Hot Film & Theater How-Tos
How To: Make a cheap realistic blood splatter
In this video, we learn how to make a cheap and realistic blood splatter. After you have made your blood, you will need to make sure it's the right color you need for blood. Now, take Kleenex and rip it into five different parts. Then, stick these into a tube and grab a pesticide sprayer. After this, stick the blood into the bucket for the sprayer. Now, when you shoot the blood splatter the Kleenex tissue will turn the color of the blood and look like brains or parts of the body that have bee...
How To: Make a scary green monster latex mask for Halloween
In this clip, we learn how to create a DIY latex monster mask for Halloween or other fancy-dress event. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, and to get started creating your own one-of-a-kind monster masks, watch this fun video guide.
How To: Set up a green screen for chroma keying
Think you might like to set up a green screen? It's easy! All you really need is a big green sheet. This video production tutorial presents a complete guide and will see to it that you know everything you need to know start incorporating green (or blue) screen work into your own video productions.
How To: Make zombies, knights armor and giant talking heads on the cheap
If you're trying to get in some last minute Halloween costume ideas, or have something that you're looking to do with one of your films involving knights armor, zombies, or giant Jim Henson style talking heads, this video from Indy Mogul might just be what you're looking for! Learn how to make all these costumes and effects on the cheap!
How To: Make your own realistic vampire fangs at home
You don't have to spend lots of money for custom fit vampire fangs or costume fangs - you can make your own at home quite easily! All you need is some non-toxic modeling clay, JB weld, a mixing container and a stirring stick.
How To: Make Samus Arans arm canon from the Metroid series for your costume
In the Metroid series you play as the inter-galactic, female bounty hunter known as Samus Aran and follow her adventures against Mother Brain and more! Guess this kid didn't mind being a female for Halloween, but more importantly, he was luck enough to have a super cool dad to help him build the arm canon from Samus' Varia suit! Interested in making it yourself? Details lie within!
How To: Apply Scarecrow brand costume vampire fangs
Just bought a pair of costume vampire fangs, and confused as to how to make them fit on your teeth? This tutorial shows you how you create the mold (focusing on Scarecrow brand fangs) and attach them securely to your teeth. Rawr!
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 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: Shamble convincingly and act like a zombie
No matter how good your zombie costume is, you're going to need to get your zombie walk down to convince people you're trying to eat their brains. Walk, talk and act like an extra on Night of the Living Dead!
How To: Apply latex ear tips to make yourself look like an elf, alien or faerie
Ear tips are a versatile part of any science fiction or fantasy costume - make yourself look like a Vulcan, elf, fae or any other creature with pointed ears. Not only are you shown how to attach the ears, you can make blend in with the skin of the wearer to look as natural as possible.
How To: Make a Renaissance or medieval style peasant blouse
This tutorial shows you how to make a Renaissance or medieval costume blouse. You will need a sewing machine and about a yard and a half of fabric. You don't need a pattern, just one of your own shirts to use as a fitting guide.
How To: Make Spartan style armor out of Sintra
This tutorial series shows you how to use Sintra (a type of PVC plastic that bends under heat) to make a piece of Spartan-style leg armor. This focues on making a shin guard, but you can use this method for any piece of armor you want to make.
How To: Lace up a corset on somene else
Corsets can be a fun and sexy addition to any costume or outfit, but how can you make sure it looks its best on you? This tutorial shows you how you can lace someone into a corset comfortably and elegeantly.
How To: Lace your corset up by yourself
Don't have a corset buddy to help get you into your corset? You can do it yourself! This video shows you how to place your corset properly on the body and then pull on the laces in the right way to get your corset on snugly and properly.
How To: Create professional movie your are shooting with only two shop lights
Lighting a movie can be dramatically expensive and complex, but for the DIY filmmaker on a budget this can be a major handicap. In this video you'll learn how to create a serviceable lighting setup for your filming using only $25 worth of shop lights and 200w bulbs.
