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Author
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Topic: Dirt propelled by bullets effect! Help!
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EthanQuin
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posted 05-31-2000 04:30 PM
I need the effect seen in many action movies where the hero runs and a machine gun shoots near him and dirt flies up from the impact of the bullets. Everyone that has ever seen an action movie knows what I'm talking about. Best example is also in Saving Private Ryan.<pyro references removed> Any suggestions to my problem? ------------------
R E M E N T S T U D I O S
____________________________________________ [This message has been edited by Jeff F (edited 06-04-2000).] |
admiral
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posted 05-31-2000 04:52 PM
Firecrackers are not a very good idea, my friend. You have no control over them and they are potentially dangerous. There are safer and more effective ways to do this. Try using compressed air for instance (a good way to start is a plastic insecticide spray bottle, which you can buy for $10-15). Your tubing has got to be hidden under the dirt with the opening facing up.I have to admit I haven't tried this one yet, but I've heard others have done it with success. Anyone? |
Mr. Hutt
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posted 05-31-2000 05:23 PM
One word: BALLOONS! Just dig a hole in the ground, put a smallish balloon in there, cover it with soft dirt, turn the camera on, shoot it (the balloon) with a BB gun, and BLAMMO! |
Chimpoid
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posted 05-31-2000 05:50 PM
Its do-able in CGI or Premiere if you can find stock footage.
Cgi would be one small chunky explosion of a matte patch with a particle system.Render the effect then slide it over the top in premiere or camera match the footage in Max and add multiples of the effect.
Stock footage will give a much better effect with this one though. If you can't find stock footage try filming an area of ground and throwing a stone at it.
Then add that footage over your scene.The stone can be removed in Photoshop.  Chimp |
killer_epidemic
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posted 05-31-2000 05:59 PM
Try this:  But I guess this is only if you want the explosion to go off under some one. Hide the aparatus behind the grass, rock or just frame the shot so that you only see the dirt flying up and not the persons feet.  ------------------
"I make a film like I cook for friends. I hope they like it, but if they don't, I'm prepared to enjoy it all by myself" Melvin Van Peebles
please visit my web pages: www.stevenspielberg.cjb.net www.legosatsea.cjb.net |
Benny
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posted 05-31-2000 06:24 PM
Try to use compressed air . dig down a thin hose at the place of impact and point it upwards. Have the hose run out of frame (just dig & place it like 2-3" under the ground) and when its time for the impact use compressed air to make the dirt fly up and squirt around.------------------
.Benny.
.CGI & Film Director.
.Taurus Filmproductions.
http://taurusfilmprod.hollywood.com/ Email me:
C_Keeper@hotmail.com |
Tek2019
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posted 05-31-2000 07:00 PM
I've had GREAT success using a paintball gun. It looks especially good when it hits water b/c the large diamatere of a paintball has an "overdramatized" effect. It also looks really cool when hitting trees with fragile bark. I'd NEVER use the gun if I would be shooting at an angle that would allow a stray ball to hit an actor in the face. But if the guy is running away from you and you shoot behind him the worst thing that could happen is he'd get shot in the back by a paintball, and hey, people get shot by these things for fun!! |
Mister Twisted
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posted 05-31-2000 07:01 PM
I think that Ethan is probably after a nailboard style effect though. I guess it wouldn't be impossible with compressed air, but it'd take a fair amount of rigging. A simple solution for something like that would be a pretty cool item. How about it, all you practical guys? |
lyvewyer
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posted 05-31-2000 07:06 PM
i like the paintball idea, but the only problem i find is the paint itself. what could you do to hide that or something. if you want to show the ground where its getting hit, what would you do so that you cant see the paint.------------------
I was normal once..... I didn't like it.
pray for mojo
you sold me queer giraffes!
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**Movieman**
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posted 05-31-2000 10:58 PM
I Personaly dont know where to find airsoft guns and all but use bb guns |
bastipictures VFX
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posted 06-01-2000 05:26 AM
Hey ethan!
You could also use a mouse-catcher (Mausefalle) you know, this thing where you put cheese on and when the mouse tries to get the cheese it snaps together very fast.
Just dig them into the ground and use a line to let it snap.
Hope this helps (very low budget!)
Basti[This message has been edited by bastipictures VFX (edited 06-01-2000).] |
andrew_jakobs
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posted 06-01-2000 08:19 AM
You can get empty paintballs, you can even fill those paintballs with something else (like fullers earth). You can read about this in the book 'Secrets of hollywood special effects' by McCarthy (available at Amazon.com) and more. |
Sarge
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posted 06-01-2000 09:54 AM
One rather low-tech thing that we have used, when we couldn't access our weed-sprayer, was a hot-water bottle.
