After all this I regret that I did not learn Houdini from the first day. * Sticking with Blender a couple of years, focusing on characters for realistic VFX. * Teaching Blender character creation, texturing, rigging and animation (high school level, 1.5 years). * Freelancing work with Maya a couple of years (freelance generalist, 2010-2013). (not very seriously) * University degree in computer science, with a major in computer graphics - we used Maya primarily (2007-2010). You may have whatever opinion you like, but so may I, as long as we respect one another, right? Here are some background notes just to help you understand I'm not just posting opinions: * Used a couple of different 3D animation packages since 90:s. Hands can be washed (or latex gloves worn), but even though the ingredients are all biodegradable, it won’t hurt to wear an old T-shirt when mixing the blood - working in a sink or on a surface covered with paper towels.Usually I avoid posting here, but after reading so many opinions about Blender around this community pages I want to make a couple of things somewhat clearer from my own experience. But some things are universal - such as the fact that whoever will be making the blood will end up getting it all over their hands and clothes. Almost all of the recipes suggest pouring out a few drops onto a white card or paper towel to see how the color looks - keeping in mind the abruptness of the spray might require the blood to be less so it’s more noticeable when it appears.ĭoing a test shooting with the same lighting that will be used will aid in seeing how the blood looks both in-camera as well as when viewed in post-production. But the look of all these recipes vary, so it becomes a personal preference as to which is the best for the particular production in which blood is needed. Īt its core, there are a few ingredients that are generally used, such as red food coloring, corn syrup or corn starch. For example, chocolate syrup makes for a very bloody look, but only if filmed in black and white. The ingredients should be intense in color - enough to be easily identified - since the blood is to be seen as it exits and sprays into the air as well as drenching the immediate area surrounding the “wound.” There are a number of recipes for making blood, each having their advantages/disadvantages which relate to the shooting. This must not be so viscous as to impede its flowing freely, for example running more like molasses than free-flowing water.

Alternately, a drop of superglue will accomplish this as well. For example, applying momentary heat to the tip of the tubing can cement it in position over the end of the syringe. The tubing can also be larger than just one that fits over the tip of the syringe. As there are different sizes of syringes, it is necessary to view the choices in order to select the one most suitable. The size of the syringe again is dictated by how much blood will be dispensed, along with the physical size of its tip and the tubing, as these two must be mated together. The device that will hold the blood and provide the air pressure to push it through the tubing is a commonplace syringe.

If the trigger is to be done by someone off camera instead of the actor, the length might be slightly longer.Ĭreating practical effects is the same for every production: devices that perform a task on-camera must be first assembled and then used live. For example, if the actor is to initiate the blood, it needs to be long enough to reach his/her waist and a little past that. The length will be based on both - where it’s to be positioned on the actor’s body, along with where the trigger will be. The main necessity is for it to be flexible, although it also needs to be thin in most cases (except as where a huge amount of blood is to be dispensed). All that is needed is tubing, which can be surgical or plastic tubing acquired from a surgical supply house. The blood-squirt device, at its core, is similar to that of the classic “smell the flower on my lapel and get a spray of water” gag that was a mainstay of the 1920’s jokester. A blood-squirt device that relies on air pressure to propel the blood fulfills these needs and also makes for an inexpensive device. Additionally, the mechanism should be such that it can be used repeatedly and does not have any contents which can fail (such as an explosive charge that fails to detonate), ruining the shooting. Simplicity requires that when the mechanism is activated, the person who the blood is going to spray from can control it him/herself as well as from off-camera. The first part is the “blood” the second part is the device that the blood resides in until it’s showtime and the third part is the mechanism that propels the blood. There are three parts to making a blood-squirt device.

Blender movie effects