Blood-Explosion Packs

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Guardianvm

Hey Fellow indie film makers!

I am working (previsualization stage) on a short film. It will involve a sniper and a victim.
I am considering using the exploding blood packs. Is it possible for me to get my hands on some?
Also are they expensive?

Another thing to consider: I will not be shooting close to the victim(s). Therefore I do not need blood. Just a hint of an impact / explosion.

Any ideas?

Thanks,
Guardianvm
 
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Are you talking about squibs, for the blood-impact shots? Need a licensed pyrotechnician for those.

There are a few way to safely do it with pressurised air... doesn't look as good, but it's much better than attaching explosive charges to someone's chest and hoping for the best.
 
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I would prescore a shirt, and use air compression... it's the easiest, safest wa to do it... if you use a few camera tricks (shaky shots, gun's perspective, etc) you can get additional mileage from it.
We actually used small explosives in our picture, but in retrospect, they didn't turn out as good as we wanted, when compared to the risk we undertook. Then again, we did pour gasoline on the director and light him with a ciggarette before he jumped off a bridge into a rapidly moving river.... but then again, we were young! And desperate...

Seriously- use a safe method and play with your camera and editing... you can always go digital if all fails... just make sure to get a back-up plan for alternative methods!!
 
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Depending on your resources, there are a bunch of options to chose from:

Pyro squibs. Industry standard for Hollywood. Need a licensed pyrotechnician and some at least quick on-set training for the actor so they don't do something stupid like grasp the 'wound' when it goes off, or look down into it.

Air pressure squibs. Common in low-budget indies. As mentioned already, the costume needs to already have a small hole in it for blood to squirt through, and you can't do too wide a shot, as the pressure won't work through a long tube the way a squib's charge can through a long wire.

Hand held blood bag. Don't laugh- with the right staging, this can work just fine.

Reveal- have the makeup effect already there, have the wound hidden from the camera until the guy is hit, then he spins around 'revealing' the wound. Easiest to do.

Then there's crossovers, like the remote-control electronically released pressure squib systems used in "Band of Brothers", but that's only if you have a bored mechanical genius hanging around set.
 
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