WWII Mortar Attack

All aspects of low budget special effects.

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Gyro
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WWII Mortar Attack

Post by Gyro »

In my war movie- the first real action of the movie is a mortar attack on the group of soldiers marching towards belgium (this takes place in the battle of the buldge) The characters get almost torn apart by these mortars, in the middle of a snow covered road. So, without actually injuring any of my actors, how can i make it convincing that these twenty foot explosions are actually hitting these men. Thanks for the help.

EDIT:

OH yes, and has anyone seen Saints and Soldiers?
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Syras
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Post by Syras »

i'd throw a bucket of fake blood into the snow with tissue paper in there to act as shredded flesh - and u could bury one of ur actors in snow and leave his leg sticking out but coated with blood and then position the camera so it looks like a severed leg laying in the snow
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Post by foxwood »

Show the morder being fired, hear and explotion, show aftermath, and such. Since its in snow blood stands out and can be used greatly to your advantage. This will be in the sound effects of the explotions, the men screaming and the dirt hitting the ground. If you need a good explotion look around her find a small one and composet a mini explotion into the movie so it looks bigger. As for the morder, what you can do is get a tube mock it up. Cover the top with Bug spray from an arisol can, then quickly drop in a match, hidded with your shell or a mock shell, and you will get a quick jet of fire and a WHOOSH sound from the tube.
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Post by Twabi2 »

You can try to get some snow in the air by using compressed air/explosives (little)/Trowing/...
Also, you want your men to march to belgium, where are you from?
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Post by Gyro »

I live in Utah so I dont think I really have a problem with the snow (plenty here) but im still working on the details of my film. Anybody have some advice on costumes?
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Post by Epsilon »

http://www.matthawkins.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2147

Remember, mortar hits aren't as big as most people think they are. Plus you mostly see dirt flying. You would need one hell of a lot of compressed air to send that much dirt flying! Compressed air is good for bullet hits, not really with sending gallons of dirt and snow into the air. You might get a small poof though! :D Snow is heavy stuff!
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Post by Gyro »

it sure is, although i was thinking more along the lines of an old speidlberg trick, with a shovel on a pivet.
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Post by Epsilon »

Now we're talking! I love the old stomp on the level method, though some people don't.
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Post by Gyro »

It's an excellent invention.
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Post by Epsilon »

It is indeed. If you can record it at like 60fps and slow it down, it would work very well as a large explosion.
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Post by Gyro »

Yes it would- Hrmm.... Good thinking! I'll have to try that, I just picked up three WWII helmets today for 15 Bucks, what a steal!
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Post by Epsilon »

Wow, where did you get them? Are you sure they aren't post war replicas? But still that is a great deal! :D
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Post by Gyro »

If you have heard of saints and soldiers www.saintsandsoldiers.com they made the movie right where i live so the producer is selling a mess load of the stuff and i just got over to his house, haha. I actually think theyre vietnam but it all works
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Post by Epsilon »

http://www.saintsandsoldiers.com/forsale.html This is where they are for sale. Funny how they used a lot of Greek and Swedish military clothing. The only things that I can see that were vietnam era are the helmets. If you look carefully at their helmets, you can see they aren't spackled as WW2 helmets are, but still cool.
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Post by Gyro »

Yea... thats where i got the helmets from.
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Post by Epsilon »

The only thing inaccurate about the film that I can see is that they have their medic acting as a rifleman.

Can you download the full movie?
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Post by Gyro »

Many medics in wwii did have rifles after masacures like that, the movie doesnt come out until febuaray but i have read the book so thats how i know the story.
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Post by Epsilon »

Wait, if they haven't put it out yet, how did they recieve all those film festival awards? :?
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Post by Gyro »

Its not out in theaters yet, they submitted it in film festivals but its planning to be released in theaters in febuarary
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Post by Epsilon »

Ahh gotcha!
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Post by Riggzy »

you could use the stump method with bits of gore mixed in with the dirt :P
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Post by El Brenty »

What you need is my Ultra-explosive! Grant, have you made any progress on the tests yet???
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Post by 2nd_Recon »

(Like in a bad info-mercial) Ultra-Explosives? What is that, Camclub? And how will it affect my Income Taxes?
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Post by Gyro »

I'm not a gore man
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Post by El Brenty »

2nd_Recon wrote:(Like in a bad info-mercial) Ultra-Explosives? What is that, Camclub? And how will it affect my Income Taxes?
It's a small explosive that works on compressed vapour! You can remotely detonate it to go off within a split second of hitting the switch.

Nag Grant to do the tests. In theory it should work, but I have yet to test it, and don't have anywhere suitable to do it around here at the moment!

The great thing about this system is that it's very easy and cheap to produce, and you don't need a load of chemicals.

Don't forget folks, nag Grant to do the tests! I'd suggest 1 above ground, and further to that being sucessful, a sub-terranean detonation so that it can blow out the surrounding earth!
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