Build Prop

Systm presents this detailed tutorial on how to make a custom Star Wars style light saber. Luke, Darth and Obi-Wan's Lightsabers were pieced out of junk piles. David shows you how to build exact replicas and an original design from The Custom Saber Shop. Then he picks a fight ...more

Be prepared next time you go out by having a great new bar trick to entertain your friends. The bar is a perfect place to perform this trick because you'll have everything your need which is simply bottles and money. Also known as the “Trapped Bill Bar Trick,” this simple, no ...more

Want to watch Hulu on your iPhone? Maybe Netflix on your iPod Touch? YouTube videos? The best way to watch these hits is with a brand new… and FREE… paperclip iPhone stand. From Dean Liou: "So, I was wanting to watch Napoleon Dynamite, but I didn't have a way to prop up my i ...more

In this tutorial, we learn how to make fake blood with household items. You will need: 5 ml flour, red food coloring, 20 ml syrup, and blue food coloring. You will also need a container, spoon, and mixing sticks. First, place the flour in, followed by the syrup and the food co ...more

If you're in the mood to make a horror movie, complete with creepy creatures and all, then you could make your dreams come true. Just check out this video tutorial on how to make a creature puppet that bites and wags when held. You can make this mechanism using string, craft w ...more

Check out this crazy kid from the Netherlands as he tries to teach you a bit of magic... called Dutch Magic! Watch the video tutorial to learn how to do the Houdini ball rope escape magic trick. This is a great little prop illusion for anyone to check out.

Check out this video from Chemical Reaction Tutorials (CRTutorials). If you love filmmaking, prop making, editing and everything else that goes along with making movies, then you'll want to see what Adam has to say about teleportation. Adam explains how to create a Goku telep ...more

You don't need to go buy an expensive costume, or rent a fur suit that countless people have already sweat into. Make a fur suit just the way you want it at home. The fur suit can be a great Halloween costume or movie prop. Watch this video wardrobe and costuming video tutoria ...more

For less then $35 Indy Mogul shows you how to make a realistic hand you can chop in half! Make an awesome bloody hand- great for a movie prop!

Scare the crap out of people this Halloween by sporting some very realistic fake blood. This recipe also makes for a nice and cheap movie prop. You will need 20 oz. of light corn syrup, red, blue, and yellow food coloring, cough syrup, and chicken livers. Watch this video prop ...more

Learn how to do a magic trick! Yes, learn some magic you can do with all that useless junk lying around your house. This young girl will show you in this video tutorial, how to perform the ring through a rubber band magic trick. It isn't just an illusion, it's deception, it's ...more

Easy trick that confuses people. You can do it now with a sheet of paper! This is a basic up-close slight of hand magic trick. You can use any prop, but here they use rolled up paper balls. Simply switch the balls and hands you're holding them in and swiftly confuse your onloo ...more

In the "Harry Potter" book series, the golden snitch is the most elusive ball in Quidditch to catch, faster than a hummingbird and nigh impossible to see. Those who do manage to catch the golden snitch - including Harry - are met with great applause and victory. Craft and sna ...more

Learn how to balance a wooden aircraft propeller. Watch how to mount the prop. drill a hole, and add a lead balance weight. This is a very thorough video and is perfect for people with patience.

If you want to have your character punch a very hard object, or punch a person very hard, then it will help if you can show their damaged, bloodied knuckles afterwards. Now you can with help from this video. It will teach you how to create a very gory fake knuckle wound out of ...more

Watch this instructional metalsmithing video to weld a set of figurines out of sheet metal, nails, and a coat hanger. Oxy-acetylene welding is the only gas flame type of welding that is hot enough to melt all commercial metals. Use 22 gauge sheet metal to make clean and safe m ...more

Is your wedding date coming up soon? Not to scare you or anything, but a typical wedding costs upwards of 20,000 to hold. This of course includes booking a location, getting all the props, flowers, dress, party favors, etc. So why don't you do your wallet a favor by crafting ...more

In this video we are shown how to make a homemade rocket. The necessary items are as follows: A plastic bottle, a bicycle pump and a cork. First, cut the cork in half and make sure that it fits in the mouth of the bottle. Next, take a nail and push it through the cork so that ...more

Check out this Halloween set video that explains how this entry archway display was created. This show & tell video was taken immediately following the Halloween Yard Haunt prior to dismantling. The unscripted prop descriptions are as complete as time would allow. Hopefully ...more

Watch this video from This Old House to learn how to replace a baseboard heating cover. Steps: 1 Slide wood shims behind the back plate of the baseboard heater. 2 Use reciprocating saw to cut nails or screws holding back plate to wall. 3 Pull the adjustable damper from the ha ...more

An easy to do prop trick that you can do at any bar. Use this trick for free drinks or just a laugh as the toothpick comes out just fine after they break it.

