ASK & DISCUSS INDEX

9 years ago - Dan Selakovich

Forget the fake body. The head and hair will never match. Why can't you get the actor to do it? Is he clothed? Rent a wet suit to wear under his clothes and add some styrofoam to help him float.

9 years ago - Jaye L Swift

I could ask him. But if he refuses I need a fake body. The head will be covered with pond weed

9 years ago - Paddy Robinson-Griffin

Can you fashion something with an old suit and mixture of polystyrene and rolled up newspapers? Even if you rent a lifecast 'body', it won't float as a perfect analogue of a human, so using pondweed to disguise a 3 second cutaway may work with approximate density made of scrap and polystyrene.

9 years ago - Dan Selakovich

Oh, if that's the case, what Paddy is saying fits the bill. All you'll need are the fake hands. Between styrofoam and weights in the right places, you'll be good to go. And don't forget: if you need to match the clothing with earlier scenes, you'll need two sets.

9 years ago - Martin W. Payne

I agree with Dan - ask the actor. May need to reassure them on safety etc, and will need yo pay for the stunt, but might be no more expensive than finding the fake body.

Certainly I'd do it. I recently signed up for a music video shoot where it was known I'd be pushed into a pond. No description of the pond at the point of sign up, but I agreed to do it. On the day, the pond turned out to be 3 feet / 1 metre deep so a nice depth - enough to be pushed in without hurting myself, not enough not to be able to use the bottom to support the floundering around in shocked after having been pushed in!

Ask. He might say yes.

9 years ago - Paddy Robinson-Griffin

I'm really wary of using cast - this isn't swimming in speedos in chlorinated swimming pools you're describing, but in clothes in stagnant water, face down. Producer in me is thinking Leptospirosis (particularly in ponds instead of moving water), other milder infections, drowning, submerged hazards (rusty metal), piranhas...

Rather, why use cast (who often say yes to things they're uncomfortable with because they want the role) who are unable to risk-assess the scene competently. If you do use cast, I'd suggest having several emergency contingencies. Pay a lifeguard for a day, have a medic available, etc. Obviously the Leptospirosis risk is small, but it does kill a few people in the UK each year and has unpleasant other effects that come on weeks after infection. It's also slower to shoot a human doing that than to shoot a dummy - you can be working on other scenes whilst art department set up the shot (you should still take precautions filming around water though, even wading in can mean stepping on something or slipping).

I know I sound like a buzzkill, I don't actually want to limit your creative options, but we are in the illusions business and there's always another way.

9 years ago - Jaye L Swift

Paddy it is the Leptospirosis that I am worried about. I shall have look at the polystyrene, newspaper option. Was thinking of getting a mannequin, but I think it will either float stupidly, or fill up with water and sink like a stone

9 years ago - Dan Selakovich

There Paddy goes again; bringing logic and safety into the whole thing!

I think it would incredibly easy to carve a torso out of polystyrene. There are lots of youtube videos on how to do it, most using a hot wire. But I don't think a specialty tool like that would be necessary for your purposes. I'm sure you could find some scrap blocks of styrofoam and glue them together to get a basic shape, then carve away the edges until it matches your actor's measurements.

Take a look at how the pros do it for some idea:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6-IceaZCa4

Also, a trick I learned from a costume designer about making and exact match for a dress form to an actor using duct tape. This might be the best way to go. You'd only need the torso, and could fill it with expanding spray foam:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5i7YhYMwpbc

9 years ago - Paddy Robinson-Griffin

Ha! Dan, you're right, I'm such a downer ;-)

Jaye, a shop mannequin will sink like a rock if water gets fully inside, or float at a funny angle if partially filled! Arms will be denser than torsos, etc. Better to do some tests and make your own than rely on something you know is unsuitable already ;-)

One thing to remember is that film props only need t last a matter of days, hours or even minutes whilst on screen, which is why rolled newspaper (maybe with chicken wire) and polystyrene and any other cheap, waste materials you find may be just what you need to float with a predictable and consistent way. The way to be sure is to do some tests.

9 years ago - Mark Griffin

This is why stunt people double as well as perform stunts. But your actor hasn't refused yet. If you explain to them how it will be safe (and you'll need to be very sure on this, I can advise if you like and help do any RAMS paperwork, which you would need anyway I'd have thought for your insurers?) PLUS the added kudos they will get for doing it themselves, great. However, take on board what Paddy says above. There is generally always another way, it totally depends on the situation. I'd happily float in some ponds, but one I've just been shooting around, no-way. Unless you paid me for the days off feeling icky, or worse.

I did a fall from a ship in a dock in the Thames once, boy did I get some shots for that. Production paid, so again, nothing is cheap, especially peoples health and well being.

9 years ago - Paddy Robinson-Griffin

Interesting to hear a performers position on this :)

My take is based on is all being in the illusions business, so how can we simulate something realistically but safely :)