How to make an explosion effect without Photoshop

Zipidi Doodah

Zipidi Doodah

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Here's what it looks like:



A larger scale (with 4 bulbs)



And here's an abandoned concept that I tried with a cloud effect. This would be good for another diorama, but not Hoth.





My tutorial:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vi5r1bTDNpE

For the explosion effect, you'll need:
Chicken wire
Polyfiber fill material ( found at Walmart, in the craft section, in a pillow shaped bag. This works well for smoke too, when lightly painted black.)
Spray paints (yellow, orange, red and black)
Light bulb ( for inside your house, 13w fluorescent bulb is fine. BEWARE OF FIRE, AS THIS WILL GET HOT!)
Lightbulb adapter ($1 at Walmart. One end plugs into an extension cord, the other end receives the light bulb.)
An extension cord

Cut 2 sections of chicken wire. Leave prongs sticking out, as tabs to connect everything together. One 12" x 4" (this will be the base. It's a rectangle shape now. Make it into a tube by connecting the ends. The other piece needed will be for the top of this mushroom cloud shaped frame, so cut the other piece around 16" square, and shape into a mildly flattened ball (not exactly round).
Join the tube shaped base to the mushroom shaped head, using the prongs as bendable tabs.

Pack each hole lightly in the exterior of the frame using the polyfill material (it's like cotton), until the entire frame is filled.

Paint in this order:
Yellow
Orange
Red
Then, paint the tips black(where the polyfill pokes out the most)

Now, put a light under it and enjoy.

THE LIGHT WILL GET HOT, SO DON'T LEAVE ON LONG OR UNATTENDED.
USE PARENTAL SUPERVISION.
 
Beeavision

Beeavision

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Sweet!!!! I remember doing something very similar several years back for a senior thesis film in college. Used chicken wire and cotton to make the clouds and inserted a 25 watt bulb inside each one while hanging them from the trusses above the sound stage. Each bulb was wired into a control board with dimmers so that we could animate the intensity of the light emitting thru the cotton while filming. Tapping the switches also achieved a sort of thunder in the clouds look though we never used this effect in the shoot. Since they were always on during a full day of production we had to create openings along the back or top in relation to where the camera was to allow heat to escape. Though we always had a good number of fire extinguishers around just in case. lol An old friend of mine, Jeff Scheetz owns one of the original AT ATs from the movie. He keeps it in a glass case on a bookshelf just behind his desk.
 
Zipidi Doodah

Zipidi Doodah

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Beeavision said:
Sweet!!!! I remember doing something very similar several years back for a senior thesis film in college. Used chicken wire and cotton to make the clouds and inserted a 25 watt bulb inside each one while hanging them from the trusses above the sound stage. Each bulb was wired into a control board with dimmers so that we could animate the intensity of the light emitting thru the cotton while filming. Tapping the switches also achieved a sort of thunder in the clouds look though we never used this effect in the shoot. Since they were always on during a full day of production we had to create openings along the back or top in relation to where the camera was to allow heat to escape. Though we always had a good number of fire extinguishers around just in case. lol An old friend of mine, Jeff Scheetz owns one of the original AT ATs from the movie. He keeps it in a glass case on a bookshelf just behind his desk.
Click to expand...


That's very cool. Thanks for sharing that.
 
Beeavision

Beeavision

A pirate's life for me!
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ZD,

I'm not sure it will give you the brightness you'll need but did you ever try using a cluster of LEDs instead? They don't radiate any heat at all and last usually longer then most standard bulbs. Just a thought.
 
Mandingo Rex

Mandingo Rex

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Those are awesome. I've seen that done before, I think they used something similar for that HALO 3 diorama video a few years back?

I've always wanted to find a way to make cast versions of those, so you could have small explosions that you put a light behind and use in dios. I need to watch the tutorial and try this for myself!

*EDIT*

Here's the Halo spot I was referencing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8pas3CxniU
 
Last edited:
G.I.*EDDIE

G.I.*EDDIE

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Mandingo Rex said:
Those are awesome. I've seen that done before, I think they used something similar for that HALO 3 diorama video a few years back?

I've always wanted to find a way to make cast versions of those, so you could have small explosions that you put a light behind and use in dios. I need to watch the tutorial and try this for myself!

*EDIT*

Here's the Halo spot I was referencing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8pas3CxniU
Click to expand...

The spiked explosions, the more dusty looking ones are pretty bada$$ also...no light required!
 
Zipidi Doodah

Zipidi Doodah

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Mandingo Rex said:
Those are awesome. I've seen that done before, I think they used something similar for that HALO 3 diorama video a few years back?

I've always wanted to find a way to make cast versions of those, so you could have small explosions that you put a light behind and use in dios. I need to watch the tutorial and try this for myself!

*EDIT*

Here's the Halo spot I was referencing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8pas3CxniU
Click to expand...


Very cool video. Thanks for sharing that. I have seen a film company that cast molds of broccoli, then painted and lit the molds. This reminds me of that. Thanks again!
 
MMorelock66

MMorelock66

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Apr 4, 2012
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Mandingo Rex said:
Those are awesome. I've seen that done before, I think they used something similar for that HALO 3 diorama video a few years back?

I've always wanted to find a way to make cast versions of those, so you could have small explosions that you put a light behind and use in dios. I need to watch the tutorial and try this for myself!

*EDIT*

Here's the Halo spot I was referencing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8pas3CxniU
Click to expand...



I loved this when I saw it back in '07, Love it even more now that I appreciate all the detail put into it.
 
W

WVMojo

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Food for thought Fogger - if you make the explosion too big (like the ones I did) they tend to get top heavy and will fall over during the painting process. I took a bread bag, put it over my hand and arm and stuck it up through the center of the base so I could hold it and move it around to spray all sides.
 
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