dvsDave said:
wolf825 said:
Would you like me to post the step=by=step instructions (or not--given the whole hub-bub regarding people getting ideas off the internet and doing STUPID things with such info =) )?
It would be okay if you posted step-by-step instructions. I doubt anyone would sue such a small site... and if they do... it would be great advertizing! :wink:
Hehe..well that was why I asked--you are the admin. Ok well here is the instructions, use at your own risk:
Movie-style Bloodpacks:
Ingredients needed are:
Stage Blood (preferrably Karo Syrup based and not the glycerine based as the latter can deteriorate the latex quicker.) If you need instructions on how to make
stage blood, just ask.
Condoms. UN-lubricated--the kind you use for Mic belt packs is fine. You CAN use latex gloves however note the talc in the gloves can "pepper" and alter the blood quality. Of course--you could also
wash out a glove and use it. Just tie off the fingers before you fill it (i.e. no blood into the fingers--tie and cut them off.)
Duct tape: better then gaffers because of the fibers and strength.
Small square of leather, foam or thick cloth for comfort, size of the steel plate.
Steel plate: ( a heavy double
gang box cover plate works well--do NOT use the thin aluminum
cover that would
house a
outlet but the heavy thick galvanized steel wall plate that covers an unused
gang box. The plate can be attached or mounted to a "sport bra" or similar
velcro thick belt that the person wears.
Squibs: professional "body hit" type prefferred, but the kind purchased from model shops for rocket launcher engines
etc will work too but would need modification. Some vary on the
voltage needed to fire--match these with your battery source. Do NOT use AC
voltage to fire (duh).
14guage
wire and a
lantern battery.
Instructions:
Open the condom and unroll it. Fill the condom with 1/2 - 3/4 cup of
stage blood. More if you want a lot of blood or a bigger
effect. Tie the end with little air in the condom. Basically--you are making a water balloon. (why not use balloons? 2 reasons: 1) its hard to find a flesh colored balloon--and 2) they tend to stretch too much under pressure and will not "pop" as nicely.
Once you have filled the condom and tied it, you should have a small "ball" of blood the size of your fist, like a water balloon. This is your bloodpack. Take your squib and tape it in place on the steel plate in the center. Tape this below, onto the wires (don't put tape over the squib charge itself) to the steel plate to hold the squib in place. NOTE: some professional body-hit style squibs can be directional in their charge--IOW when they go off they only go off
in one direction and the rear side of the charge has little or no impact force. Make SURE if you are using these types that you get the direction correct, and facing outward--not UP towards the
face, and not backwards to the actor (or that would really hurt). Be VERY sepcific and CAREFUL about this step. If the squib is non-directional, then any way you put it will work. Next, Place the bloodpack on top of the squib on the steel plate. Next using
duct tape begin to tape down the blood pack
flat on to the steel plate. Tape the bloodpack until flattened well, and you have made a small "opening" in the taped area. IOW, tape the top, bottom and sides several times square until you have a small area in the center that has NO tape on it. You should tape the bloodpack down with some pressure to flatten it some--IOW you want to press the tape firmly down to squeeze the blood pack. That way--when it bursts it will shoot better out the shot hole. Make sure you leave the center part of the bloodpack (right under the squib area) UN-taped. You want about a 1"-2" center area of untaped bloodpack in the center. When you press down the bloodpack should "bulge" from the untaped area. If its under enough pressure, it should take little pressure to make it bulge. Be careful not to press too hard or you may tear the bloodpack and then you have to start over. This small area opening in the center is where the charge "bursts" out of. Basic law of physics--any force will follow the path of least resisitance. The idea here is to tape down around the squib and the rest of the bloodpack to make the center hole the path of least resistance. You do not want any untaped areas around the edges or the force could go that direction. Center is the only open area. Gives more "burst".. You can never use too much
duct tape to do this, but if you have used the whole roll--you have gone a
bit overboard<g>.
