Squib availability in the UK, or else alternative suggestions welcome

[MrKnight]

I'm trying to create the effect of a gunshot though a piece of paper. I've tried adapting some kind of compressed air method to the task but couldn't adequately seal it to the sheet. I want to avoid actually sending any kind of projectile through too as it will face the camera.

Unless anyone has any better ideas I think I'll need a squib, which brings me to my real question - anyone know how to get hold of such things in the UK?

Advance thanks for any suggestions.

[bigmasi]

Get a piece of strong glass and protect your camera lense with that. Then just trow a stone (or something) trough the paper and add the bullet in post-production. Post-production might in this case mean simply drawing a bullet in 2-3 frames. You can do that easily with a consumer programs. Just drop couple of frames to still pictures and finish them in photoshop. That's it!

Hmmm, one guestion though... Is the shot gonna be in real time or in slow motion? If it's in slow motion, that changes everything of course.

[MrKnight]

Real time, never really thought about even seeing the bullet either - just a hole blasted in a once clean sheet and the requisite flash.

Thanks for the suggestion but there will be something in the way that will prevent a throw of the sort of range that will give it enough momentum to break the sheet. And it wont be taught at the bottom, so the stone may well just cause it to flap rather than break.

[Tard]

Try a slingshot & ball of wax about the size of the hole you want.

[bigmasi]

could you describe the shot a bit more? Have you tought about shooting it from another angle, like for example putting the camera pointing straight up? Do you think that gravity could help you?

If you do it with air you could consider those devices that they use for removing paint. I don't know the english name, but in finish it's something like sandwash. You would have to protect your camera carefully if using that, because they are very powerfull and would easilly scrape the paint out of your camera and the lense would be useless afterwords if you dont protect it. The air has sand (or some other tiny opsticles) in it that hit the surfice removing the paint... You could ask your local car paint shop for that. They'd probably let you do the shot in their shop if it's possible for you. I guess it would be a welcome change for their daily routines.

[MrKnight]

The shot will be head on with the bullet ostensibly comming at the camera, though not seen. I'm afraid I can't compromise on the angle and I can't fire anything through it from more than 30 to 60 centimetres behind it and even then with some difficulty - the sheet doesn't fill the frame, so a shooter other than the actor in the shot would be seen. The actor only has one hand available to fire anything - in fiction, the gun - in reality, whichever mechanism I use to simulate the bullet hit. This is because the sheet is in his other hand.

I appretiate your creativity but if squibs are still available in this country it would probably be the simplest solution and look good too - I'm remembering a behind the scenes documentary as I write this, about a Royal Navy recruitment film - the tech tapped a line of squibs to the tarpaulin covering a truck and it really did look like bullets puncturing the fabric.

[eidde]

these guys can supply many theatrical squibs and maroons and effects.
You could try the cardboard Microdets.

http://www.lemaitreltd.com/

Le Maitre Ltd
6 Forval Close,
Wandle Way,
Mitcham,
Surrey CR4 4NE
ENGLAND
tel +44 (0)20 8646 2222
fax +44 (0)20 8646 1955

[jfool303]

one of the ways i made a squib was with a fircracker and a model rocket launcher if u want the full instructions email me [email protected]