Breaking mirror / Shattering
- Thread starter monte
- Start date
You could do it in After Effects following this tutorial:
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/459423/mirror_shatter_tutorial_in_after_effects/
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/459423/mirror_shatter_tutorial_in_after_effects/
Capt Quirk
Veteran
If you have access to the backside of the wall, a small hole would allow for a small diamater punch. Just a light rap and the glass should shatter. I was also thinking of super heating the mirror and applying cold water, but I can't honestly think of a practical way to do that. Of course, you could go old school on it, and nail it with a slingshot. The projectil should move fast enough to avoid being captured for more than a frame or two. Just cut them out if needed.
12quidkidinnit
Active member
Air rifle ?
That was the first thing I thought of when I read this. Obviously there's a serious safety issue here, but if you were to do it like this, the speed of the pellet should mean that it's unlikely to be seen. Make sure it's shot square on and not at an angle. Ricocheting airgun pellets are not a good idea in a confined space or near people.
What sort of mirror are you going to use ? I've got one of those toughened safelty glass ones that they used to have in the trains. If that was shot at it would end up in thousands of similar sized pieces. But a mirror made of normal glass is going to break into many random and potentially dangerous shaped fragments.
I reckon that idea about using heat sounds like it could be a very good one. If you had access to the back of the mirror, and get it nice and hot first, with a fan heater or hear drier, a nice blast of ice cold water should send it on its way quite nicely.
Or, for a much more technical approach, there's this. Mount the mirror on a piece of wood. But not a normal bit of wood. A thin piece of ply wood. And at the back of the ply wood, maybe along the bottom, fix a length of 2x1 or something similar. When you want the mirror to shatter, push or pull on the strip of wood, which will twist the mirror so that it shatters. It will bend a slight amount, but after that, it has to give.
That was the first thing I thought of when I read this. Obviously there's a serious safety issue here, but if you were to do it like this, the speed of the pellet should mean that it's unlikely to be seen. Make sure it's shot square on and not at an angle. Ricocheting airgun pellets are not a good idea in a confined space or near people.
What sort of mirror are you going to use ? I've got one of those toughened safelty glass ones that they used to have in the trains. If that was shot at it would end up in thousands of similar sized pieces. But a mirror made of normal glass is going to break into many random and potentially dangerous shaped fragments.
I reckon that idea about using heat sounds like it could be a very good one. If you had access to the back of the mirror, and get it nice and hot first, with a fan heater or hear drier, a nice blast of ice cold water should send it on its way quite nicely.
Or, for a much more technical approach, there's this. Mount the mirror on a piece of wood. But not a normal bit of wood. A thin piece of ply wood. And at the back of the ply wood, maybe along the bottom, fix a length of 2x1 or something similar. When you want the mirror to shatter, push or pull on the strip of wood, which will twist the mirror so that it shatters. It will bend a slight amount, but after that, it has to give.
rapsucks
Well-known member
This is what I would try:
1. Buy two identical mirrors.
2. Using a Dremel with the ceramic wheel attachment, score the backside of one of the mirrors along possible break lines. Your goal is to weaken it structurally so that it will break easily and dramatically. (Usually when glass breaks, it just breaks in one or two places--boring!). This will be slightly visible from the front of the mirror, so use the untouched mirror for filming any other scenes in which the unshattered mirror may appear.
3. Again using your Dremel (because it's so freakin' fast) drill a small hole (I mean 1/64" small) in the center of your shatter zone. Some of the major shatter lines that you scored should attach to or be in close proximity to the hole.
4. Fasten a piece of 16-or-so gauge wire to a steel washer (whatever size you think is appropriate--maybe 3/8" in diameter.)
5. Thread the wire through the hole in the mirror, leaving the washer against the back of the mirror.
6. Securely fasten all four corners of the mirror to the wall before beginning the breaking procedure.
7. With the camera rolling, someone off-screen pulls the wire, which breaks its way through the glass. The glass should shatter in several pieces--if you've scored it right.
8. If necessary, remove the wire in After Effects using the simple wire removal (which works remarkably well--you could even use a thicker than 16 gauge wire if needed).
It would also be possible to wire several washers into the mirror, each with their own wire. It depends on how you want the shatter to look.
This has the advantage of leaving the natural back to the mirror, so if any pieces fall out of the frame (they should) then it will look natural.
