Hey everyone and welcome to Part I of our two-part Indiana Jones special. This week we are going to recreate a classic effect from “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and next week we are going to recreate an effect from the new movie.
The sacred well.
Backyard FX and the Melting face Effect:
Erick Beck is a trained professional who knows the tools he’s using. You could easily explode, dismember. Or KILL yourself while attempting to recreate these projects. IF YOU MISUNDERSTOOD AND OR DO NOT FOLLOW OUR INSTRUCTIONS EXACTLY.
If you do not know what you are doing find someone that does to help you out, and if you are under 18 get the supervision of an adult.
Be as safe as you are creative, and enjoy the show!
This week we are recreating the classic face melt effect from Raiders of the Lost Ark, but we were not the first people to create a Backyard version of the Spielberg classic. I am talking about “Raiders of the Lost Ark: the Adaptation.” This VHS shot for shot remake was started in 1981 by three 12-year-old friends. It took them seven years to finish. These guys with the epitome of Indy Moguls before I was even born and now they are challenging us.
Eric Zala: I am Eric Zala, director of Raiders of the Lost Ark: the Adaptation. How we did the melting face effect? Well, we were going to make a plaster mold and that did not quite work out. So in fact we have trouble getting me out of the plaster. What we did instead was to make a plaster mold of a mannequins head and Jason, our special effects was mixed up this gourd concoction, packed this hollow head, we took it out to an empty fields and projected a photo of me unto the face screaming and took a double barrel gauge shotgun and blew the head away. Of course, we flattered everyone. That is how we did the effect of my head blowing up. So Erick Beck, I challenge you to take it into the next level.
Erick: Okay but before we get started, we have to spin the wheel to determine to determine our budget.
Shopping list: Two white gum balls, you can use as eyes, old crayons, 2-1/2 pound block of Amco Flexwax, red play-dough, and of course a cheap skull. We got ours from skeleton-factory.com.
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What makes a movie “indie?”
Female: I would say, different thoughts and different ideas and obviously not a big corporate thing going on, not the main stream stuff just you know, hard core independence. Yes.
Indy Mogul is fun, cheap, filmmaking.
If your cheap skull has missing teeth like mine just replace them with some plumbers epoxy and paint. The first step is to start filling in certain areas of your skull with cheap, red play-dough. Focus on the temples, eye sockets and jaw area. The name of the game for this build is wax.
We are going to be painting on layer upon layer of colored wax to build up a human face. In order to deal with the wax, you need a double broiler which is just a big pot half-filled with water with a cook safe bowl inside. Slowly melt down your first batch of flexwax. We are going to start with red but keep in mind that all colors were achieved by melting down crayons in a mix. Paint on several layers of red including a red wax nose. Next, heat up and apply several layers of white wax. For the inside of the mouth, I use some more red wax and made a wax tongue by dipping in a play-dough version into the wax and peeling it off.
I also add a detail like eyebrow reducing lips by kneading some clear wax and sticking it to the face. When you are happy with the shape of your face add a few layers of flesh tone wax. Finishing touches include makeup in crayon pair of your choice.
So now you got a meltable face but you need to wake melt it. We used a cheap heat gun that we have it laying around the workshop but in a pinch you could probably use a hair dryer.
The basic idea is to keep your heat source off camera or use a green screen and crop it out on post, either way. Start filming with the fresh tape melt away and speed it up and post.
BFX Test Film:
Steve Jobs: Okay let us talk about the brand new iPhone. Now there are over 10 trillion first generation iPhones in service at this moment in time. That is more iPhones that people phones. But despite this immense popularity we have found our self saying, how can we make it better? So we inserted this, it is a grain of sand from the Ark of the Covenant. Every new iPhone will be shipped with this tiny piece of the Grail tablet inserted inside it. With the power of God inside this new iPhone you will be able to move mountains, cross our means as you quit time video at 6:40 by 4:80. But that is not all, we have come up with the new feature, we like to call iSmite. It allows you to unleash the wrath of God into any person in your contacts list. Simply select to everyone and make a swirling motion with your fingers—I forgot, oh Lord, oh God! This is like—ahhhh!
That is it for part I of our two-part Indiana Jones Special. Make sure and watch next week where we are going to show how to make a crystal skull and tell us what your favorite Indiana Jones special effect is is by leaving a comment down below.
Viewer Quick Tip:
Anthony: If you are shooting a short clip and you do not have a tripod to keep your camera and just take a deep breath and hold it—
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