A scene in my film involves the lead character getting so p***ed off that he punches a hole in his bedroom wall. Now seeing as though I am not yet a billionaire I can't afford to build an entire house for the movie, therefore I will most likely be filming at someone elses house. Problem is I don't think they would appreciate me smashing up their wall (the character actually does it twice in the film). Also I can't be sure that the actor's punch will even leave a dent in the wall or just break his wrist (which leads to lawsuits). So what I basically need is some sort of fake wall that will look like the real thing, and crack on cue.
If anyone has ever done something similar, or has any suggestions on how to accomplish this please let me know. Thanks in advance.
What kind of wall and what kind of hole?
By a sheet of drywall at the local hardware store. Paint it to match the walls in question. Brace it with some wood so it doesn't split up the middle, but so the wood is well clear of the area to be punched. Place it in a door frame and frame your shot so that the doorframe isn't visible. Punch the drywall.
A nice way to do this would be to dress up the rear side of the drywall with beams and wires so that it looks like the camera is inside the wall when the wall is punched. If it works well the hole will then make the actor visible when they withdraw their hand. This also means you wouldn't have to paint the drywall since that side won't be visible and the interior side should look raw.
If you need the hole visible in other scenes you are on your own.
RJSchwarz
San Diego, CA
RJSchwarz
I've done exactly what RJ suggests. It works great. A little hint - score the back of the drywall where the actor is going to punch to it's easier to break.
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The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
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thanks guys. I have asked around and that seems to be the way to go.
The hole is not visible in other scenes because the character covers it with a poster. Trick photography should do the job.
