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Explosion Effect

Okay, this may be an easy answer but I'm not entirely sure. I'm wanting to have just one explosion in my short film, what is the best way to go about doing this? I've heard of detonation films having some explosions but most I see seem like they would look very fake. How would I make it look as real as possible? Or are there other sites that I could get better explosion clips?
 
Okay, this may be an easy answer but I'm not entirely sure. I'm wanting to have just one explosion in my short film, what is the best way to go about doing this? I've heard of detonation films having some explosions but most I see seem like they would look very fake. How would I make it look as real as possible? Or are there other sites that I could get better explosion clips?

You are discussing some advanced techniques here but the basics are that the explosions from that site can be made to look very good. Keep in mind that they leave it up to you to add things like flying debris, smoke from the explosion, cast off light from the blast and continuing light from flames that continue to burn etc.

What this entails is doing multiple layers of editing rather then just adding in the explosion. So effects upon effects upon effects to make it look good.

This is usually done with more then one piece of software ie Sony Vegas to edit in the explosion. After Effects to get the lighting, and maybe some 3d modelling software to get the flying debris and collapsing building, blown up car or whatever. Then there is the ever important audio to make us really believe something really just blew up. And more sounds for the debris hitting things around you the viewer.

Good luck
 
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... they leave it up to you to add things like flying debris, smoke from the explosion, cast off light from the blast and continuing light from flames that continue to burn etc.

What this entails is doing multiple layers of editing rather then just adding in the explosion. So effects upon effects upon effects to make it look good.

Sound design is the same way; you need many, many layers to recreate "reality." Of course, nothing done in audio or visual post (or during production, for that matter) has anything to do with reality. For an explosion you may use three or four basic explosion sounds - one for the deep low end, a second mid-rangy one for "impact," a third for crack and sizzle, and another just because it fills out the others just right. Then there will be numerous whooshes for the shrapnel and debris whizzing past (and that stuff can fly hundreds of yards), and falling debris of all sizes, from boulders to pebbles and everything in between.

Great filmmaking is all about details.
 
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