Hot Film & Theater Posts
How To: Create an extreme nose bleed trickle and gush
Here, we unveil a brand new type of BFX episode called "BFX On Location"! We've been invited by directors Giancarlo Fiorentini and Jonathan Grimm to create an extreme nose bleed effect for their film "The Old Man and the Seymour". This movie stars Streeter Seidell, Amir Blumenfeld and a VERY bloody nose. Check out all the action as Erik's skills get a real world test!
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.
How To: Quickly and easily clean a focusing screen
If your focusing screen gets too dirty, the quality of your picture will suffer. This tutorial shows you a quick demonstration on how you can quickly and easily clean your focusing screen without cleaning it. Watch out for static charge!
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 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 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: Build a blood-covered pumping heart for your movies
Are you at the bottom of the donor list? Making a movie that calls for a fake beating heart? Then you need to watch this episode. Erik from Indy Mogul will show you how to make a bargain chest ticker for less then $37 dollars
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: Give personality to your puppets
In this tutorial, we learn how to give personality to your puppets with Paul Louis. Personality is everything when it comes to puppets. Your design should give the puppet a certain type of personality. Create a voice when you put the puppet onto your arm and use it to become a new character. Use different styles of clothing and jewelry accessories to make the character different. Give the puppet the look of the voice you are going to give it. If you want it to look tough, give it a leather ja...
How To: Build your own Iron Man Repulsor Arm
If you love Iron Man 2 and wish you could have his gadgets or want to have a cool costume for Halloween, you too, can be Iron Man once you're done watching this video. This tutorial will walk you through the steps needed to convert household materials and inexpensive items you can find at virtually any store into an Iron Man suit repulsor arm.
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: Analyze a monologue
Monologues are important to any acting career. Get tips for rehearsing your monologue in this free video clip from a professional theater director. Analyze a monologue - Part 1 of 15.
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 fake ghost amateur video
This video show you how you can add a fake ghost to an amateur film or home video.
How To: Light a two-person interview
Learn how to frame and block an over-the-shoulder shot as Matt, the Shirtless Apprentice, demonstrates the use of cutters to block lens flair.
News: The N7 Rifle from Mass Effect 3 Replicated in Extreme Detail
There's still about eight months before the final chapter in the Mass Effect series comes out, but some trigger happy fans are already building replica costumes and prop weapons to celebrate the upcoming release. BioWare themselves recently commissioned some of these projects, which were shown at their booth at Comic-Con 2011 a couple weeks ago in San Diego. One of these projects was the armor that turian Garrus Vakarian sports in Mass Effect 3, by Kommissar Props. But even more impressive wa...
How To: Make a Flamethrower prop out of PVC for your film
Turn up the heat in your background movie with this awesome Flamethrower prop build. If you're making a movie on a tight budget, let Indy Mogul Backyard FX show you to turn common materials like PVC piping and squirt guns into a realistic looking Flamethrower.
How To: Build your suit of DIY Master Chief armor from Halo
Master Chief, the star of the Halo franchise before it's most recent iterations, is one of the most recognizable and beloved protagonists in gaming history, and that's without players ever actually seeing his body through his inconic and intimidating armor. If you want to dress up as Master Chief for a Halloween costume, film, or other purpose, watch this video to learn how to make your own DIY Master Chief armor for cheap.
How To: Make a decent Naruto headband
In this video, we learn how to make a decent Naruto headband. First, get a paper plate and figure out how big you want it, draw on the template so you can see it through the paint. Then, apply metallic paint with a paint brush using the template you drew as a guide. Next, you will wait for it to dry and then cut it out. Round the edges like it's a real headband, then draw on the hair band the village insignia. Once finished, glue this to an old sock and wait for it to dry. Then, you can attac...
