Fake blood And Prosthetics

For preparation of  my movie, fake blood was required so that we can have realistic cuts, blood spurts and almost anything to do with blood. I used a specific recipe that has been mentioned to atleast at one point to of been used in the production of blood in "The Walking Dead".

This fake blood recipe consists of:

• Golden Syrup
• Chocolate Syrup
• Cornflour
• Red Food Colouring
• Blue Food Colouring
• Green Food Colouring

I created some of my own fake blood to for use in some scenes of my own. I needed to test this blood to see if it looked alright and acted the same way blood is actually seen in movies, an effect which I think has been achieved, looking at my test footage.

Below is two skits/clips I created in an attempt to show off the fake blood before it is used/changed for the final product.

For the first clip, I wanted to see how blood looked coming out of the mouth of a dying character, giving it that realistic look to show he has coughed up the blood. The character also had blood over his face from coughing up blood which for me enhances the look and the authenticity of the blood. As for the second scene I wanted to have a fight scene between two character and one of them to die. I have the main character punch the bad guy in the face then immediately break his neck, killing him. Although this clip breaks the 180* rule, I feel like it works out for this scene as it shows the chaos of the scene and also shows the main character getting ready to hit the bad guy as it quickly transitions to him hitting him in the face and making him spit out blood. It was supposed to be a direct cut from an entire fight scene, so it would have that chaotic feel to it as he fights the bad guy.

As an overall look back on the fake blood test. I am pleased with the blood and how realistic it actually looks when it is used. I feel like it would be great for use in my final product although I will probably darken the blood as my scenes will be shot in the afternoon for my movie.


As for Zombie makeup, prosthetics were needed to create cuts and exposed flesh/wounds for my zombies. For this I created my own prosthetics using Latex Paste and liquid latex, alongside fake teeth, which I fashioned out of Polymorph Plastic. To make the latex paste I used liquid latex alongside cornflour. One thing to point out is that making latex paste is HARD. Latex paste starts drying into a rubber-like substance  very fast and latex paste is a very inconsistent thing to make as you have to slowly add cornflour whilst mixing the paste until it becomes rather Doughy.

To create the prosthetics I used clingfilm and added a liquid latex foundation then put down 2 big tablespoons of latex paste. I then dipped a finger in liquid latex which I used to mold the latex. To make the prosthetics transition to skin as smooth as possible, I made the edges of the latex paste go really thin so that the edges are not visible through footage. To add a more ripped, rugged appearance I used the tablespoon to create lifts in the prosthetics to make a harsher, rough edge and lifted skin (around wounds where flesh would look "pulled").

Example of Cut on cheek, ripped, dead, flaking skin, dried flesh and slashed throat

For my other zombie I created fake teeth as I wanted to expose the top set of teeth and give the effect that the cheek is ripped backwards as if the mouth has been chewed and started to almost rot backwards. To create the teeth I warmed a tablespoon of  Polymorph plastic beads in a cup of boiling hot water. This causes the plastic to go transparent, with the spoon I took a piece of the plastic out of the water (the beads stick together into a large piece of plastic) and morphed it into a tooth-like shape, after comparing it to the size of a regular tooth. After that I made more teeth to the same size as the original tooth so they look like a matching pair. 

 Next up, I started making the piece which would hold the teeth, to do this I made a thick piece to go over his top lip and then I pushed the teeth into it, after this I added a small cover to the teeth to make it look like the flesh is ripping and rotting away from the teeth exposing parts of the roots to the teeth. Next I created a part for his right cheek which would be where the mouth is ripped backwards, for this I created a ridge to give the effect that the jaw has a deep wound which has created a thick cut in his face.After creating the prosthetics, I left them to dry for 24 hours before peeling them off the clingfilm and letting them dry a further 24 hours.

Makeup of a Full zombie, seen in the first scene

To add the prosthetics to the actors, I add a layer of liquid latex to the bottom of the prosthetic alongside a layer onto the face of the actor and I apply pressure so that It drys and sticks to the face. A quick note to add is that if a prosthetic is used over hairs, vaseline must be added so the hairs aren't ripped out whilst taking off the prosthetics.

Personally I feel that the Prosthetics and the process of making them are much easier and for future reference, would be much better quality as I know the flaws of certain methods and how to make better looking prosthetics in general for future videos/projects.