Road stunt

A

Arbremort

New member
Hello everyone!

I'm finishing up the last touches on a car accident scene I'll be shooting next week. In one shot, I have my lead talent falling on his stomach in the middle of the road. Obviously, I want the blood to be fake, and I certainly don't want to have to call an ambulance, so I'm working on a practical solution to make the shot work.

What I've came up with so far is to buy large panels of styrofoam I'll be able to snap together on set and texturize it with some sandpaper and a small knife. After taking pictures of the road where we'll be shooting, I'll spray paint it the same color and work darker details with a sponge in the cracks. I'll take some leftover storyfoam chunks and paint them so they look like little rocks that I can scatter everywhere.

Since the shot is low-angled and tight (100mm) I'll be able to fill the frame with the storyfoam and hopefully, nobody will notice.

Has anyone ever done something similar?

Thanks!
 
A small section of fake road will certainly help avoid injuries, so long as you can make it visually match the real road.

My only concern with the styrofoam idea is that it's fragile and may split or shatter on impact, showing its white interior for all to see and probably ruining it for any second attempt. Some sort of thick rubber/foam sheet might work better? Regardless, any soft material may give unwanted 'bounce' side effects when someone falls on it - that definitely needs to be tested beforehand.

Have you definitely excluded the possibility of padding the actor so he can safely fall onto the real road?
 
Good point! I hadn't thought of the white interior exposing itself. I think I'll have to go to Home Depot and check out if I can find darker styrofoam or gray rubber sheets. I'll definitely pad him up to avoid some stupid injuries (I hadn't thought of that), but I'm mostly concerned about his face hitting the road. It's a frontal shot so I definitely want to see some head collision.

Again, thanks a lot for pointing out the obvious "well, we're ****ed now" moment I might have had on set. You, sir, just saved the shot!
 
LOL, it wouldn't be the first time I got bounced a few times on an asphalt surface. Sadly, it won't be the last, either, I fear. Padding only helps a little, if you ask me. And when the lead actor decides to ad-lib a stunt and catches you by surprise with a full on tackle onto the asphalt....

That one......I wasn't even supposed to be in the scene. (funny story, but would derail)

Arbremort, I would look for a stunt actor for your film to double your actor, as untrained actors have a tendency to either over do the fall, or catch themselves short of the fall. Plus, even with a fall pad, injuries can still occur. I know it sounds odd, but falling and NOT getting hurt is a skill. Though personally, I don't need no stee-king fall pads.
 
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I bet it is! I have done a couple of small stunts in my movies because I hate to ask my actors to put themselves at risk for a film. I'm working on a soft surface for him to land on, and if all fails, I'll get a double for this shot.
 
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