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.
How To: Make a fake tree for a play
Well it's time to put on the school play! This year, the school's going to put on Chekov's "The Cherry Tree". Only problem? You have no tree. Well, this helpful how to will guide you through the steps to make a light, portable tree that will turn your school play on its head.
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: Create vambrace forearm armor film props
Check out this video from Chemical Reaction Tutorials (CRTutorials). If you love filmmaking, prop making, editing and everything else that goes along with making movies, then you'll want to see what Adam has to say about gauntlets.
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: Build a DIY professional animation studio
Indy Mogul Weekend Extra peers into the brilliant mind of Javan Ivey, who shows you how to to save thousands of dollars when building your own home animation studio.
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: Make cloth and foam puppets and ventriloquist figures
In this four part video series, Barbara Dewey teaches viewers how to make cloth and foam puppets and ventriloquist figures. Email her for free patterns.
How To: Dress and pose a clay armature for stop motion
This video animation tutorial shows how to take a raw claymation figure and apply a costume onto it, as well as pose it in a scene. In this particular video, the demonstrator creates a wrap-around dress out of a sheet of clay and position it onto the armature. Also shown, is the process of molding the armature into a natural shape or body position as a starting point of a scene. Watch this instructional video and learn how to dress and pose an armature for claymation stop motion animation.
How To: Break down cartoon construction with JohnK
JohnK (creator of Ren and Stimpy) explains cartoon contstruction and how to learn from other people's art.
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 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: 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: 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 fake sperm
This video will show you how to make fake FX sperm out of some household materials.
How To: Style a synthetic fiber wig with boiling water
One of the drawbacks of synthetic, as opposed to human hair, wigs is that they can be difficult to style. Fortunately, while hair irons may be a no-go for styling synthetic wigs, you can get great results by submerging your wig in a container of boiling water.
How To: Use a piece of developed film and a camera to see through clothes
The ability to see through clothing has been pursued by voyeurs for millenia, and today with the help of cheap video cameras we are closer than ever. This video will show you how to use a piece of blank developed film and IR to see through different types of shirts and other clothing. It also covers the effects of different colors and fabrics on the technique's effectiveness.
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 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 cardboard replica prop of any gun
Cardboard is not the most sturdy of building materials, but it is cheap, abundant, and somewhat rigid. That's all you need to make this awesome prop. This video will show you how to make cardboard replica or prop of just about any gun, in this case a Glock handgun. It looks surprisingly real and is very cheap to make, so if you need a gun for your film or costume and don't have money or carpentry skills, this gun should fulfill your needs.
How To: Create a car crash with special effects for a film
Car crashes are such a fixture of modern society that you've probably wanted to include one in one of your films at some point. Unfortunatley for you, you probably don't have a disposable car or actor if you're filming on a budget. Watch this video to learn how to create an awesome movie car crash for cheap with Backyard FX.
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: Set up the presets on your Canon 7D for filming video
Your Canon 7D camera can film in video as well as take still photographs, however, the settings will be different. To get the best picture quality possible, here is how you can set up your camera's presets when filming in live action.
How To: Make wire armatures for stop motion
Learn how to use 16" gage aluminum wire to make stop motion puppet armatures. It is very easy to do, and wire works great for anyone just starting out. You can also see how to make basic wood feet using tie downs.
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: Create a falling effect
Steve Nelson from Indy Mogul shows you how to create cool falling or jumping from a building effect. Use a combination of camera angeles, green screen, and editing to create this cool action effect for your films.
How To: Film in a moving vehicle
Jennifer demonstrates an in car video camera techniques by showing different ways to shoot video from a moving vehicle.
How To: Shoot sunrise or sunsets on video
It's very hard to capture a sunrise on camera. Yes, you can get a general feeling from a single shot: the hazy, blue-orange rays of light peeking through the clouds in a sunrise or the crimson red streaks of sun dappling darkening skies in a sunset. But to truly capture a sunset or a sunrise, you have to experience them.
How To: Make a pair of Renaissance pants and lower body costume from a thrift store
Want to make a pair of Renaissance pants? You can make a really cool pair of Renaissance pants or fantasy costume pants out of a pair of sweatpants. This tutorial shows you how to pull off this look using the thrift store.
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: Learn 9 creative techniques for stop motion animation
Want to draw a stop motion animation but need some advice as to how it's done? This animation tutorial video shows you how to create a simple set up and provides you with 9 creative techniques that will help you get started on your own stop motion animation video. Watch this instructional video and learn some creative tips.
How To: Make a claymation character for stop motion animation
Here is a video tutorial that offers basic tips on crafting a simple claymation character using everyday, household objects. Soften a single chunk of material and pull your claymation character's limbs and head from it. Insert a toothpick (or armature) to stabilize the body and head. Pull out facial features with small tools. Experiment with different poses and facial expressions to make a fun animation. This playful claymation how to video is great for beginning animators, so sit back and en...
How To: Create a flipbook animation
Flip book animation is a very cool video effect that is relatively easy to make. Check out this tutorial and learn how to make your flip book come alive as an actual cartoon! In this video, graphic designer and author, Alan Lastufka, shows you how to make your very own mini animated film using paper, pencil and some fancy editing technique. If you have a couple of hours to kill, why not make a flip book cartoon and impress your friends?
How To: Make Lego figures fly using stop-motion animation
Stop-motion animation is somewhat out of favor in the digital age, but there will always be a demand for its timeless look. This video will teach you one important technique for making stop-motion animation out of Legos: how to make them fly. Or at least appear to by flying in your movie. It features detailed instructions on what to do in your digital photo editing software on each frame to erase the support structures you've used to elevate your Lego minifigures, leaving you with seamless im...
How To: Make a Tommy Gun out of cardboard
This video begins by showing the necessary tools needed to make a prop tommy gun out of a cardboard base. The first step is to trace a simple handle shape on the cardboard and repeat eight more times until you have eight exact copies of the handle. Then using an image of a tommy gun make an outline on the gun to cut in another piece of cardboard. You must cut and make eight more copies of the entire gun body to have the appropriate thickness for realism. The handle must be glued to the gun bo...
How To: Set up a wireless microphone for sound recording
Check out this film and theater video tutorial on how to set up a wireless microphone for sound recording.
How To: Create realistic movie fog
Do you want thicker, more realistic fog from your fog machine? Indy Mogul teaches you how to make realistic, creepy fog special fx for your films for under $30
How To: Make your own green screen for a Chroma Key test
This tutorial shows you how you can make your own do it yourself green screen out of a bed frame, some hardware (a staple gun is key) and a green blanket (or any large length of appropriately colored green gabric).
How To: Build a DIY wooden camera dolly with PVC railing system
If you need a dolly for your movie masterpiece, you don't need to go with a professional dolly system. You can save that money for your expensive actors and actresses by building your own DIY camera dolly on the cheap. You'll need some nuts and bolts, PVC pipes, scrap wood, drill bits and a drill, inline wheels and a hammer. This homemade camera dolly will cost you around 65 bucks.
How To: Make a dramatic film
This tutorial covers some of the basics of dramatic filmmaking. A drama is a film that is character-driven, using the characters' emotional responses to situations to move the story along. Epic and historical dramas put their characters in historical events. Crime dramas are set within the rules and boundaries of reality, but do not have to be linked with any historical event. These films utilize suspense and action to push the characters through the story. Biopics are motion picture biograph...
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