Drill a hole in the screw-in cap, feed out a small piece of tubing, glue it in place, then slip plastic from a supermarket vegetable bag over the tip. Twist on some airline tubing, cut a small trench with a trowel and bury the tubing, and, at the "action" end, twist on an "L" shaped piece of tubing, and bury it a little below ground in a tiny pit (which will become the "bullet hole"). Set a small piece of stained balsa atop the "L", fairly tightly, and stack fuller's earth, tiny bits of shredded foam, and peat moss on top of the balsa.
When it's time for the hit, jump on the hot water bottle. The plastic ruptures, the blast of air kicks everything in the air, and it looks great.Sarge |
EthanQuin
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posted 06-01-2000 03:47 PM
Thanks for the suggestions, though some would be hard to rig especially with the effect I had in mind. Sarge had a good idea, can you email a little manual for what your saying so I can better see how to put this together. remnentstudios@iname.com |
crazy lou
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posted 06-01-2000 05:10 PM
http://www.likeastory.com/boards/Forum17/HTML/000794.html check that out, it's along the lines of sarge's idea...it might work for you
later
TOm
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What everyone seems to forget is that once we look past race, religion, gender, and all that, everyone on this planet is first and foremost...
...a PERSON
dont forget to send $ to LAS at:
Like A Story Productions
92 Porch View
Dahlonega, Georgia 30533 |
Betron
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posted 06-03-2000 10:02 PM
Hey Ethan, It's me Betron well you know there are some good ideas here for instence sarges, that sounds really cool but we don't got time for that and it does sound really confusing!!! You could do that for others when you have more time it is a good trick. Also the ballon idea is not that bad but i don't think we will get the sound that we want out of it (people we need a real sounding shot here no loud burst's) Well we will see how it go's thank you for all your idea's and keep them coming.
Talk to you all soon!!!!!
____________________________________________
Even pyro methods don't have the dramatic sounds you hear in film, the charges are chosen for visual impact not sound and concussion. The exploson sounds are added in post production work.
[This message has been edited by Jeff F (edited 06-04-2000).] |
Zumdahl
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posted 06-03-2000 11:02 PM
A long time ago there was a post like this and there were suggestions of using one of those special rubber caps you can get at like Wal-Mart,in the 25 cent vending machines. They are these small rubber caps that when you turn them inside out and let them set for a while they pop up turning themselves back to the way they were. You probably don't know what I'm talking about, but the idea was to hide the caps under some soft dirt then the caps will blast the dirt out of the ground when they pop back up. Hope this helped.
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An excellent suggestion, but we don't discuss the pyro stuff - edited out[This message has been edited by Jeff F (edited 06-04-2000).] |
crazy lou
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posted 06-04-2000 07:35 PM
uh, it seems you took the turnoff to locked-thread-ville. click on that posting guidelines link at the top and re-read it, pyro is a no-no and fireworks are pyro!
drop the talk here, take dangerous talk to email and dont tell us about it or try to involve us in any lawsuits or hospital stays that should befall you.
later
Tom
------------------
What everyone seems to forget is that once we look past race, religion, gender, and all that, everyone on this planet is first and foremost...
...a PERSON
dont forget to send $ to LAS at:
Like A Story Productions
92 Porch View
Dahlonega, Georgia 30533 |
Rogue 428
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posted 06-05-2000 12:41 PM
Here's an idea for multiple bullet hits in the dirt using compressed air. Keep in mind, this is just an idea, and may some serious rigging...I was thinking about it " on paper".
Use weed/insecticide sprayer bottle as source air.
- One hose going from source air to control device.
- Multiple tubing from control device to point where you want "bullets" to impact (aka dirt to fly up)
- bury the tubing and then using the control device...it would allow air only to one tube at a time in sequence...that way you could control the speed of the "bullet hits" rippling, and it would give you that "nailboard" FX look.
Now, for the control device...that's the hard part, I can already foresee multiple problems with this (but hey, the folks on this board are smart AND creative...so we should be able to find a work around).
1st piece of wood.
- this has one hole drilled through it in it, hole drilled so hole from source air can fit in it.
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2nd piece of wood.
- this has multiple holes drilled in it, so the tubing can fit in there.
_____________________
|___o____o____o___o___|
Cover both the pieces of wood in Vaseline or caulk or something so that when you mash them together all but the holes are air tight.Turn on the source air at maximum... Now just slide the 2nd board against the first...and the holes (entrances) of all the tubing will pass in sequence in front of the hole with the source air....giving you sequential "bullet hits". Faster you slide the board, faster the bullet hits. Sounds easy, but I foresee problems in making sure there is no air getting to the holes before they are lined up...enough pressure building up in the tubes to kick out the dirt etc... (is supect that the tubing will have to be short) Again...just an idea. and it sounds cheap too.
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Rogue 428
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posted 06-05-2000 12:45 PM
Me again...for that matter, you probably could get away with not using a 1st board at all and just move the source air hole from one tube to the other....(I think that would mean slower sequence of hits though). |
