Filming & creating Explosions

I really need some explosions. I've decided i want to try to create my own(i love blowing things up). How do i go about filimg the explosions, i understand you have something black behind it, but what should i use painted plywood?I would be too worried about cloth catching on fire. Do i need to light the scene in a certain way?

How would i go about creating a huge ball of fire that would sorta look like a mushroom cloud? A match and gas?

 

As usual I the writer do not condone your actions nor does the aforementioned writer accept any responsibility for damaged property, or other damages associated with the instructions hereby given.

I would suggest painted concrete, wall or something else hard. You will need a large amount of whatever you decide to use, say, upwards of 4 square metres.

You should film from behind glass to prevent light shrapnel from damaging you or (more importantly) your equipment.

A mushroom cloud is hard to create on a fanfilm budget (unless you happen to have US$4.3 million and a few contacts) so I suggest faking this in post.

As for lighting you want dark but I advise twilight so that you can see what you are doing. Keep your camera on manual aperture and have it set for a brighter setting as your explosive will be pretty bright.

Also, if you can, try to keep your device away from the wall as light will reflect off the wall and make it visiable in the final footage.

There are many things to mention about explosives that I will not mention here.

If you want big, fire-like explosions as seen at artbeats.com then you should. . .

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. . .continued in PM.

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It is quit easy to make explosion, good ones to. But if you do, remember that its YOUR fault if you blow yourself to bits. To create mortars i used a small C02 canister and blew it up with heat, very very simple yet effective. So maybe your could just use simple ideas. Be sure to post your results

 

hey thats my sisters job int it? i think i'll start out with fireworks like sparkerlers the big ones from last year, learn from those. and if i get arrested i'm blaming all of you! i'll post everything i make unless i nearly killed myself making one then that one is staying with me. Dont keep your hopes really high about me doing any very big extremly highquality explosions. The best i can do quality wise is digital 8 (sorry) but thats where i can use after effects and fix it up

 

A mushroom cloud isn't EXPENSIVE to create, all you need to create a mushroom cloud is an explosion where cold air jumps into the center of to make the heat rise into the air, hence the mushroom shape. Many high explosive rounds create mushroom clouds when they explode but the signature nuclear mushroom could of course can only come from a nuclear explosion wich IS out of our reach

 

Something that no-one's commented on so far. If you want it to look BIG, you need to film in slowmo. The two best ways to go about it are (1) Borrow an 8mm camera with a high-speed setting, or (2) rent a high-speed video rig for a day.
-Lokmer

 

Actually I'm not sure if this will create a mushroom cloud, but it will give a small explosion. First you want to get fairly close your explosive. REMBER!!!!! BE SAFE!!!

Protect your camera, with a small house, with plexiglass to cover the lens. Then take a small 35mm film cartridge, drill a small hole enough for a piece or yarn to fit through, then take the size of yarn you want, and coat it in your BP (black powder)
mixture, then attack a clothes pin to it and ste up someplace to dry. Not outside you need a cool, dry place. now that you ahve preped it it time to make your explosive. Take the 35mm film case, put BP in the bottom about 1/4 of the case, just a tiny bit. Now, take a zip lock bag, and poor very tiny amount of gasoline in the bottom, hold it so it goes into one corner of the bag, so you end up with a pointy end that has gasoline in it. Now cut above that pointy end, leaving enough room to twist it closed, you can use tape if it won't close by itself. Now place the bag, ontop of the OPEN cartridge. (This is with the fuse in, but before you put the BP in the bottom you want to put the fuse in, BUT BE CAREFULL!!!!!!!!!!!! You use a hot glue gun to fuse, the fuse in around the edes, you must do this carefully and at little bits at a time. You may be able to use tape or sticky wall tack. You know the blue or white stuff for posters. Just make sure the fuse can go through to the BP. Now, once thats all done, you can take you ag and put it on top, with the lidd off the cartridge. Then run light then boom. As always be CAREFULL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You can also use an electrical fuse, using a bater a wire, with TWO ends, and a rocket engine fuse from a model rocket. You can buy these seperately.

But like I said be carefull!!!!!!! ALWAYS!!!! USE CAUTION AND COMMON SENSE!! I you use a hot glue gun to fuse the fuse, don't set up the rest of the bomb while doing this, other wise your face might not be there, in a second. Oh and the proble with this one is that, it tends to fling burning bit of plastic everywhere, so thats another thing to look out for, where trousers and a jumper. But you should be far enough away from it that it won't reach you. And box it in with your black wood, or whatever so it will be closed in.


Kyle

 

You can always buy Maya 4.5 Unlimited and create there ;-):

Maya 4.5 Fluid Effects

Doing it practical is foolish you should consult with a pyro expert, or fire fighter.

 

I'm not going to comment on how to make the explosions, but to film them...

Film at night.
Film at HIGH SPEED.
If you only have a traditional video camera, don't even bother.
Most explosions won't last more than a couple frames.
Pros film at 150fps or more.

Here's and intersting link for you.

Have fun. (...but stay safe.)

 

I don't know about explosions, but I have pulled off convincing smoke effects by pouring paint into an aquarium (no fish of course). It mushrooms out like a nuke if you do it right. I don't know if this trick could be used for explosions, but you might could shine a light through the paint to make it look like fire or something. Then color correct it in the computer. Just because you have CG at your disposal, doesn't always mean you have to use it.

In my fanfilm there are about 10 or so practical effects shots. Some with model starships instead of CG ones. Just depends on the shot.