Halloween is filled with ghosts, vampires, werewolves, witches and zombies. For the video enthusiast, these creatures jump from the neighborhood trick-or-treat parade to fill the screen. Ghost? Is it double exposure, or not actually there? The transparency fools us all. Vampires? Let’s face it, you can never tell with them until it’s too late. Unless they’re the sparkly no-sunburn-type, then it’s just tragic. As for zombies, a good makeup job is always convincing on screen, but to really sell the zombie illusion on video, full on zombie combat is the way to go.
The best way to deal with zombies is to blow up their head. Let’s take a look at how to create the illusion of an exploding head without harming any of the talent. After all, they’re not real zombies, they’re just friends with extra time. This technique involves some simple rotoscoping and compositing using visual effects footage.
Lock It Down
Capture the Zombie
With the camera still locked down in the same position, shoot footage of the zombie. The actors should be cued to act out the moment when their heads will explode. Time the critical moment so an extra hand, off camera, throws some fake blood onto the zombie’s neckline and shoulders. Test this out a few times before the camera rolls and find a technique that makes a good splatter. Speed is another issue. Make sure the action happens fast, it makes the fakeness of it all a little more palatable and a lot more fun. The element of surprise is your friend here. The truth is, this is going to be fake, and that’s part of the fun of fake blood and zombie flicks.
Add Up the Layers
Zombie heads don’t just disappear in the blink of an eye, they’re relentless undead creatures, not magical beings capable of teleportation.
Remove the Head
Add In the Explosion
Don’t Just See It, Hear It Out Loud
Zombies might sneak up on you at night, not making a sound until you’re too deep in the woods to escape their horde. The audience isn’t in the woods, they can’t just see the exploding head, they have to hear it too. Find some sound effects, one for the initial explosion, one for the resulting splatter, and one for the thud of dropping zombie pieces. Place the sound effects in the timeline to coincide with the visual and your audience will feel the gut wrenching nerves of those brave souls who battle the undead for survival.
There are plenty of movie actions that are examples of “don’t try this at home.” Fortunately, exploding heads is one you can try, all because the effects wizards behind movie magic are willing to share some of their techniques with us. With a little creativity, a bit of effort, and whole lot of fun, we can capitalize on this cinematic know-how to have a happy Halloween.
Contributing editor Chris "Ace" Gates is an Emmy Award-winning writer and editor.