How To: Make a Kiki's Delivery Service Witch costume for Halloween or cosplay
Kiki's Delivery Service is one of Japanese anime filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki's most beloved films and Kiki among his strongest protagonists. If you love Kiki and want to be her for Halloween or a cosplay event, watch this video to learn how to put together an easy but good Kiki costume.
How To: Make leather bracers and belt for an Altair Assassin's Creed or other costume
Leather bracers and belts are staples of typical medieval garb, and if you want to make a medieval Halloween or cosplay costume it could probably be helped by a set. In this video you'll learn how to make great bracers and belts yourself for an Altair from Assassin's Creed or other period costume.
How To: Sew the hood for an Altair for Assassin's Creed costume
If you've been looking for a sexy contemporary video game character to cosplay or dress as for Halloween, consider Altair from Assassin's Creed. He's sexy, distinctive, and armed with this video you'll be well on your way to having sewed the costume yourself. Specifically, this video will teach you how to sew Altair's hood quickly and easily.
How To: Make the red sash for an Altair from Assassin' Creed costume
Altair from Assassin's Creed is an incredibly stylish and well-realized character, which makes him a perfect costume choice for Halloween or a cosplay convention. Watch this video to learn how to sew the red sash for an Altair costume quickly and easily.
How To: Make the upper tunic for an Altair from Assassin' Creed costume
If you love Assassin's Creed and know how to sew, you've come to the right place. This video features a Dutch costumer explaining how to make the upper tunic for an Altair from Assassin's Creed costume. Not for those who cannot sew, this is a hardcore costume. Also, watch this video on making the template for the tunic before you start.
How To: Make the under tunic for an Altair from Assassin's Creed costume
Altair is one of the sexiest video games characters your could be this Halloween or at your next cosplay convention. The Dutchman who made this video clearly is devoted to the character, and in this video you'll learn how to make a perfect Altair under tunic for your costume. Watch this video before you start to learn how to make the template.
How To: Make under and upper tunic template for Altair from Assassin's Creed costume
Altair from Assassin's Creed absolutely drips charisma and originality, and thus makes a great costume choice for Halloween or cosplay. In this video you'll learn how to make a template for his upper and under tunic before your cut and sew it.
How To: Do your makeup, hair, and costume for a Masquerade party or Halloween
Masquerade parties are fun, classy, and sensual. Even if you don't know of any upcoming Masquerade parties, the Masquerade look works perfect for Halloween as well. In this video you'll learn how to do the hair, makeup, and costume for a great Masquerade look
How To: Get perfect exposure in your photographs and cinematography
When making your film, you want to make sure that the cameras that you're using, and the pictures and footage that you're taking, have the right exposure. Exposure can make or break your film as far as quality of the footage being presented! In this video you will get a tutorial on how to get the perfect exposure for your footage!
How To: Create a perfectly aligned tri-laser effect for your predator mask
Going for a Predator outfit for Halloween or as a cameo in your film, you want to try to get as close to the real thing as possible. In this video you will learn how to perfectly align LED lights to create the targeting lights that the predator uses for its canon with a quick tutorial!
How To: Closed shirt bind your chest to cosplay or dress up like a male character
If you're looking to mix it up at your next cosplay or going out for Halloween and want to dress as a male character and get the look right, one method you can use is closed shirt binding. In this video, you will learn how to use a sports bra, a compression shirt, and more to get the look!
How To: Make a human form Midna costume from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
If you're a Zelda fan and are looking to do something different for your cosplay, or Halloween outfit, then there's a chance that you haven't tried being Midna in her human form after you complete the game Twilight Princess after reassembling the mirror. In this video you will get a full tutorial on how to create the costume from scratch including making the headpiece and trinkets yourself!
How To: Make your own Sally Jupiter costume from the original Watchmen (The Minutemen)
For all the massive comic book geeks out there (be proud!) some of you may be very familiar with Sally Jupiter from the amazing Alan Moore graphic novel, The Watchmen. For those who watched the movie, that counts too. If you're looking to recreate her old costume from her time with The Minutemen, check out this three part video series! In it you will get a full tutorial on how to create every aspect of the costume on the cheap as well as sowing the dress and more!
