Fake Blood 101 (and how to clean it up!)

The Quick Fake Blood How-To Guide


By ErinJennifer Dunn

No matter if it is Halloween or just a simple fight scene, fake blood is popular! Back in early cinema, they would use molasses as fake blood. When cinema turned to color, they often used pigs blood. The movie Carrie features a scene where they used more than 50 gallons of pig's blood.

Many people have ethical and moral objections to using animal blood of any kind in movies or on stage for special effects, so here are some easy ideas for your special-effects needs, including Halloween!

Fight scene: Nightstalker blood is used for vampire effects, but it works well for a bloody nose, bloody lip, cuts and bruises because of how well it oozes and how well it shows up on HD cameras.

The alternative choice is usually Karo syrup and baker's strength food dye, but if you are using HD and you zoom in on the blood, you can see the air bubbles in the syrup.

Full gore: The best blood to use for a full gore effect, is a mixture of the Nightstalker blood and Karo syrup. But, if you are going for puss and oozing, like in Aliens, then use KY Jelly and your choice of food dye color. If you are making a scene where someone's arm gets cut off and you want a fountain of blood, use a spray bottle filled with water and red Kool-aid.

For low-budget movie squibs, there are many affordable options. For a fight scene where someone's lip gets busted up, use a blood capsule. These are manufactured for Vampire and Zombies and will work fine in the actor's mouth. You just have to coordinate their mouth with the punch.

For gunshots, use a snack-sized Ziploc bag. Poke a tiny hole in it above the blood fill line. When impacted, it will explode, causing the fake blood to go everywhere.

No matter what kind of blood you are using, never wear any article of clothing that you do not want to get stained. Even Tide Acti-Lift formula cannot lift the fake blood off of clothing! If you are shooting a scene with fake blood and know that you will need to do several takes, buy more than one of the piece of outfit that will see the most blood, like a shirt.

Fake blood does stain the face but washes off with hot water and Dawn soap. If you are shooting the blood scene from a different angle and need to re-apply the blood, please keep in mind that your makeup artist will have to first clean up the actor, re-apply their makeup and then re-apply the blood. Really think out your shots to save time and to stay on budget.

Fake blood can be found year round at most costume supply stores either online or in your city. There is no right or wrong way to make blood, so experiment! If it looks real to you, then use it and have fun!


Makeup Artist Resource, Austin, TX:ErinJennifer Dunn: http://www.rawkstarglam.webs.com/

Makeup Artist Resource, United States:
http://www.slatecast.com/

Fake Blood Resource, Austin, TX:
http://www.lucyindisguise.com/
http://www.costumeworld.com/

Fake Blood Resource, United States:
http://www.costumesupplyhouse.com/

#

Movie Project Update: "Criminal Conversations"

Actors Wes Studi, Maura Dhu Studi and Anthony Arkin are now attached to star in my screenplay, Criminal Conversations.

Logline: A man meets up again with his ex-wife while his current spouse is dying and his ex-wife's current husband is suing her for divorce and trying to prove she is guilty of adultery.

California-based movie distributor FilmWorks Entertainment, Inc., has delivered a letter of intent (LOI) to distribute the movie, which will be directed by Stephen Jules Rubin.

The character-driven romantic dramedy is seeking additional funding and donations, and the movie is scheduled to be shot in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in January, 2011.

The one-sheet is available here. A recent draft of the script can be read here.

Donations of any size can be made via Paypal to si@sagecreekproductions.com.

Donors will receive on-screen thanks in the movie's ending credits. It is not necessary to have a Paypal account to donate.

For more information on this project and how to become involved in it, please contact:

Si Dunn
Sagecreek Productions, LLC
3800 N. Lamar Blvd., Ste. 730-131
Austin, TX 78756
sidunn@hotmail.com

#

Poetry & the Recession

I retired just before the Great Recession steamrolled the national economy. Now I am back at work, self-employed, selling off some of my unneeded stuff on Amazon and eBay while also writing two books and several screenplays and waiting for producers to find enough money to shoot some of my optioned movie projects.

Almost nobody buys poetry, even in good times. In the midst of a recession, it is an even harder sell.

Yet millions of us write it and try to get it published and wish someone would pay us for it.

I actually made a few bucks from poetry a number of years ago. Rolling Stone paid me $10 each for a couple of poems when Joe Esterhaus was still their poetry editor. Equally long ago, the Denver Post paid me a few dollars for a couple of poems used as fillers.

There were a few other small sales, and sometimes, someone passed the hat when I did a reading in a bar or coffeehouse. The biggest take, I recall, was $6.

Over a period of 40-plus years, I would estimate that I have made about $300, at most, from writing poetry and selling copies of my poetry books. That averages out to about $7.50 a year, or maybe enough to buy a hamburger and eat my words.

On that note, I would like to announce that I still have available three autographed copies of my first poetry book, "Waiting for Water." Want one? You can use Paypal to send $1.25 plus $1.75 shipping and handling ($3.00 total) to si@sagecreekproductions.com.

If I sell all three and bring in $9, I'll consider this a banner year for poetry. And, once again, I'll probably buy a meal and eat my words.

Thanks!

-- Si Dunn

#