[DoctorBeaver (OP)]

No, I'm not a nutter (well, maybe a bit). I'm making a humorous film and I want to blow up a room in a small model house. I'll be filming it externally (obviously) and what I want is to see the explosion &, hopefully, blow out the window.

Any ideas how I can do it?

[jolly]

Finding fottage from somewhere else.(real cheap unless they sue you...lol)

Computer animation. Though it is time consuming.

You could cut to black- give sound effects then show the aftermarth. (Cheapest option! depending on the aftermarth that is...lol)

Blowing up a tiny modle of the room- though you will need a camera to match. but I dont think anyone will actualy tell you how to do that.

I do not suggest actually blowing up a room!

[DoctorBeaver (OP)]

I had considered using a couple of bangers but I don't want to wait until November.

[jolly]

Surely you can get them now, they must sell them at wholesalers, But that is a good idea!

[DoctorBeaver (OP)]

If I buy them from a wholesaler I'd probably have to buy a zillion at a time

[another_someone]

When you are talking about a model house - what kind of model house, and what kind of image do you want to create?

Will you want to be taking several reruns - in other words, will you want something you can easily put back together?

What are you using for glass in the windows?  Are the walls also to collapse, or only windows blown out?  Do you want to see flame (I know its probably unrealistic - but often film is meant to be more real than reality - in other words, appeal more to how we imagine something should look like than how something actually does look look like?

[another_someone]

If I buy them from a wholesaler I'd probably have to buy a zillion at a time

You buy explosives from a wholesaler, you'd probably have the anti-terrorist police knocking on your door the following morning.

[DoctorBeaver (OP)]

When you are talking about a model house - what kind of model house, and what kind of image do you want to create?

Will you want to be taking several reruns - in other words, will you want something you can easily put back together?

What are you using for glass in the windows?  Are the walls also to collapse, or only windows blown out?  Do you want to see flame (I know its probably unrealistic - but often film is meant to be more real than reality - in other words, appeal more to how we imagine something should look like than how something actually does look look like?

I was going to use a wood frame with cardboard or balsa walls. Hopefully I can do it in 1 take but I'll probably do a couple of dummy runs on other models to make sure it looks right. I want it to look spectacular so if there are flames, so much the better.

[jolly]

If I buy them from a wholesaler I'd probably have to buy a zillion at a time

You buy explosives from a wholesaler, you'd probably have the anti-terrorist police knocking on your door the following morning.

If nothing else that would be a funny day...lol So where can you by a small amount of fire works when its not the season?

[DoctorBeaver (OP)]

I wonder if I could bribe 1 of the chemists here  []

[another_someone]

What you want is basically just an oxidiser and a fuel.  Don't know if it would be potent enough, but if you mix petrol and an oxidiser (alas, one can no longer easily get hold of nitrates as easily as one could in my younger years, but you could try using hydrogen peroxide as an oxidiser).

Using alcohol with peroxide is probably the fastest burning, but using a heavier fuel would mean the fuel will take longer to burn, and might still be burning as it explodes out of whatever container you have used to contain the burning mixture.

[DoctorBeaver (OP)]

I think I might give that a go. Thanks.

[Karen W.]

Too bad I can't mail you some firecrackers ... That is what a banger is isn't it! Like a miniature stick of dynamite!  If I mailed them they would surely be confiscated because pf the gun powder or whatever they use TNT ..Hey what does TNT stand for anyway???

[DoctorBeaver (OP)]

Trinitrotoluene

[Karen W.]

OK.. What is that??

OK Heres Wiki's!   

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinitrotoluene

Trinitrotoluene (TNT) is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. This yellow-coloured solid is a reagent in chemistry but is best known as a useful explosive material with convenient handling properties. The explosive yield of TNT is considered the standard measure of strength of bombs and other explosives. In chemistry, TNT is used to generate charge transfer salts.

[DoctorBeaver (OP)]

All you really need to know is that it goes bang. Very bang.

Firecrackers are made from standard gunpowder, not TNT.

[Karen W.]

OH I did not know that! LOL..Always reading TNT on all the fireworks things so I assumed it was that! LOL "Very Bang!" LOL

[kdlynn]

and if you don't want to blow up an actual room, couldn't you build a tiny room and film it so that it looks like  it's life sized? might be safer

[kdlynn]

oh someone already said that. oops

[DoctorBeaver (OP)]

oh someone already said that. oops

Yes - I did.  []