If you’re looking for a family activity that not only will inform your kids about how an industry works, but also lead to a great outcome that you will be able to reminisce over in the future, creating a short movie with homemade special effects is a great idea. Making special effects can be highly creative and can be a project that keeps kids occupied for several days, especially if they understand that they are replicating something they might have seen in classic movies. Here are some FX you can make as a project for a family movie!
Scale Model
Before CGI, there was only one way for FX crews to bring to life realistic ideas that would have cost a fortune if actually built. From Hogwarts to Skull Island in King Kong, some incredible movie scenes that you might have presumed were either real, or CGI have been scale models. You could build a 1:10 version of your house out of painted cardboard to allow your family movie to look like it is getting some expensive drone-aided shots or you could build a train-station or forest using scenery objects that model train builders use. Using railroad scenery can help you create almost any countryside scene that your kids want to create, and they’ll be amazed by how realistic it looks.
Make a Prop
Foam props are a great project, as you can get some very realistic looking items that can be interesting and fun for both parents and kids to make. You need to learn how to mold and cast them, but once you have done that the possibilities are almost endless. This does, however, require some specialized materials, such as silicones for molds. The industry standard for countless Hollywood films is a brand called Smooth On, but it has been picked up and used by the arts and crafts industry too, so it isn’t too expensive, and skin safe Smooth On Australia vendors are plentiful. Prop making can be as complicated or as simple as you feel your family is ready for; it can be a good idea to start simple and get the kids excited about it before getting more and more complex the more props you make.
Fake Surface
Most of the sets you see in movies are actually made from Styrofoam with some paint or covers on top. It can be fun to bring movie-style set backgrounds to life in your families own project, but the best place to start is by making fake rocks. Fake rocks can be used in many different instances and are inexpensive and not too time-consuming to make. The novelty of creating something that looks so real can also entice kids to get more interested in arts and crafts. You need Styrofoam, wax paper, a self-adhesive plastic, and some grout. That’s it, for a step-by-step guide click here.
Once you get comfortable with fake surfaces, you can start to get more involved, potentially making fake rock walls with a similar method that you can line with fake grass. You will be amazed by how realistic your DIY FX can be.