Charlie Chaplin was the biggest star of his day, and his films hold up surprisingly well today. If you love the man and want to dress as him for Halloween or a costume party, watch this video to learn how to use makeup and props to transform yourself into Charlie Chaplin.

In this trick, a seemingly empty soda can is healed and resealed as an unopened can with soda still inside. To create the prop you will need a regular can of soda, a thumbtack, a marker, a piece of paper, and some scissors. Watch this video magic tutorial and learn how to perf ...more

It takes a courage for a man to wear UGG boots, but it can be done. If you have the boots, but are for whatever reason ashamed of having them, cover up the ankle part of them with you pants. If you wish to flaunt your several hundred dollar boots, let the front part of your pa ...more

The goal of this video tutorial is to teach you how to perform the "healed and sealed" soda can magic trick. This instructional is to help anyone wanting to be a magician, helping you understand technique and presentation of simple but effective illusions. These tricks are pre ...more

Send an owl to mum carrying a term update letter handwritten with on a parchment with a quill using this wizard style ink pot and quill. While the quill pot is just for show and you shouldn't actually pour any ink into it, the pot looks very authentic and is a cool prop for th ...more

Straight from the Little Shop of Horrors to your front lawn! Watch this video to learn how to build a flesh eating plant prop that you can use to give people a good scare, in your next movie or when Halloween rolls around.

There aren't a lot of Boris Red tutorials out there, so make sure you watch this one on motion tracking. Learn four-corner pin tracking in Boris Red, which is a great compositing and effects program (plug-in) for Sony Vegas. See how to create a fisheye look in Sony Vegas Pro 9 ...more

Aliens… do they exist? Can anyone say for sure? No, but some do swear of their existence, and some swear on a more personal level, although some say that alien abductions are going a little "too" far in proving aliens exist. But a more common staple of proof of aliens are UFOs ...more

Do you have a picnic coming up. Bre Pettis shows you how to make spheres out of paper cups, paper plates, or plastic sheeting. These spheres make great outdoor props, and are very exciting. A glue gun and understanding of geometry necessary.

This trick is great for anyone who is easy to fool - from little kids to drunk bar patrons. In this two part video, you will learn how to perform a super simple trick - no props needed - that will make everyone laugh. Ask a friend to touch a spot anywhere on their body with on ...more

Shelley Lovett with Child Care Land demonstrates how to make your own classroom pointer sticks. You can use pointer sticks as a prompt to help enhance learning in your classroom. You can make the pointers in accordance with holiday seasons. To make a pointer, you will need a 1 ...more

Lots of people love magic, and most of those people like prop tricks, so why not learn a few? Whether you're a magician or not, you can still impress your friends with a few prop tricks up your sleeve. Check out this video tutorial to learn how to perform Criss Angel's Convin ...more

In this video series, watch as makeup artist Matt Cail teaches how to make a Druid costume and do Druid makeup. Learn how to find the robe, apply the Celtic lettering to the forehead, find props, and how to distinguish a Druid costume from a monk costume. The Druids don't have ...more

Learn how to perform the giant quarter change in this instructional video which takes you through this simple size changing coin magic trick step by step. You will need a a quarter and a prop giant quarter. Palming is an essential skill for many magic tricks, and creates the i ...more

Mike from the SubStream's "Film Lab" has some tips on preproduction paperwork. Learn how to complete preproduction paperwork. Specifically, break down the script. You know that you don't want to do it, but it's important, okay? Do not skip the paperwork. You will once and yo ...more

Tired of the yo-yo? Try your hands at the diabolo (which most jugglers erroneously misspell as the diablo). This is a step above the yo-yo... it's the Chinese yo-yo... it's the devil on two sticks. Watch this video tutorial on how to do the Infinite Suicide trick on a diabolo ...more

Watch this video to learn how to use Slacker Tactile Mutator to soften or deaden platinum silicone rubber for a more lifelike feel in special effects makeup. This is a great technique for making props for movies or for a Halloween costume.

This video gives a ten minute tutorial on how to achieve the superimposition effect for web videos with a little props and software. You will need to get Wax, a free nonlinear editing system for Windows that includes the chroma key effect. You will also want to get the codecs ...more

Creating a curved video look, also known as the fisheye look, is one of the easiest camera tricks possible, and can also be done with your editing software. It's commonly used in skateboarding videos, but be done for any low budget indie film. See how to create a fisheye look ...more