Fake Blood on the cheap

[smirkbyfire]

What's a good recipe for fake blood? Also, if you were shooting a daytime exterior on uncorrected tungsten to get a cool look, and you still wanted the blood to be bright red as if it were shot corrected, what color would the blood need to be? More red than normal? I'm not sure about this one.

[Luke Prendergast]

Home brand dishwashing liquid, red food coloring, a tiny bit of blue food coloring. This evaporates fairly fast though and will stain light-colored clothing if not washed off straight away. Add some 85A food coloring if shooting on tungsten stock in daylight and you want the blood to register as normal.

[Michael Nash]

In my college days I used the old Karo syrup recipe -- Corn syrup with red food coloring and a little yellow. This is pretty sticky and doesn't run or flow, but is great for wounds, pooled blood and such. Since it's syrup it's safe to put in the mouth. When it dries it still looks wet, but it stays put. Warm water loosens it up when you need to wash it off.

 

Once mixed it won't really stain and it washes out easily, but the straight food coloring stains everything.

[Josh Bass]

I second the corn syrup and food coloring, but I used red and blue, because red by itself is just not quite right; it needs that blue to darken it some. Be real careful with the blue, as it will easily overpower the red, and you'll have to add an assload more red to offset it again.

[rik carter]

I spent 12 years in makeup effects and I can tell you the clear corn syrup base is the best. I always thinned it with black coffee. It makes the blood less opaque. Red and a touch of blue and sometimes a tiny bit of yellow.

 

If it?s not going to be used in the mouth or near the eyes, add a wetting agent like Kodak?s Photoflo.