What are the film techniques for broken and protruding bones?

What are the film techniques for broken and protruding bones? - Black and white vintage old broken TV placed on stones near wild river flowing through forest

I have seen in a James Bond movie where there is a volcano disaster and the guy being James Bond (or the same person maybe just different movie) that when he and his host family during the eruption found salvation in a collapsed cave, James Bond went back to the crashed car to get the signal location beacon while the others were deep in the cave.

When there is a small rock fall and he is directly under it, his leg breaks thoroughly and cleanly, it literally looks like he actually did snap it (and his leg was on an awkward angle too).

How do they film this and what do they actually do with the 'broken bones'?



Best Answer

Using practical make-up effects / amputees

This is an interesting blog post about how to Make a Realistic Makeup Compound Fracture.

Essentially it's using different materials to build up a realistic looking wound: enter image description here




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What are the film techniques for broken and protruding bones? - Woman in Yellow Shirt Holding Black and White Painting
What are the film techniques for broken and protruding bones? - Unhappy woman with trauma in leg sitting on sofa and leaning on crutches



What is the first aid treatment for a protruding bone?

Apply pressure to the wound with a sterile bandage, a clean cloth or a clean piece of clothing. Immobilize the injured area. Don't try to realign the bone or push a bone that's sticking out back in.

How do they make bones break in movies?

The camera angle cuts to what appears to be a close-up shot of the limb that is about to break. It's actually not the same limb, but a fake limb - like a fake "leg" inside a pair of pants that match the actor's. The fake limb is then broken. This is accompanied by a sound effect that sounds like a bone breaking.

What is a protruding fracture?

An open fracture is where the fractured bone protrudes (sticks out) from the skin. This is also referred to as a \u201ccompound fracture.\u201d An open fracture is a medical emergency because of the potential for a bone infection called \u201costeomyelitis.\u201d To learn more click \u201cThe Three Fracture Emergencies.\u201d Comminuted Fracture.

What type of fracture has bone protruding from the skin?

Open fracture (compound fracture): The bone pokes through the skin and can be seen. Or a deep wound exposes the bone through the skin. Closed fracture (simple fracture).



Anatomy of a Fracture as a Result of Systemic Bone Loss




More answers regarding what are the film techniques for broken and protruding bones?

Answer 2

I agree with Longshanks' answer regarding makeup to create a realistic-looking wound.

To film the actual action of a bone breaking, these will frequently be "insert shots". That is:

  1. The character is shown walking or moving, in a long camera angle that shows their whole body.
  2. The camera angle cuts to what appears to be a close-up shot of the limb that is about to break. It's actually not the same limb, but a fake limb - like a fake "leg" inside a pair of pants that match the actor's.
  3. The fake limb is then broken. This is accompanied by a sound effect that sounds like a bone breaking.
  4. Often a "reaction shot" is put here: A close-up of the actor's face, as he/she looks down at his/her injury and screams or winces in pain.
  5. The camera angle cuts back to the long camera angle where the character was walking or moving. However, the actor now has makeup that looks like a broken bone, or has some prosthetic in his/her costume that make the limb look as though it is bent at an odd angle.

When run together in the span of 1-2 seconds, this seems to the audience like a continuous set of events, though they were all probably shot over the course of hours rather than seconds.

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