Making The Blood
As we were creating a visually impressive, one of the important props that we were requiring was fake blood. As we were unsure how much fake blood we will be needing we are reluctant to purchase any fake blood at this time due to funds. We also are wanting to make sure that the blood is convincing as we do not want to have any weak area where the visual effects are affected. The price to buy at pint of blood off of Ebay was £8.75, however while we want to rehearse with blood we are reluctant to pay that amount for fake blood.
Another option we have for fake blood is to make it ourselves. After looking at the best and cheapest way to make fake blood, we have a number of options;
Cornflower
We are able to mix Cornflower and water together and adding food colouring produces a thick yet runny liquid that, convincingly, looks like blood.
Honey
Again if we mix food colouring with runny honey from the supermarket, then this produces a thick red liquid that drips nicely. The golden colour of honey and the red food colouring mixed together produces a dark red coloured liquid that is can be very convincing as blood.
As we are wanting the blood at different moments within the play the biggest challenge once we have the blood will be to get it on stage or on to the characters without the audience seeing it being placed on them. We are planning on having blood at four points within the play yet three of those points, the actors are on stage and acquire the blood halfway through a scene. The Snow Child requires the blood to be around her legs and on her dress, yet she is in a bed during the scene and requires the blood to be placed during the scene.
Within the final scene there are two points where the actors are requiring blood to be used. Firstly The Piano Tuner is stabbed and therefore will require blood to seep out of his shirt as though he has been wounded. Then later in the scene The Count is also stabbed in the side and in the neck, the side is not a problem for us as he is stabbed in a non visible area. However when he is stabbed in the neck we require blood to be spat out of his mouth and on to The Countess’ face.
Therefore we are needing an secretive way of transporting blood on stage, hidden, and easily accessed so The Count can intake the blood and then spit it out. Furthermore we are requiring an idea for The Piano Tuner to have blood on his shirt after he is stabbed but not before.
At this moment I am currently looking at ways that these can be done and the easiest way to get the best effect so the audience do not feel they are being fooled.
Robert Bull