another cosplay getup again. Unless you want to try out some anime or manga.
How To: Record live video direct from camcorder to computer
Bill Myers shows us how to record live video direct to your computer from your camcorder. You will need: long firewire cable, camcorder with firewire output, computer. Procedure: Connect one end of the firewire cable to your camcorder, then connect the other end to your computer. Start your video editing program. Turn the audio down on your speakers to avoid feedback. Turn your camcorder on then check the capture option in your screen. Record the video then hit the stop button when you're fin...
How To: When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemon Grenades (Portal 2's Cave Johnson Would Be Proud)
Portal has been one of the most critically acclaimed and universally loved games of the last few years, and there's plenty of fan art to prove it. From building a Portal gun, to a gravity defying Companion Cube, and even installing Portal onto a graphing calculator, fans have found some innovative ways to show their love for the games.
How To: Make an easy, cheap green screen with no posterboard
In this video you learn how to make your own green screen for less than $15 in under an hour. The material for the screen is a green felt-like fabric that can be easily found at a local fabric store or Wal-Mart. The fabric itself is just over 1 yard in width and you will need to buy 2 sheets 3 yards in length for a total of 6 yards at a price of about $2.00 per yard. You will also need a way to join the sheets together. For this, the video recommends a tube of Heat'n'Bond fabric joiner which ...
How To: Make cheap lighting & barn doors
Check out this instructional lighting video that explains how to make cheap barn doors for your lights. For this project, you will need a total of 4 hinges, 12 nuts and bults, a screwdriver, cardboard, scissors, and a lighting fixture. This is a simple guerrilla filmmaking tutorial on how to design your own barn doors. A great addition to any low-budget filmmaker's lighting kit.
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: 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: 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 a simple stop motion animation using a drawing
Watch this video to learn how to make a simple stop motion animation using a drawing of a knight. It took approximately 90 minutes to make. Use your own drawing to make a stop motion animation movie!
How To: Create your own episode of South Park using Flash CS4
In this super cool tutorial, learn how to create your very own episode of South Park using Flash CS4 and a couple of images you can download on the web. This tutorial is for any super fans who wish to spend some extra quality time with their characters, or for anyone interested in animation. These famous, foul mouthed, 2D characters are fun to move around and will do anything you need them to do once you get started! Get your fan fiction minds turning with this video!
How To: Make your own animated flip book
Why make a flip book? Because all animation – even stick-figure Flash animation and multilayered, highly technical 3-D effects – is built on, and can benefit from, the basics of the craft first developed by artists working at the beginning of the last century. And while fancy computer programs are nice, you can teach yourself these basics using nothing more than a pad of paper and a pen, and replay them over and over without any extra technology needed.
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: Sew a hooded cloak or cape without a pattern
This is a very thorough tutorial which shows you how to make a hooded cloak or cape without a pattern. All you need is five yards of your favorite fabric (pick something durable and sixty inches wide), then cut out some basic shapes and follow along the sewing tutorial
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: 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: Make an armature out of clay and foil for stopmotion
This video demonstration series shows the process of creating an armature for stop motion animation, claymation specifically, out of aluminum foil and polymer clay. Armatures need to be flexible to withstand the positioning and repositioning required to make stop motion animation, but still secure enough so that the material won't break. For this reason, a tin foil skeleton provides a sound structure to the clay armature. Watch this video animation tutorial and learn how to sculpt an armature...
How To: Make fake special effects explosive squibs
This video will show you how you can make fake blood for your amateur videos if you need anyone to be shot. The materials used are fake blood, a condom, and a model rocket fuse and a firecracker. With this video you can stick a squib just about anywhere to make the best fake gunshot wounds possible.
How To: Build your own slider camera dolly
For graceful camera moves, it's hard to beat a dolly. A professional rig can cost a lot of money, but in this video tutorial you'll learn how to make a pro-quality slider using parts you can find at the hardware store. This rig is great for close-ups and tabletop set-ups.
How To: Build a camera jib crane
In this DIY video, we show you how we built our camera crane. This was all done with a table saw, drill and hack saw.
How To: Build a 3D camera rig for recording and shooting 3D videos and films
This guide goes over the basics of 3D video recording and the mechanics behind it before delving into something a little more specific. The host discusses how to build a rig that allows for adjustments to be easily made to the interaxial distance and convergence of the two cameras.
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