saving private ryan (medic wade)

[Markus s]

about 90 mins into saving private ryan medic wade is shot several times in the chest. obviously they used a chest pack filled with fake blood. but does anyone know where you can actually buy them chest packs from as i need one for my A level drama presentation.

[Hippy]

In the 1960s when I worked for Rank at Borehamwood, we used to make them individually. Small explosive charges about one third the size of a penny banger are detonated by electric fuses, short lengths of exposed thin fusewire surrounded by a pinch of powdered magnesium wrapped in brown paper. The charges are then surrounded by the "blood" pack, small polythene bags containing the fake blood made from dye and watery cornflower paste that would be ejected along a thin tube, the end of which was sealed by thin tape.

 

All this was then mounted on a stiff re-inforced canvas covered metal backing plate. The charges with the blood sacks just attached with strong sticky tape allowing gaps where the blood would spurt. This is worn by the actor under their clothing, usually with the "bullet holes" already made, but just stuck together with thin cellotape on the inside to match up with the place where the blood would spurt. There is a length of cable running down the actor's leg and the FX person wires the other end to a series of switces and a battery to fire off the charges at slightly different times to simulate the gunshots.

 

The whole caboodle took days to prepare and practice and we always made three or four packs, in case of mistakes and re-takes.

 

We had pyro experts, fire extiguishers, and medics on hand at all times when using this stuff, and I don't advise amateur attempts at dabbling with explosives. You can do it with the packs, no explosive, and threads to pull out patches on the packs. The actor turns quckly to the camera (audience) and pulls the threads whilst acting the "aaargh!" The effect is just as good and miles cheaper.

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