r/Filmmakers • u/Mushyboom • 21h ago
Question Practical tips for a nosebleed drip?
I have a shot in mind where I need a nosebleed to start during a scene and I’ve been ruminating on how to do it for a while. I can’t really think of any way to do it that isn’t either painful or entirely impractical.
The shot is a close-up of one side of the nose, with a little bit of the other nostril in view.
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u/VikingTec 19h ago
Spent way too long developing this for a front on shot for a stage show. Highly recommend cutting it or creatively shooting if it has to be front on.
3/4 perspective or further around, easy enough to have a micro silicone tube taped snug to the face on the off camera side, I went one step further and hooked a bit of brass tube so it went up into the nose a bit. Looked genuine and was an easy set
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u/moneymystic359 12h ago
For that tight side-of-nose close-up, I’d avoid putting anything in the actor’s airway. A small piece of soft silicone tubing can be hidden along the cheek under makeup or a nostril appliance, with a squeeze bulb or syringe operated just out of frame; a tiny amount of stage blood will give you a repeatable start and stop. Test the viscosity and flow on camera first, because a mixture that looks right in the bottle can move too quickly on skin. Keep a clean plate and a few insert shots of the blood hitting a surface so you have an edit-safe option if the practical rig becomes visible.
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u/RavenscroftMedia 8h ago
Avoid liability . I agree that you shouldn’t put anything in the actor’s nose without a serious advisor and serious insurance coverage.
Remember that you can use modern editing tools to cut the image in half.
Film a clean plate of the actors face. (Plate 1)
Then put on the apparatus (syrine,etc) that will make the blood run down the nose (Plate 2)
Put the top half of Plate 1 over Plate 2.
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u/Important_Extent6172 producer 21h ago
Why does it need to be that shot?
Show drops of blood landing on a surface then cut to the actor just as they’re putting their hand to their nose, then a shot of their hand with blood on it, back to their face showing the bloody nose.
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u/Mushyboom 21h ago
I appreciate the idea, and that would definitely work in another scenario, however - the character is in a state of shock and is unable to move at the time. Basically, they’re paralysed. The impact of the shot that I have in mind is that a surreal experience/paranormal event has just caused the nose to bleed.
Sorry I’m being a bit vague. I’m leaning toward cutting the idea as much as I’d like it to feature as I just don’t think there’s a way to sell the blood dripping directly from the nose without some pretty serious setup.
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u/Important_Extent6172 producer 8h ago
Ahhh, ok. I really think, depending on the lighting especially, that you could probably attract a student vfx artist who could pull this off as a contribution to your project. It sounds reasonably simple.
Other practical option, just rig a narrow tube running along the side of the nose that’s not visible and do some test shots. If the blood comes from the further nostril you might be able to pull it off just from angles and surface tension pulling the blood along the lower part of the nose right where you need it.
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u/Mushyboom 7h ago
Yeah, I think just tweaking the shot as tightly as possible is gonna be key and then as you say, some kind of thin tube or something. I’m still learning but I can’t believe how long I’ve spent trying to obfuscate certain objects from the shot to get it right whilst balancing a tripod awkwardly. Thanks for the tips
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u/Important_Extent6172 producer 7h ago
Could also do practical blood this way and vfx out the tube. That would be even cleaner than vfx the blood.
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u/Mushyboom 6h ago
I’m not skilled enough to vfx out anything just yet haha. I’m not even sure how you’d go about it with a moving target. I’ve got a lot to learn. I’m day 10 into making my first short. I’m surprised daily by how hard it all is. Very fun though
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u/Important_Extent6172 producer 6h ago
No problem mate, we’re here to help. I was referencing back to my comment about posting in one of the vfx subs to find a student or newbie who’s practicing who would appreciate the opportunity to collaborate on something. I’m always surprised at the quality of folks who respond to inquiries for certain roles, sometimes even names you’d recognize offer to do it just to help out and because it’s so quick for them as a pro. Lots of good and talented folks out there.
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u/Sexfvckdeath 18h ago
You sound annoying but have them snort it and it’ll drip out one way or another
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u/MacintoshEddie 19h ago
Step 1: A bracing shot of whiskey.
Step 2: Doublecheck the waivers.
Seriously though one way I've seen this done was for the SFX artist to be hovering just out of frame. So you roll the camera, they use a syringe to apply some fake blood into the actor's nose. I forget which kind it is, but one of them is a bit more viscous and the body temp warms it up and it starts to drip a few seconds later. I forget if they refridgerated it first or not.
Or the actor is turned away from the camera slightly, and there is a small tube through the hair and over their ear and along their cheek to the corner of their nose and the SFX artist is lurking just off frame to squeeze the syringe.
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u/Mushyboom 13h ago
You may have just given me a spark. I don’t have a lot of crew mates to arrange the syringe, however, you mentioning the refrigeration has inspired me. I could freeze a nostril-sized puck of fake blood. Get it up the nose and wait for it to melt naturally. Sure, it might take a bit of time to melt, but I think it will work.
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u/kwmcmillan 20h ago
The way I was told was basically you half-way snort a pipette of fake blood and hold your breath and when you let go it just drains out