Hey guys! Although I'm new to the forums, I'm definitely not new to this awesome site.

I started a little prodution company with a friend of mine (A.C.R.O.N.I.M. productions) and we are working on our first project. We're starting off small with a music video type project that is war themed with very visceral and realistic war imagery. Though not exactly a beginner project, we want to see if we can pull it off.

Now for the question. We are looking for the best way to create realistic bullet impacts on different surfaces (ground, trees, etc.). Most preferably methods that can be used on location to be more realistic, but anything anybody can tell me about doing it in post-production with FX software would also be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

-Hannes Botha
A.C.R.O.N.I.M. productions

Go to any of the links below. The first one is for body hits, and the second is a program for all around effects.

http://www.exposure.co.uk/eejit/blood/index.html

http://www.csb-digital.com/alamdv/

Or go to my site for all around Special Effects tutorials:

http://www.browncowstudios.com/

For the first movie I ever did, Without Hope (which is on the site), I simply placed patches of flour on the ground and shot paintballs at them, which created a bullet impact "look" more or less. You can use it on the ground, or even cover a person in flour and shoot at them (works great in B&W since you can't see the flour). A little more dangerous than other ideas, but it's what I did. Just a suggestion.

Yes, with enough soap, one could blow up just about anything.

Thanks for the feedback guys.

I've already looked into AlamDV, and I'm certainly going to use it for a portion of the effects, but I'm also looking for some more options.

The flour idea is great, thanks. I'll experiment with it to see what it looks like.

In addition... does anybody know how to do the bullet impacts in after effects (or a similar program) and the plug-ins that would be needed for that, and possible tutorials for them?

I believe they offer bullet impacts in AlamDV as well as muzzle flashes. If you already have Photoshop, and have some patience, you can draw muzzle flashes, and bullet hits as well (although hits take ALOT of drawing. Muzzle flashes only last one, or two frames.) Here is a link to a Muzzle flash tutorial.
R. M.

And you shall know us by the trail of dead.

Well i have never been able to find a good tutorial on the internet that deals with bullet hit fx which are cg and look good. I came up with an ok bullet hit/bullet hole effect on a movie i just completed. You can get it here

Counter-Strike 64

or here

Counter-Strike 64

The effect is towards the end of the movie. I made it by taking Bullet hit sprites from the acual computer game Counter-Strike and exporting them into gif animations, then putting them into Combustion and tracking the motion of the video and matching up the effect. It turned out looking pretty good.

Hmmm... lets try that again.

Tutorial on drawing Muzzle flashes in Photoshop

http://www.rewindvideo.com/RVM/Articles/Ashby/Gunfire101.html
R. M.

And you shall know us by the trail of dead.

thanks again guys.

I'll take a look at all of your suggestions and apply them where appropriate. I can't wait to finish up pre-production and move on the fun stuff.

I'll most probably post the (as of yet untitled) short/music video on this site so you guys can tell me what you think, but that won't be for a while though.

and please...keep the suggestions/information/any valuable knowledge about making a realistic war scene coming..(any aspect from filming techniques to special effects) anything that can be put out there will be appreciated by me and many others out there with an ambition to create a war piece.