We rolled up to the set with zero plans for the final battle. The walk through of the brawl was bland–just punches and kicks.
A gnarly throat slash was a random last-minute addition. Actor Edd Black, a Street Thug, would lose his throat.
Our makeup artist Sara Smudzinski was not scheduled the night of the final boss battle. We scrapped most blood effects on the night of the shoot. The jugular attack was the biggest moment we needed Sara’s skills.
In the first edit the throat slash lacked cinematic impact. The actors went through the motions of faking the savage throat attack.
Actor Joseph Janswig, “The Man in the Mask”, applied blood to his hand before striking Edd in the throat. This allowed Edd to grab and pretend to have a bloody wound.
The Garage Setup
A pickup shot was added to patch up the moment.
In the gritty depths of a garage we snagged a pick-up shot of Edd’s throat slash. Black fabric dangled from above to fake the night sky. The battered Lowell DP tungsten lights burned with the same intensity and yellow hue on the battle scene.
The only change from the main shoot was the camera—this time I used a Canon 7D. The sensor’s tones would line up with the Canon camcorder used in principal photography.
Watching Sara’s makeup artistry gave me the confidence to craft a latex wound. I created a deep savage wound. Layers of blood masked the imperfections of my handiwork. The fake wound ripped by the viewer’s eye in a split second.
Blend With A Comic Book Vibe
The finishing touch was a layer of gushing CGI blood. It was like a page torn from a comic book.
The Final Composite
Blended all together in a matter of seconds Actor Edd Black’s deadly downfall.
We Need More Blood
Looking back, rigging up a hose for a gush of blood would have been way more shocking. And add in a quick reaction shot of blood splattering across another goon’s face. Those savage details would have sealed the madness of our battle royal.