How to Fake Bullet Hits in the Ground Safely Without Explosives

[Aidyn]

Alright guys, I know this is probably a taboo subject but how does someone make effective yet SAFE squibs to create the effect of a gunshot missing its target?

I was thinking taking a small firecracker, burying it under the ground a little bit and connecting the fuse to a rocket igniter. Once the igniter is done the explosion occurs.

Can anyone confirm this working or having a better more effective alternative?[/u]

 

[Filmosity]

While that's an idea, I think there's a way to do it without explosives.

Tie a small 1"x1" piece of wood to some monofilament line. Bury the wood, then set your camera at an angle that won't catch reflections of light off the line. On cue, yank the line, pulling the wood out along with the dirt on top.

I haven't tried this yet, but I think it might work, and it's safe!

 

[Aidyn]

In the Saving Private Ryan extra features Spielberg talks about using a similar technique in his early war movies when he was a kid. His dad suggested taking a board and putting dirt on one end and making a sorta "teeter totter" with it. When the person was about to be shot they would stop on one end, sending dirt flying and the actor would play dead. Pretty ingenious trick but I'm dealing with snow and possibly ice in my upcoming film I'm going to shoot so I'm a bit skeptical in that approach.

 

[Filmosity]

Here's another idea that might work better, but will take some work. Get a canister of compressed air or CO2. It'll have to be highly compressed to get a good blast. Doing a Google search for compressed air should yield some results. Securely attach plastic tubing to the canister, then bury the tubing. You'll maybe want to put something semi-flat over the end of the tube, then lightly pack it down with dirt and snow. Keep it loose so it can fly freely. Give it a blast, and see your bullet hits!

 

[Filmosity]

Also, if you're looking to do a fireball on the cheap, and somewhat safely, here's a great idea:

 

[Aidyn]

Filmosity, when you say CO2 canisters could the same type of gas found in paintball CO2 canisters work? In your idea are you saying that the flat object on the end of the tube would be projected by the CO2 or is it something else and how exactly would a trigger be devised to make the CO2 to come out with such force to launch the dirt and snow off the ground?

 

[DBXMe2]

One very realistic kind of squib would be Dust, and Air...

Get a pouch of dust, and a tube that some guy shoots air into, to create the effect of a shot... many tubes... if many shots...

OR! the best way I would say is Post effects... Combustion work or something...

Might be the safest way, and cheaper than making actual squibs... cause the stuff they use for real, it's experts in explosives... and their rigs are complicated...

 

[token]

spielberg

spielberg

Similar to the teeter totter approach but use flour, it's better than conventional squibs and much more effective.

 

[Aidyn]

Token, you're saying that instead of putting dirt and snow on one end put flour instead?

 

[Aidyn]

On the same thought of squibs I found a site the other day in how to make it seem like bullets are hitting a wall.
http://www.postnukecomic.com/drespage/wallhits.html. I didn't think of this before but perhaps a similar rig could be devised altering it slightly from that website's idea.[/url]

 

[Filmosity]

You can get a CO2 cartridge and trigger at a bike shop. They're used to pump up tires quickly. And yes, I mean put something flat, like a square of balsa wood, at the end of the plastic tubing, perpendicular to the hole, so that when triggered, the air blasts the wood and debris.

 

[Aidyn]

Thanks a lot, I'm going to have to try all these techniques to see which one is the best for my tastes.

 

[token]

yes

yes

I got the flour idea from a biography about Spielberg. He says it's more effective than anything else. Throw some flour against a brick wall and watch how it explodes.

 

[Filmosity]

Re: yes

Re: yes

I got the flower idea from a biography about spielberg. He sasys it's more effective than anything else. Throw some flower against a brick wall and watch how it explodes.

I've seen the same one. Looks like that's a good option, especially for walls. Might work well for that mousetrap idea.

 

[Aidyn]

Lol, sorta hard to do the flour idea when my script I've written calls for a wooded area covered in a blanket of snow. (Trying to recreate Russia in my backyard in Ohio during winter)

 

[Filmosity]

Lol, sorta hard to do the flower idea when my script i've written calls for a wooded area covered in a blanket of snow. (Trying to recreate Russia in my backyard in ohio during winter)

Not really... You can make little packets of the flour or baby powder and wrap it in wax paper, then score the paper so it breaks when you apply the air.

 

[Aidyn]

Oh I see what you're saying. I thought you were suggesting I just throw powder at the ground. Sorta silly from that perspective.

 

[Filmosity]

Oh i see what you're saying. I thought you were suggesting i just throw powder at the ground. Sorta silly from that perspective.

Now that would have been funny!

 

[Aidyn]

Sometime in the week of November 22nd-27th, if I have time, my friend and I are going to do some prep work for my upcoming shoot which would include testing out these ground squibs. I'll try to take some stills and post them on here to show everyone what each method creates. (if I can that is) Keep any new ideas coming.