How To: Make an awesome Predator costume with mask
The Predator is a classic Sci-Fi and horror film monster, and quite possibly one of the coolest. (There will be no debating Aliens vs. Predator in these comments! :) ) If you're looking to make a costume for your indie film, or for going out for Halloween, check out this awesome video on how to make a very convincing looking Predator costume on the cheap!
How To: Do the makeup for a female Link from Zelda costume
Link, the hero of the Zelda video games, is a great costume choice for men or women. He's kind of androgynous. In this video you'll learn how to do perfect Link makeup as a girl as part of an overall amazing Link costume for Halloween or cosplay.
How To: Make day into night & create giants with film tricks
In this video, we learn how to make day into night & create giants with film tricks. When doing this, make sure you don't show the sky because it will be a dead give away. First, set the correct exposure and make it indoors so it's blue. Then, the shutter should be set around four and there should be clouds in the sun. Add some blue and saturate as much as you can. When you shoot, you will get the darkness that you need. If you want to show that it's still daytime and almost night, then make ...
How To: Build a $30 steadycam
In this video we learn how to build a $30 steadycam. Making this yourself will save you thousands of dollars and allow you to get smooth shots with your camera! First, you will need to take a round free weight that is used in the gym. After this, grab a pipe and stick it into the middle of this, making sure it's a tight fit. From here, attach another pipe to it using bolts to screw it together. Once you're finished, you can attach your cam to it and use it to take your shots whether they are ...
How To: Make a Necronomicon prop from the "Evil Dead" series
In this video, we learn how to make a Necronomicon prop from the "Evil Dead" series. First, gather all of your materials together so you can make this prop. After this, cut up piece of cardboard into the desired shape, then tape them and make sure it's able to open and close. Next, you will use tape to make it look like creases in the skin and create the face by rolling it together. Use masking tape to connect these and make it look like it's all part of the same skin. Next, mix red, yellow, ...
How To: Get your heart torn out with film effects
In this video we learn how to get your heart torn out with film effects. First, go to the butcher's section of your market and find a gross piece of meat. Then, cut a hole in your shirt and grab some fake plastic blood. Soak the meat in the blood and then place it into the shirt. Have one of your actors push their hand into the shirt and act like they are tearing a heart out. After you do this, have the other actor act like they are in severe pain. This will finish our your heart torn out fil...
How To: Make your own cheap camera dolly
In this video we learn how to make your own cheap camera dolly. First, place down two PVC pipes and place a board on top of that. Then, you can place the tripod on top of that. You can use this to take shots where the camera is sliding from one position to the next but you want to avoid shake from someone handling the camera. Make sure to glue wheels and a track to the board that you place on top of the pipe and it will travel along them more easily. Enjoy using this and have fun making diffe...
How To: Make a home made battle axe and pole axe out of cardboard for your cosplay
Looking to hit up DragonCon, GenCon, ComicCon, or any other sort of con and want to dress up? Well, if you're going as your favorite Dungeons and Dragons character (there's others, but this one was first to mind) and that character happens to use an axe, there's a cheap way to make your own with a broom handle, some cardboard, spray paint and time! In this video you will learn how to construct a battle axe, a pole axe AND a war axe, pretty cool right?
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 really awesome Predator costume for Halloween or a costume party
The Predator might be the most badass alien ever depicted on film. If you want to embody these formidable lone hunters on Halloween or in a film, watch this video to learn how to make a really sweet DIY predator costume that requires only three costume pieces, with the rest filled in by you/
How To: Make two different types of lightsaber props out of hardware store parts
There are a lot of different kinds of lighsabers in the Star Wars films. Almost every character who has one has a different one. Thus, there are many different ways to make a replica lightsaber for Halloween or as a prop. Watch this video to learn how to use two different designs to make your own lightsaber prop out of hardware store materials for about $15.