Next after you have made your bloodpack, turn it over and look at the steel plate--place a piece of cloth or leather on the back of the steel plate and tape into place. This does two things: it helps to lessen the steel against a persons skin when the squib charge goes off, and prevents any steel from burning the persons skin if it gets hot from multiple shots. It doesn't happen that often, but it can get warm if the charge is high enough. The leather, foam or cloth will help lessen that. I have seen, for some FX uses, special holders made into
velcro bands that use fire/heat resistant pads below the squib charge. Since
asbestos and fire retardant heavy cloth can be hard to come by, I choose leather cause everyone has an old wallet lying around they can cut up. Do NOT use NYLON for this type of
insulation. Nylon is heat sensitive and It can melt onto skin. FOAM is also a plus to use as well instead of leather. NOTE: Adding the backing is a precautionary measure and adds comfort to the wearer, and should not be ignored. In use USUALLY there is not enough heat or force transfer to the steel to be a bother. BUT whenever dealing with special effects, it is always a plus to be safe then sorry.
How to PREP Clothes for the "shot": To make the "burst" happen from clothes there are a few things to do. First and most common way is to "score" the backside of the material with a razor blade at the
point where the hole or body shot is to happen. Match this up with the squib charge the person is wearing so you get the area precise. Overscore the area--about twice the size of the hole you want. Once you have cut and scored the material, you carefully close it back up and use small pieces of
clear tape to hold it in place. If you are using a double--a shirt that is exactly the same as the costume only it has been scored for having holes shot into it, then you don't need to pay much attention to this detail as the FX camera shot is filmed with the body shot in mind and none of the other acting or moving about is of concern. A second method is to make a shirt "
face" from thin paper. This can go over or be a piece that looks like a shirt that is worn for the
effect only. Careful not to sweat or get these wet. This type of paper shirt is easily passed if the shirt worn is a simple white shirt. Some industrial supply places have similar types of overgarments of paper clothing that you could
purchase. If not, usually the disposable paper table cloths with or withoutu the plastic wrap backing work well for this. You simply cut out a shirt front that fits the actor, and do a small amount of scoring on the pastic backing and violla--the shirt will rip open when the bloodpack goes off. Drawback to these types of shirt faces is they are delicate and can tear easily if care is not taken while wearing or putting them on. also if they get wet they can rip easy too.
Always make your bloodpack fresh--a few hours of using if possible. The longer the latex is filled and under pressure the less "pop" it will do as the latex will stretch out. So if you make them one weekend and go to use them a few days or more later, they may not be as snappy to pop, and the
stage blood you use may thin out.
IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT SQUIBS and ALTERNATIVES to squibs:
Body-hit style squibs are a complete
effect on their own. If you
purchase some they will say specifically that they are for use on a body-hit
effect and can be worn. If they do NOT say this--they are NOT the correct ones. There are many types of squibs--balloon squibs, microdets and bullit hit squibs for body's. If you are purchasing these, make sure you get the correct ones. Squibs are a type of explosive and contain powders that can burn. They ARE DANGEROUS and should not be used by careless or stupid people. To dispel a common misjudgement: Body-hit squibs are NOT exclusively
electric matches that you would get to fire another explosive--those types of
electric matches alone does a completely different thing.
Electric matches produce a small flame/heat burst to ingnite another primary explosive or component, while a body-hit squib is a self contained
unit (yes an
electric match is usually part of the device--but it is not the entire device). Those I mentioned you could get from a model shop (
electric matches) need modification and other ingredients to work correctly. They will NOT WORK without those modifications. Body hit squibs can be purchased--and in some states only a
pyrotechnician can obtain them, so I offer info on a SAFE ALTERNATIVE to using an explosive on a person. Compressed Air. These are used on head and close to
face "shots" in some movies, and do work well. Air tubes replace the
electric wire needs and can be easier to hide. With the correct set up, they wil do the exact same
effect, only MUCH safer and cheaper to do many times. You'll need a type of air-compressor--a hand-pumped insecticide or paint sprayer works, or so does those small glove-compartment tire inflators. You need some hose, plugs, some sponges and
stage blood. There is a website that offer's pictures and quicktime movies on use of the air-compression method and
IMO a picture is worth a thousand words in explanation. So I will pass that along rather then try to explain it too in depth.
www.exposure.co.uk/eejit/blood/
They also have a few comments of what can go wrong if you decide to use the squib method and are unfamiliar with using those products.
Well thats my diatribe on how that
effect is done. Hope that answers the questions and curiosities.. Feel free to ask any questions and I'll be glad to try to answer.
-wolf