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Smashing a Head

post #1 of 15
6/28/06 at 7:15pm
Thread Starter 
It's been handed to me and some other crew members to figure out how to make a fake head to smash in. The scene is a character is in a fight to the death, loses, and gets his head pulverized with a blunt object.

We're currently trying to research how to do this effect on a small dime, and was hoping some of my fellow Chewers could help point me in the right direction.
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post #2 of 15
6/28/06 at 7:21pm
Well depending how long the fake head will be on screen before it's smashed, you could hit up the mall or a department store and see if they have any old mannequin heads in the back that they could donate. If that doesn't work (and it's a female) they do sell those life sized Barbie heads so the little girls can style their hair. With a little creativity that could work...hell I guess even if the victim is male it could still work.

As far as the effect, it shouldn't be hard to hollow out the head of whatever you use and fill it with the standard mix of blood and brains.
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post #3 of 15
6/28/06 at 7:24pm
Tramps.
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post #4 of 15
6/28/06 at 7:24pm
Do you really need to see the head explode? Some subtle blood on the attackers face and some crunching can be much more effective and alot easier.
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post #5 of 15
6/28/06 at 7:31pm
Thread Starter 
This is our gore shot. We need to show it get smashed.
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post #6 of 15
6/28/06 at 7:35pm
I depends on the budget. It might not be the most interesting or cheap way, but I would do as much as possible on the shoot and then tweak all the little details in the post production (the impact, deformation of the face, teeth falling out) and with the sound effects (that's what makes people reach for the sick bags). If 3d and compositing is out of question, just do a replica of the face, light the scene to hide all the fake parts, choose the right angle and beat the shit out of it for real. Use the real body and hide the head under the planks so that the body can twich or something.
I never had the need for this kind of thing, but that's probably what I would have done. I apologise if this doesn't help you in any way.
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post #7 of 15
6/28/06 at 7:36pm
What JG said, if you have no money - you just need to see the blunt go object go IN. that's what the gorehounds want. Bollocks to the slickness of the effect, just make sure the shape of the head changes and lots of blood and pale meat comes out. Other than, google practical effects and gore websites - you're the one getting paid for this, remember?
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post #8 of 15
6/29/06 at 4:47am
In Lloyd Kaufman's Make Your Own Damn Movie!, a low-budget solution is presented thus:

Hollow out a canteloupe

Fill with hamburger, cranberry sauce, and fake blood

Top with a wig

Crush till you can't crush no more.

For fuck's sake, don't use watermelons.

Great book, by the way.
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post #9 of 15
6/29/06 at 4:50am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hammerhead
In Lloyd Kaufman's Make Your Own Damn Movie!, a low-budget solution is presented thus:

Hollow out a canteloupe

Fill with hamburger, cranberry sauce, and fake blood

Top with a wig

Crush till you can't crush no more.

For fuck's sake, don't use watermelons.

Great book, by the way.
Something about you tells me you're an expert on the subject.
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post #10 of 15
6/29/06 at 4:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrew Clarke
Tramps.
That means something different to Americans, remember. You've just endorsed bashing in the brains of a slutty woman for the sake of a gore effect, rather than using the far less morally offensive hobo option.

Next thing you'll be asking if anyone wants to go outside for a fag.
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post #11 of 15
6/29/06 at 6:15am
I <3 fannies.
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post #12 of 15
6/29/06 at 6:32am
It might be easier to use the actor's real head and put some padding and blood in the blunt object you're gonna use. Or combine that with the cantaloupe-thingy. Read Tom Savini's book Grande Illusions for more advice. Great book with a lot of detailed scetches and photographs.
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post #13 of 15
6/29/06 at 10:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Murdoch
It might be easier to use the actor's real head and put some padding and blood in the blunt object you're gonna use.
How attached are you to the actor in question, anyway? Just tell 'im it's a rubber bat.

And yeah, Patrick. Guess I set myself up for this...
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post #14 of 15
6/30/06 at 5:58am
That's one way to do it, if you're sure you've shot everything you need from the actor. Or you have to pull a Brandon Lee.
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post #15 of 15
7/5/06 at 4:29pm
Don't know if anyone mentioned this, but this is what I'd do:

Go to a wig shop, and barter with the owner til they sell you one of the stryrofoam heads they put the wigs on.

paint it flesh tone, and drill a hole in the bottom/or cut it in halk and hollow out the inside. Put the pieces together, and before you shoot the scene, fill the inside with some red syrup or whatever.

there you go --- depending on what you need to do , it could also be good and realistic for a single blow, to cave in the skull.
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