Stabbing an Eye

[Meegers]

The show I'm working on calls for a moment where a patient takes a pen and stabs his attending nurse in the eye. The director would like this effect to look as realistic as possible.

Does anyone have experience with any fx like this?

Our house is fairly small (100 max.) and the audience sits fairly close to the actors.

Any suggestions would be very welcome!

Thanks,

Meghan

 

[porkchop]

I have a friend out of Las Vegas that specializes in this kind of thing. I sent you a private message with his contact information.

 

[ahoudini]

I am thinking this way: first, show a matching, normal pen in some context earlier in the scene/show. Something a bright color, maybe, so the audience recognizes its duplicate later. Just prior to the stabbing, a switch is made for a duplicate pen with a silicone "eye with a pen hole in it" prosthetic attached to the pen's business end. The patient brings it up and, in one motion places it near the nurses upstage eye. She/he reacts by putting her hand over it and pulling her head back. The nurse quickly adjusts the pen's position so she is gripping the prosthetic with her brow and cheek like a monocle, takes her hand away and turns to make the reveal to the audience. Wouldn't be much blood as there is none in the eyeball, itself. Not sure where the scene goes from there but she could add blood or fluid when she returns her hand up, picked up from the set or wardrobe while the audience is distracted by the big reveal.

 

[StradivariusBone]

Going along with the eye fluid comment- It makes me think of that junior high trick with the fork and the creamer cup like you find in restaurants. Not sure how that would be made stage-safe, but I remember watching it done by a friend of mine was fairly realistic.


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[Carl75]

I would not recommend using a real pen anywhere near a real eye!!!!!!!!!!!! one small misstep or missed mark and real nurses will be needed.
here is how I would do it.

go to home depot and buy some High Density Foam.
Shape it into a Pen shape use spray paint or whatever to make it resemble a real pen. have the actor use that FAKE pen through the scene leading up to the stabbing or through the whole show.
take a sandwich bag put a small amount of fake blood (Corn syrup with Red food coloring) tie it off, called a "SQUIB"
Nurse has the SQUIB in his/her pocket (in hand for the stab). Patient steals pen and stabs eye. nurse smashes SQUIB over her eye. if they want to see the pen sticking out just break the foam pen in half and hold it between his/her fingers.

Of course you will have to practice this stab awhile to make sure no one gets hurt and you get the effect your looking for.

All is said and done you spent about $5

I personally would suggest turning both actors backs to the audience for the actual stab so that no one has to actually stab at another persons eye.

Good Luck