Creating Special Effects for TV and Video, 3rd Edition

Breaking Bottles, Crockery and Chairs

 

It is not always easy to make breakable props. If they have to be sufficiently fragile to break or come apart in the course of the action, they invariably present problems when actors have to handle them beforehand. Typical of this is a breakable chair which may have to be substantially weakened to break when smashed over the head of a performer and yet must not fall to pieces when raised in the air prior to the attack.

Bottles

Those used in fight scenes should be cast in wax. This ensures the safety of the actors and stuntmen involved. Wax bottles are made by pouring hot paraffin wax into plaster moulds. The moulds (usually two-piece) should be free of release agents and must be soaked in cold water before ...