Hot Film & Theater How-Tos

How To: Make a latex skin over carved foam

Are you in need of some kind of mold or cast for your next feature film, but need to save a few bucks? As an alternative to casting (making a shape from a mold) one can carve foam into a desired shape and then coat the foam with liquid latex. This will not create a perfectly smooth surface, but is much less expensive than casting as it requires fewer steps and less resources. So, with this video tutorial, you can learn what you need to know about making a latex skin over carved form.

How To: Demon Hand Armor Tutorial (Video)

Here's my latest armor tutorial...what I call the "Demon Hand". The method used in this tutorial can be used to create pretty much any armor. This one is is 18 gauge brass, but if you use stainless steel I suggest 20 or 22 gauge. This is the easiest of all of my gauntlets to create, and it takes a lot less metal. Less than an 8.5" x 11" piece (per hand). Would make cool motorcycle riding gloves!

How To: Get Great Bokeh for Videos and Photos Using Christmas Lights

So what is Bokeh? Well, the word comes from the Japanese term "boke" (bo-keh) which means fuzziness. Bokeh describes the character of the blur in an image, but is often used specifically to refer to points of light rendered as fuzzy circles. These "circles of confusion" come from points of light not being perfectly focused. You know when you're taking a picture of your friend at night, and the lights in the background go fuzzy? That's it! Having a beautifully blurred background can help focus...

How To: Make an Iron Man Inspired Gauntlet (in Metal)

Here's my latest gauntlet, made in 22 gauge stainless steel using ordinary hand tools you probably already have in your garage. I used Iron Man for inspiration, but it's far from an exact replica. Unlike my previous gauntlets, there is minimal riveting, as most of the parts are held to the glove using epoxy, along with some small nuts and bolts. Aside from cutting out all the parts, which is a little tedious, it's actually fairly easy to do. A fun project for anyone into metalworking, prop ma...

How To: Film Using DSLR at Low Light

Filming in low light is not easy, its tricky and challenging, but if you know the proper ways to set your DSLR camera even if you have the most ordinary lenses you can still capture great videos with less noise. So here are some settings and samples in Filming with your DSLR in Low light.

How To: Build a Metal Gauntlet

Here's an in-depth video on how to make a functional gauntlet with simple hand tools. You can make it with metal like the video shows, or even just cardboard if it's for a costume. You can download the template and written instructions for this gauntlet over at my website for five bucks. Otherwise, you can just watch the video to follow along—or to inspire your own version.

How To: Build a Star Wars Lightsaber (Infographic)

There are many ways to make a lightsaber. You can turn a flashlight into a steampunk lightsaber, you can make a lightsaber from junk, and you can make one that looks totally real (if you've got the money and time). Heck, you can even make one in Photoshop. And now you can make one using an infographic! Who doesn't like infographics? This infographic by Herbert Pocket, which may or may not have been inspired by this lightsaber infographic, will show you the quick route to making a Star Wars wo...

How To: Hacked Portal Gun Prop Actually Levitates a Companion Cube!

Portal, the popular game from Valve, has been critically acclaimed since its release in 2007. Its unique gameplay and humorous storyline is the reason for its popularity amongst nerds everywhere. This has also spawned a large community in cosplay and prop design. The most popular aspect of the game has to be the awesome portal gun. The gun creates companion portals on almost any surface that allow the player to jump form place to place with ease and also allows you to move heavy objects with ...

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: Write Your First Script

Hello! My latest interest is screenwriting. I would like to share a few hints I find quite useful. I am a newbie, so the following post will not be taken from the treasury of many years of experience. Just plain facts,.. Thanks for reading! Step 1: In the Beginning