Indy Mogul
Wesley's Weekly HOW TO: Bullet Casings
We've covered plenty of gun tutorials here at Indy Mogul, but they continue to be one of the most popular group of effects to be requested (seriously, it's to Halo Armor levels). So I thought I would submit to popular demand and cover a simple effect that has gotten tons of requests, how to make your own spent bullet casings to have all over the ground after a shoot-out scene in your film.
First, cut a section out of a typical piece of poster paper. I picked poster paper because you want the paper to be kind of thick, (regular printer paper will be harder to do since you'll have to double it up), and it's just the right thickness. Now roll it up by wrapping it tightly around a cylinder that is a similar diameter to the spent cartridge you want to create. I picked a sharpie, this will give a size that is around the size of a normal pistol round, don't worry about it not being perfect, most people won't be able to tell that they aren't the perfect size on screen, and even if they aren't perfectly circular, spent rounds rarely are. Having an explosion occur inside of it, and being forcifully ejected out of a machine can result in all sorts of distortion and little chinks and such, so don't worry about the rounds being totally perfect, since having them be a little rough and imperfect is actually realistic.
Sketch out a straight line on the paper, try to make it about the length that you want the cartridge to be.
Now, roll it up so it makes a complete circle, then keep on going for at least another quarter of the circle. You want a lip that you can glue down that is at least a quarter of the circle in length.
Then cut them loose.
And glue the overlapping "lip" of the strip.
Now, just roll it up, and hold it for a minute or so while the glue dries. That is why I like using glue sticks here, since they dry rather quickly.
While the cylinder dries, sketch out some circles on the same paper, that are about the size of the end cap. I find it's a bit easier if I pick the edge of the circle a lot with a sharp pencil to perforate it makes it easier to pop out. Don't worry about it being perfect, since you're going to push it into the end of the cylinder and glue it in place.
Like so. Now just let it dry before the paint job.
I went with just a basic layer of brass acrylic paint. After it dries I pushed into the end cap, to make a little indention so it looks a bit more like a spent primer.
And there you go, one spent cartridge ready to go. These are cheap, but it can be a bit tedious to do, but with just a few hours work, you could easily have a few handfuls, which when tossed strategically around the floor of your set could easily make it look like there was a dramatic gunbattle.
If this seems a bit too tedious for you, consider contacting a local gun range and ask them if you could possible collect some of the spent brass at their range. Most ranges are required to clean up all of the excess brass, and it shouldn't be difficult to get a few handfuls (asking politely of course) since they get recycled or disposed of anyway. Also since they are spent, there isn't any real pyrotechnic danger from them.
Good luck!
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