Practical Task: Ripped Finger Nail

For this practical task, I decided to create the effect of a finger nail which had been ripped off using various sorts of make-up; I chose this as it is a clip, once filmed, which has the potential to be used in our film trailer. In order to complete the task, I initially carried out research into what ripped nails look like and how they move when being pulled out. This allowed me to then create my own version using false nails and make-up.

Research:

The following YouTube video was found which shows someone ripping off their finger nail using pliers; this would be the sort of tool that would be used in the real clip in our film trailer. Although the video is authentic and shows a real nail being ripped off rather than a tutorial, I was able to see the movement of the nail and how it would react in a sense if it were to be pulled out.

The following image shows an example of a fingernail which had been ripped off. As the image depicts, the entire nail bed is often ripped off, meaning blood surrounds the cuticle and bed itself. This source was a helpful template when creating my own ripped nail effect.

Practical Task:

Once I had trimmed down my own nail so as to look like a nail bed, I stained the nail itself using red lipstick. To serve as the red bruising that is common surrounding the nail cuticles when a finger nail is infected or damaged, I also applied the red lipstick using a sponge.

For the next step, I used liquid latex on the lower half of the nail to act as the rough surface usually found under the finger nail on the nail bed. Once the false nail was then applied, during the ripping off, the set latex would 'stretch', acting as the cuticle and skin area which would be pulled and rip.

I then added fake blood to the entire finger nail and a proportion of the surrounding skin. This was to, as is evident, represent the damaged and bloodied skin as a result of the nail being ripped off, as suggested in the research.

Next, I gently applied a false nail to the nail bed, where it lightly stuck to the previously applied liquid latex. I then applied an additional layer of liquid latex to the bottom percentage of the false nail. This was to firstly bind the nail to the nail bed and to also act as a layer of skin so when the nail is in the process of being ripped off, it looks as though the skin is also ripping. 

Finally, I used some more fake blood to cover the layer of liquid latex and to make the nail cuticles and surrounding skin look more irritated and sore. 

The image below shows the after effect once the nail had been ripped off. The nail bed looks realistic with the fake blood and ripped latex. However, more blood and layering could have been applied to the top percentage of the finger nail in order to make it appear as though it were more textured, as an authentic nail bed would appear.

Evaluation:

• The layering of reds, latex and fake blood posed as a successful method of creating the ripped nail effect.
• The make-up that was needed was easy to find in the home as I only used red lipstick, liquid latex and fake blood.
• However, the nail used looks like a false nail due to the french manicure tip and precision so if I were to complete the task again, I would use a more natural looking nail.
• In terms of footage, the after effect of the ripped nail is more authentic looking than the before shot. 
• This was because the make-up used looked as though the nail had already been damaged or infected before removal, which may pose as a problem for our trailer as the idea is torture, whereby the nail would have been perfectly fine before.