This is a variation on the coroner's-wax-and-button trick used by special effects guys of days gone by to put a bullet hole in someone's forehead.
You didn't really specify what the nature of the effect would be. If it was a free-standing mirror, you would have a lot of options with working behind the mirror. If you don't need to frame both sides or the bottom of the mirror, then you would have other options of approaching from the side. My method should allow you to shoot the whole mirror without a problem.
I hope you find a good solution.
1. Buy two identical mirrors.
2. Using a Dremel with the ceramic wheel attachment, score the backside of one of the mirrors along possible break lines. Your goal is to weaken it structurally so that it will break easily and dramatically. (Usually when glass breaks, it just breaks in one or two places--boring!). This will be slightly visible from the front of the mirror, so use the untouched mirror for filming any other scenes in which the unshattered mirror may appear.
3. Again using your Dremel (because it's so freakin' fast) drill a small hole (I mean 1/64" small) in the center of your shatter zone. Some of the major shatter lines that you scored should attach to or be in close proximity to the hole.
4. Fasten a piece of 16-or-so gauge wire to a steel washer (whatever size you think is appropriate--maybe 3/8" in diameter.)
5. Thread the wire through the hole in the mirror, leaving the washer against the back of the mirror.
6. Securely fasten all four corners of the mirror to the wall before beginning the breaking procedure.
7. With the camera rolling, someone off-screen pulls the wire, which breaks its way through the glass. The glass should shatter in several pieces--if you've scored it right.
8. If necessary, remove the wire in After Effects using the simple wire removal (which works remarkably well--you could even use a thicker than 16 gauge wire if needed).
It would also be possible to wire several washers into the mirror, each with their own wire. It depends on how you want the shatter to look.
This has the advantage of leaving the natural back to the mirror, so if any pieces fall out of the frame (they should) then it will look natural.
This is a variation on the coroner's-wax-and-button trick used by special effects guys of days gone by to put a bullet hole in someone's forehead.
You didn't really specify what the nature of the effect would be. If it was a free-standing mirror, you would have a lot of options with working behind the mirror. If you don't need to frame both sides or the bottom of the mirror, then you would have other options of approaching from the side. My method should allow you to shoot the whole mirror without a problem.
I hope you find a good solution.
monte
Bag of Douche
I'm done with all the pre production on the video and am preparing to shoot in 2 weeks, the one issue I'm running into is this mirror dilemma
While you provided me some good tips, I left out 2 pieces of important information
The breaking of the mirror will be shot at 120fps - which begs the question about seeing a washer (I suppose I could go ahead and remove it before comping in smoke/dust)
**I also wanted to have the glass not just "fall" in a bunch of pieces but shoot out about 3 or so feet**
Any ideas?
While you provided me some good tips, I left out 2 pieces of important information
The breaking of the mirror will be shot at 120fps - which begs the question about seeing a washer (I suppose I could go ahead and remove it before comping in smoke/dust)
**I also wanted to have the glass not just "fall" in a bunch of pieces but shoot out about 3 or so feet**
Any ideas?
Capt Quirk
Veteran
Attach the mirror from the ceiling and turn the camera 90 degrees. It will look as if it is shooting out with force, when it is just gravity.
monte
Bag of Douche
thought of that already
the shot is for a wide, and i dont want it to SHOOT OUT completely, just simply go out 3 to 4 feet as it's flying towards the ground.
Then I will composite in some smoke and such as well as the girl who wont be in the room at the time for obvious reasons..
I'm meeting with an experienced SFX guy tommorrow, I'll tell you guys what he recommends.
the shot is for a wide, and i dont want it to SHOOT OUT completely, just simply go out 3 to 4 feet as it's flying towards the ground.
Then I will composite in some smoke and such as well as the girl who wont be in the room at the time for obvious reasons..
I'm meeting with an experienced SFX guy tommorrow, I'll tell you guys what he recommends.
FallenWyvern
Member
Perhaps not particularly constructive, but what if you got a mirror that was a bit taller than you expected and went out of either the top of bottom of your shot? Then you'd have a place where you could vice it, and shatter it and no one would be the wiser. Of course, this only works if it's close to the camera.
Jay Rodriguez
Coffee Member
hey monte! long time no see..... how did this end up? I'm curious to see it.
smokeybear
Member
your origional idea would work fine, but dont forget no pyrotech.