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NoSoup · 10-03-2006, 10:11 AM

A friend of mine was doing a film for his final exam in one of his classes, and needed a "headshot"

Obviously, putting any kind of explosives near your head is highly unsafe, and not recommended.

Here's what we come up with as a safe way to get the shot.

Thing's you"ll need...

Air Compressor
Hose
Knife
Duct Tape
Sponge
"Blood"
Scotch Tape
Earplugs

Basically, take a length of hose (long enough to run from the "victim" to where it can easily attach to the air compressor - you may need to ensure it seals well with the duct tape) and cap off one end, however you please. We basically kinked the end, cut off the excess, and used apoxy to seal it shut. It will be under some pressure, so make sure that it will hold.

Once you have an end sealed off, make a (or several smaller ones) hole in the side of the hose not far from the sealed end. We used a drill to do this, and experimented with different sizes, until finally we got it down to the effect he wanted.

Take a sponge and shove it far enough into the hose near the sealed end to create a type of reservoir for your blood - make sure you pack it relatively tight, to make sure it seals well, but not too tight, as it does have to move. It took us several attempts to get this right.

Finally, depending on the size of the hole in the hose, you might consider taking tiny pieces of sponge that you have ripped/cut off and adding it to your "blood" - it gives it texture, especially helpful if it is going to land on something in camera.

Once you have done that, fill up the reservoir with your "blood" and put a piece of scotch tape over the hole to prevent leaking. Hook up your airtight hose to the air compressor. To conceal it in shot, we had the camera set up so you could only see about knee height and up - we ran the hose along the ground, up the leg of the actors pants, through his shirt, and because of the angle of the camera, we just cut a hole in the back of the shirt and ran the hose out through that and could basically just tape it to the back of his shirt, running the end up to his head.

Originally, we was going to have it on the side of his head, but the back of the head seemed safer.

Either way, I would recommend the actor wearing earplugs, just for safety - it can get pretty loud, and there is all kinds of compressed air flying around near their head - better to be safe than sorry...

10-03-2006, 10:11 AM	#2 (permalink)
NoSoup Non-Rookie Location: Green Bay, WI	A friend of mine was doing a film for his final exam in one of his classes, and needed a "headshot" Obviously, putting any kind of explosives near your head is highly unsafe, and not recommended. Here's what we come up with as a safe way to get the shot. Thing's you"ll need... Air Compressor Hose Knife Duct Tape Sponge "Blood" Scotch Tape Earplugs Basically, take a length of hose (long enough to run from the "victim" to where it can easily attach to the air compressor - you may need to ensure it seals well with the duct tape) and cap off one end, however you please. We basically kinked the end, cut off the excess, and used apoxy to seal it shut. It will be under some pressure, so make sure that it will hold. Once you have an end sealed off, make a (or several smaller ones) hole in the side of the hose not far from the sealed end. We used a drill to do this, and experimented with different sizes, until finally we got it down to the effect he wanted. Take a sponge and shove it far enough into the hose near the sealed end to create a type of reservoir for your blood - make sure you pack it relatively tight, to make sure it seals well, but not too tight, as it does have to move. It took us several attempts to get this right. Finally, depending on the size of the hole in the hose, you might consider taking tiny pieces of sponge that you have ripped/cut off and adding it to your "blood" - it gives it texture, especially helpful if it is going to land on something in camera. Once you have done that, fill up the reservoir with your "blood" and put a piece of scotch tape over the hole to prevent leaking. Hook up your airtight hose to the air compressor. To conceal it in shot, we had the camera set up so you could only see about knee height and up - we ran the hose along the ground, up the leg of the actors pants, through his shirt, and because of the angle of the camera, we just cut a hole in the back of the shirt and ran the hose out through that and could basically just tape it to the back of his shirt, running the end up to his head. Originally, we was going to have it on the side of his head, but the back of the head seemed safer. Either way, I would recommend the actor wearing earplugs, just for safety - it can get pretty loud, and there is all kinds of compressed air flying around near their head - better to be safe than sorry... __________________ I have an aura of reliability and good judgement. Just in case you were wondering...