How To: Build your own prop shotgun
In this tutorial, we learn how to build your own prop shotgun. To make this, you will need: one 2x6 that is 2 feet long, one 1x3 eight inches long, two 8" diameter PVC piping 2 feet long, two one inch PVC end caps, picture hangers, assorted nuts, bolts, and crews. First, draw on the shape of your gun on the pieces of wood, then cut them up with a saw. Then, cut out a prong shape in the front and stain the gun to your desired color. Next, connect all the pieces together and attach the wall han...
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: Make an DIY Aliens power loader prop for cheap
The Alien movies, most notably Alien and Aliens, are icons of sci-fi horror, and one of their most well-known elements is the awesome power loader that Sigourney Weaver's character Ellen Ripley used to tear the aliens apart. This video will show you how to make your own prop replica of the power loader at home for cheap, so that you can destroy aliens in your own films or maybe pretend to maul some party guests.
How To: Make a puppet's mouth move
In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to make a puppet's mouth move. Begin by inserting your hand inside the puppet and bring it into frame. The four fingers will operate the top part of the mouth, and the thumb will operate the bottom part. When moving the puppet's mouth, only use the thumb to make the talking motion of the puppet. Do not flap the top for fingers up and down to move the puppet's mouth because it will make it look unrealistic and unnatural. This video will benefit those v...
How To: Create a compound fracture special effect prop
Compound factures are the most gruesome and scary sort of fracture, and their visceral visual appeal leads to them being commonly depicted in films. This video demonstrates how to make a compound facture effect on the arm of one of your actors, replete with protruding bone and fake blood, for $35. For any indie filmmaker on a budget, this film will help you freak out your audiences and portray the real depth of your character's suffering.
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 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: 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 "Ghostbusters" Ghost Trap Prop
What's a proton pack without a ghost trap? Useless, that's what. Don't pay megabucks for some fake Ghostbusters costume when you can build your own with household materials.
How To: Use Kino Flo lighting systems on a film set
Mike from the SubStream's "Film Lab" has some tips regarding film lighting. See how to use these super cool (literally and figuratively) lights called Kino lights. These fluorescent Kino Flos are perfect for when you want soft, even light that doesn't draw much power. Get the details on how to set them up!
How To: Make a one-camera shoot look like multi-cams
It's easy when Jamie-B from Total Recall Films takes an in-depth look at filming and editing techniques you can easily use to make your next film look and feel professional using a well know technique called "tricking the camera" -- and the viewer. Watch to see how to make a one-camera shoot look like multi-cams.
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: Make a Latex Skull Mold to Make a Plaster Skull
Dr Kreepy, Halloween craftsmen, shows a cheap and easy way to make full and partial skulls from Plaster of Paris! For this project, you will need a plastic skull, cheese cloth, a paintbrush, melting latex, anchoring cement, and Plaster of Paris. Watch this video special effects tutorial and learn how to build a latex skull mold to make plaster skulls or skull fragements.
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: Make a Zabuza Momochi cosplay costume from Naruto
Okay, pull out the fabric and start making some cosplay costumes. Specifically, Zabuza Momochi from Naruto. This video tutorial for cosplay covers it all. Anime or manga, which one do you like better? Who cares, just make a costume okay? Go cosplay!
How To: Make fake sperm
This video will show you how to make fake FX sperm out of some household materials.
How To: Make a bionic vagina costume
Do you need to have some sort of bionic vagina in your next film? Do you want to scare the hell out of your parents during Halloween with this costume of the female muscular tube? Maybe you just want to be a vagina? Who knows. But you can see how to do it right here.
How To: Rip a heart out of someone's chest for fun - or movies
If you've seen Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, you'll know one of the greatest special effects of the film is where Mola Ram rips the heart out of someone's chest. In this episode of Backyard FX, Erik recreates that effect with the help of his family members. Don't forget to check out our previous episode on how to create a fake heart.
How To: Use a "pan" and "tilt" when filming
Issac demonstrates what a "pan" and a "tilt" are and how they can improve the quality of the shots in your videos.
How To: Airbrush on rubber for special effects and props
Watch this visual demonstration for detailed instruction on how to airbrush Psycho Paint brand paint on rubber. This is a great technique to make toys, props, or masks.