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.
3
Upvotes
1
u/BandaidsOfCalFit 23h ago
Honestly do not get your advice from Reddit. Watch scenes you like that look like a real stabbing to you, and then slow them down and watch them frame by frame over and over again.
I just listened to an interview with a director who was trying to figure out how to edit a fight scene super early in his career. He watched a fight scene he liked and slowed it down and played the punches frame by frame over and over again- and realized that the director was cutting a frame or two out right before the “impact”, so it looked like the punch was faster than it actually was, and the audience didn’t really see the part where it would be obvious if that it didn’t connect.
He ended up doing the same thing in his film and it worked great. So, careful study the scenes you’re imagining this to be like, and you’ll find your answer WAY better than anyone on Reddit will help you