Prop Trick

A great special effect for any film or movie is the space warp effect, like this bleach bypass effect. It's a little tricky to make, but once you know, fairly simple. Learn how to create a bleach bypass effect in Sony Vegas. ConnersTutorials is all about showing you how to ma ...more

One thing you need to know in particular about Sony Vegas is rendering. If you don't know how to render, you're not going to make a good film or video. So watch this and see how to render video in Sony Vegas. ConnersTutorials is all about showing you how to make quality, chea ...more

What every indie filmmaker needs is a little program called After Effects. After effects does wonders for any film requiring a little special effects that would normally be too expensive to make "real". Like this glowing eye effect. See how to make an eye glowing effect in Ado ...more

We all know that movies now-a-days don't use real rocks, but fake rocks for their film sets. Why? Because it's safer, lighter, easier to movie, and you can design them exactly how you want them. So if you need a rock for your indie film project, make it yourself. There's nothi ...more

It's time to smash that iPhone, but wait… you don't really want to break your iPhone, do you? That's were a fake iPhone prop comes in, perfect for any homemade movie. Just make this, and switch it out with the real one during the anger attack. Watch this video tutorial to lear ...more

The FN P90. Everybody wants one, but more than likely, you can't get your hands on one, especially if it's illegal in your area. Designed by FN Herstal back in the 80's, the P90 personal defense weapon is the cream of the crop. It's full name, Project 90, specifies a weapon sy ...more

Bring a little bit of super technology into your indie film with a prop robot dog. This is not a real robot dog, but a fake robot dog made from foam core poster board and a few other household materials. Think Lost in Space and The Jetson, only the robot is a dog. Watch this v ...more

It's medieval mayhem and you need a sword prop. Maybe you're larping, or maybe you just need a fake, dull movie prop blade for your action epic. Either way, this is a great weapons build project for a cool replica wooden sword. Watch this video tutorial to learn how to build a ...more

Yes, a smashable board of wood. Just what the propmaster called for. A long 2x4 piece of wood prop is perfect for smashing overtop somebody's head during an action scene. The smashable board is easy to make, too. But not as easy as breaking it. Watch this video tutorial to lea ...more

A grenade is the best way to make your indie action war flick more realistic, but anyway you try it, it's not going to be completely "realistic". You need a prop grenade, and you can eerily make it yourself out of cheap household materials. Watch this video tutorial to learn h ...more

A breakaway chair is one of the best pranks, or one of the easiest effects for your indie film project. A breakable chair can be made out of simple household items, and is very cheap. The biggest material needed is cardboard. So basically, you'll make a cardboard chair, that b ...more

A fake brick is a great movie prop for any action film. You can break through brick walls, smash a brick in two, or throw a brick at someone without being charged with murder. The majority of this fake brick is made of foam. Watch this video tutorial to learn how to make a fak ...more

Dynamite your way to movie success with an explosive bomb. A fake explosive bomb, of course. TNT on a timer is a great movie effect for you action flick. Watch this video tutorial to learn how to make a prop movie bomb. ParkersTutorials is a DIY filmmaking show for all of you ...more

You can't have a werewolf movie without a werewolf, but how do you make one. Well, you should start of small. Try your hands at the wolf claws. To create these furry werewolf claws, you'll need a glove and some other materials. Watch this video tutorial to learn how to make a ...more

Everybody has that destructive feeling sometimes, when you just want to smash your computer to bits due to a glitch or virus or freeze up. If you're making a film, it's a little more plausible that the computer would actually get smashed, considering it would be a fake prop co ...more

An RPG is a rocket propelled grenade, which is a common tool for enemy combatants in Iraq these days. If you need to have an RPG for your action war movie, then it's best to build your own prop one, since RPG's aren't exactly legal. Watch this video tutorial to learn how to ma ...more

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

If you own Sony Vegas, a good editing technique to learn is tracking motion. Track motion is the ability to rotate, scale, and skew an object in 3D perspective. This is great for making intros, titles, animated pictures in your homemade videos and much, much more. See how to t ...more

Have Sony Vegas, but don't know all that it can do, like masking? Well, this video tutorial about masking in Vegas Pro 9 will get you started in movie visual effects. As in the video, you can give an illusion that there is a real tank in your backyard with masking. See how to ...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 start, run, and accelerate two diabolo Chin ...more

The spooky Halloween prop in this how-to video is a great addition to a haunted house or a front lawn display. Scare kids and trick-or-treaters with this surprisingly life-like for the undead looking zombie corpse. This prop may be a little time intensive, but the finished pro ...more

Super cheap eyeballs without breaking the bank! While grapes are the safe standard to spook out trick or treaters, they don't look very realistic. For this project, you will need clear spray paint, white spray paint, black spray paint, blue acrylic paint, black acrylic paint, ...more

Show off your karate skills by breaking a cinder block in half! Everyone will be amazed when you karate chop that block in two, without getting hurt. But is it real? That's up to you. If you don't want to break your wrist, it's best to make a fake breakaway cinder block. This ...more

A few handy tricks can turn your school cell into a cozy suite. You Will Need * A dorm room * An agreeable dorm mate * And some money Step 1. Investigate dorm room Investigate dorm specifics before you spend any money. What furniture is provided? What items are prohibited, ...more

What if I told you that you could read minds? You'd most likely think I was crazy, and you'd be right. But what I really meant is that you could make people think that you could read minds, something that's not the least bit crazy. Performing mind reading — and it is a perfor ...more

There are plenty of films out there with baseball bats, but if you want your bat to explode on impact, you'll have to make it yourself. A smashable baseball bat is perfect for any gangster flick or sports movie. Watch this video tutorial to learn how to make a breakable baseba ...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 do an impossible paper and 3 ...more

Card magic is the best type of magic for most people. It's impressive, best done close up, and requires little if any equipment other than a deck of cards. Watch this video to learn the Twisted Sister trick, which does require some props but creates a really cool effect.

Learn how to do two simple coin vanishing tricks with a coin stand and with just your hands from this instructional video. A gimmick coin stand will make coins disappear into a false hollow. Watch this video magic tutorial and find out how to perform some coin vanishing tricks ...more

There are entertaining card tricks performed by our expert that are easy to learn and fun for everyone. Learn the typical cup trick or the more complicated magic Mentalism Trick. Make sure you have the needed props for the rope trick or the floating ball trick. Part 1 of 14 - ...more

In this series of magic videos from our professional magician, learn how to do a variety of basic tricks with props that you can find laying around almost any office. Got a spoon for your coffee cup? Then bend it to the delight of your co-workers. Got spare change sitting on t ...more

If you need a little advice about film sound and music, these tips should help you out. Find out a good place got get royalty free music to add to your low-budget film and see when not to use music with vocals. Watch this video tutorial to learn how to improve your moviemaking ...more

Having trouble with your green screen? You may not have it lit right, or it may not be secured properly, or you might not be using your editing software right when using chroma key. If you want to learn a few tips on how to fix a bad green screen, this is the place. Watch this ...more