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Practical movie magic
Practical movie magic
I've got a great passion for creating realistic and dramatic effects, from explosive blood squibs to careful costume preparations. I'd love to share with you the fascinating process behind these stunts, and how I combine my engineering knowledge with a keen eye for aesthetics and creativity to bring cinematic magic to life.
Bullet hit squibs
Bullet hit squibs
Have you ever wondered how those dramatic blood squib effects are created in Hollywood used to simulate getting shot in film and theatre? As a child growing up watching crazy '90s action films, I was always fascinated by these special effects. They left a lasting impression on me, especially in the details where blood seemed to explode through an actor's clothes. I was curious about how it all worked and absolutely wanted to do it (on) myself.
In the early 2000s, information on this topic was very limited on the internet. I tried researching everywhere, from books to niche internet forums, on how these effects were created professionally. What I found was basically a device called a "bullet hit squib", which is hidden beneath the actor's clothing. It consists of a squib -- a small explosive charge, a packet of fake blood and a metal plate to protect the actor. When triggered, the squib burst open the packet and the fabric, propelling the fake blood through the costume.
Now, in order to be able to create this effect, I first had to obtain training and certification before being able to handle these devices safely because squibs are actually explosives, surprisingly. Since then, I've been constantly refining the aesthetic of a blood squib, which can be customised, of course. I always aim to prolong the "screen time" to convey the violence and impact. Besides using slow-motion, the fabric needs to be heavily pre-scored so that the bullet hole is already significantly weakened, but is intact enough so that the cuts are not too visible on camera before detonation. Costume preparation is something that is often overlooked, which works synergistically with the squibs.
Moreover, I build the blood squibs in such a way that after the initial burst, a stream of blood will flow out of the ripped and frayed bullet hole, further lengthening the duration of the visual effect. As you can see, I wanted to make the entire stunt as scientific and as methodically prepared as possible. While this couldn't be further away from reality, exaggerating the realism helps sell the effect.
My first experience with squibs was quite memorable. I was a bit nervous and I remember asking myself if I was crazy. But when the trigger button was pressed, the next thing I remember was hearing a pop and feeling the squib's baseplate ricocheting slightly against my body. I was a little startled at first. Then I smelled gunpowder, and as I looked down, I saw a hole in my costume with fake blood spilling all over it and the floor. That was fun.
In the first image, I was wearing a clean set of scrubs rigged with six bullet hit squibs. In the second image, you can see the aftermath of the shoot. The squibs successfully detonated, creating dramatic blood bursts through the costume. We had a few takes for this shoot to capture different camera angles and perfect the timing. This process is quite technical and demonstrates that both technical skill and creativity are needed to achieve such compelling special effects.
This was just posing for the Youtube video cover, the squibs were already fired 😉
Costumes used for stunts like bullet hit squibs are called "dead character costumes" because they're used for the death scene of a character, and typically, several identical pieces are prepared for the scene. These costumes are different from other wardrobe pieces in that they are deliberately damaged for the shoot and are not returned to the costume shop afterwards.
Costume preparation is an often overlooked, yet crucial aspect of the bullet hit stunt. Besides the script requirement, I always try to choose costumes that work well with the effect. I find down jackets particularly versatile for many scenes and characters. They can conceal multiple squib devices effectively, have filling that provides padding, are comfortable to wear all day, and are easy to put on and take off. The entire electronics system can be integrated into the jacket. Thus, multiple duplicates are prepared well in advance, allowing the actor to simply change the jacket between takes. Typically, at least one costume is used for all the scenes prior to the stunt, called the "hero," while three or more "stunt" replicas are rigged with the squib devices. An additional piece is used for testing to ensure the fabric rips as intended and to confirm the desired look with the combination of squib strength and volume of fake blood. The whole stunt would end up costing a lot of time and money, but I think it's well worth it. One of my favourite visual aesthetics is creating an effect where down feathers burst out of the bullet hole, followed by a stream of fake blood. This attention to detail adds a dramatic and realistic touch to the scene.
From my experience with IoT electronics, I also developed an automated, wireless firing system that is modular, easy to build, and inexpensive to manufacture. This system can even be operated via an app, a significant improvement over the conventional, often costly and user-unfriendly firing boxes. As an engineer, you can probably tell there's no such thing as an over-engineered piece of equipment.
Even in today's era of CGI, practical effects possess a unique, visceral aesthetic that digital methods can't replicate. The physical interaction of light, materials, and smoke creates a realism that is hard to beat.
Finally, I wanted to contribute to the public domain on this topic. I wanted to show everyone how this awesome special effect is made amidst the limited information available online. I wrote the Wikipedia article on bullet hit squibs (you might recognise some of the images here) and plan to make several YouTube videos on the topic! The is currently being planned and shot.
Arrow hits
Arrow hits
When I was a kid, another special effect that fascinated and obsessed me was the arrow hit effect. It looks so cool how they achieve this in the movies. How do you shoot a flying arrow at an actor, impale it into the body, and do this safely? I remember watching Val Valentino (the Masked Magician) on TV who performed a similar effect. He revealed (in his way) that a fishing line connected to the actor guides a yellow tape. Another line is attached to tape and is pulled quickly to pretend that it's flying through the air.
Improving on that, I made a few refinements - when the arrow is pulled and contacts the actor, a base embedded in the costume holds the arrow in place, allowing the effect to be done in one continuous take. Additionally, I can integrate squibs so that you get a burst of blood upon impact, further exaggerating the dramatic effect.
Now, why would people still do this instead of CGI? Well, I believe that the setup of this doesn't take more time than doing it with CGI and that the realism and the physics of these materials are unbeatable. The arrow should create a visible indent on the costume, enhancing the realism of the effect. I find that using a down jacket works particularly well for this, as the indent is clearly visible and adds to the overall impact. It's a lot of fun as well creating this effect, and moreover, it doesn't require a pyrotechnic licence. I'll also be making a series of YouTube videos on this topic to share my knowledge and techniques with others.
Apps that I use regularly for special effects post-processing
Apps that I use regularly for special effects post-processing
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