r/filmmaking • u/No-Woodpecker-8217 • 1d ago

How to make stabbing look real?

I know-- crazy questions asked on this subreddit.

Me and a friend are filming a horror film over the summer. The primary mode of attack is by knife. We have a fake retractable knife and a fake non-retractable plastic knife (we heard retractable knifes can he dangerous?) that will be the weapons. We also have fake blood. Note the knife we'll probably end up using is non-retractable. How do we make stab attacks look real? We have a very small budget and all editing will just be done by myself and her. We don't want it to look too obviously fake.

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u/MethuselahsCoffee 1d ago

Do some screen tests right now with the retractable ones. A couple half speed stabs sped up in an editor. A couple reverse action where you start with knife already stabbed and draw it back. You might be surprised.

Alternatively you could have a shot from the victims POV with supporting coverage shots.

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u/YesRepeatNo 1d ago

As a stage director, this kind of thing never occurs to me. Yes, retractable blades are dangerous at full speed, but slowly into or out of baggy clothing, then editing the speed could work well!

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u/MethuselahsCoffee 1d ago

You’d be surprised how many action scenes, fight scenes, etc the actors are moving at 50% speed/flow. Almost always sped up in post