Creating Blast Effects in Toy Photography!

Toy photographer Johnny Wu stops by our studio to demonstrate another of his practical effects for miniature photos. This time, he shows how he uses sparklers to create fiery action behind his subjects, evoking battle scenes to dramatic effect!
Please note: Sparklers and fireworks are inherently dangerous and we do not recommend attempting this at home. Flour is also extremely flammable!
Find more of Johnny's work at / sgtbananas
Shot by Gunther Kirsch
Edited by Norman Chan
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Follow us on Twitter: / testedcom
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Tested is:
Adam Savage / donttrythis
Norman Chan / nchan
Simone Giertz / simonegiertz
Joey Fameli www.joeyfameli.com
Gunther Kirsch guntherkirsch.com
Ryan Kiser / ryan.kiser
Kishore Hari / sciencequiche
Sean Charlesworth / cworthdynamics
Jeremy Williams / jerware
Kayte Sabicer / kaytesabicer
Bill Doran / chinbeard
Ariel Waldman / arielwaldman
Darrell Maloney / thebrokennerd83
Kristen Lomasney / krystynlo
Intro bumper by Abe Dieckman
Set design by Danica Johnson / saysdanica
Set build by Asa Hillis www.asahillis.com
Thanks for watching!

[@tested]

Has anyone here tried to add blast effects to toys before? If so, what technique did you use?

[@KDog2126]

I used to make slow motion car wreck videos with toy cars😂

[@Dethmeister]

I blew up a toy tank with a firecracker once. It wasn't very realistic because it blew it to smithereens. I taped an Estes rocket to a toy car. It didn't really roll as much as fly and skid down the street. I made a rocket launcher truck that shot foil wrapped match head rockets, it kinda worked.

[@charlesalexanderable]

Not flour with canned air and fireworks, it can blow up

[@2bitTank]

@@charlesalexanderable lol its not a grain factory dude, but i get your concern lol

[@slowberries]

Lynx aerosol with a lighter on a matchbox car. Lucky those cans didn't blow. Didn't have a camera either....

[@PhotoBrad]

It's fascinating to see Johnny at work! I was the photographer for Pop Culture Shock Toys (PCS Toys) for about five years. They make very similar action figures (Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, etc.) and I shot about 100 of them. I was photographing the prototypes, which sometimes still had wet paint. So, I had to be very cautious and I only got to shoot them with a plain black background -- any effects in the promo images were added by their Photoshop guy later. I'm very impressed with Johnny's work and now I'm jealous that I never got to create the fantasy/action scenes that he does. Great work.

[@ΚωνσταντινοςΓ-ω6φ]

I watched this(by mistake) with my 2,5 years old son. It changed his whole perspective about toys and how he can play with them......f**k

[@zaquan5418]

Why fk

[@ΚωνσταντινοςΓ-ω6φ]

@L1qu1d S1lenc3r I am feeding his imagination so when he grow up he can burn a forest

[@stirfry3069]

ΚΩΝΣΤΑΝΤΙΝΟΣ ΓΚΑΤΣΗΣ id suck the shit out of that turd cutter

[@capkhi5070]

Time the take out the wallet

[@dogazz3000yahoo]

Lol I feel what you going through I did the same with my son but with a video game I was only trying to get him to see a sonic game nine years later he a pro gamer with over 20,000 followers

[@71degrees]

It's really cool that you guys are stretching out to see how other people work. 👍👍

[@Geeksmithing]

Thanks for bringing in creative people from across the spectrum of making. This is wonderful!

[@Rockhopper1]

Word of. Warning flour at the right mix is highly flammable and explosive.

[@tested]

This is true and why caution should be taken!

[@jmalmsten]

Was about to post the same thing. A lot of things when suspended in right fuel/air mixture combined with an open flame will produce surprisingly dangerous fireballs... Even if it doesn't seem flammable when stationary.

[@ASDASD34RDFS]

I played a lot with fire as a kid, I did everything you could. Even homemade bombs, I was weird. Anyways flour isn't THAT flammable and explosive. I never managed to get it to really catch on fire in a huge fireball and explode as people said. One time I got pretty close after mixturing with a homemade airpressure cannon and I basically poured in X amount of flour til it catched on fire when releasing the gas and having a large torch directly pointed at it. Flammable but not dangerous in any way, unless you throw a bag of flour in the air, hold a couple of flares or torches and hope it lights on fire. Not worth the time and money.

[@Rockhopper1]

Max Blanke I am a pyrotechnician and explosives engineer, its very dangerous stuff. Trust me.

[@ASDASD34RDFS]

@@Rockhopper1 As the guy above said, everything with the correct mixture is very flammable and can result in explosions. But in the video there was barerly any risk of it igniting. If it was truly flammable and dangerous as you say we wouldn't be able to buy it in giant paper bags which itself is flammable

[@falcore91]

5:37 “ok folks don’t do this, but Johnny where can they buy these?”

[@mixflip]

Awesome....use eye protection though. Trust me.

[@sparkyprojects]

I was waiting for the 'flour mill explosion'

[@squiddle5193]

I did this as a kid with those big firecrackers. I wanted that shit to explode but it didn't work. I guess I should be glad now. Still would have been a nice explosion though.

[@randifelix]

Am I the only one who thinks these shots are the best when you use them with PowerRangers toys?

[@DeeNimmin]

That was awesome to watch!

[@TechChucker]

Absolutely Love Johnny Wu's work. Awesome showcase.

[@azynkron]

I love that it's practical effects. +10

[@BargainBarons]

Would LOVE to see a Wide angle shot of a larger battle scene! :)

[@WanderFeetChronicles]

Bargain Barons so go out and do it

[@antraxxslingshots]

What i really miss in this little Series is the appreciation that this Guy uses PRACTICAL effects and puts real work and time into his setups instead of taking the pictures in like 30sec and spends 2 days in Photoshop. I really like that, nice job and a very good inspiration!

[@TheFrogmanTV]

I like practical effects too, but if someone were able to photoshop something of similar quality, that means they have years of experience and are an accomplished artist. I think both ways should be celebrated when done well.

[@marcd7332]

I thought the “hate on anything that’s not a practical effect” trend was over

[@natesmodelsdoodles5403]

oh, you still need to use photoshop, no matter how much practical work you do. it's almost impossible to get a photo to look perfect otherwise, since you still need to deal with colour and light balance issues. dark elements might be too dark, light ones might be too light, etc. The difference is that this takes about 1-2 hours, maximum, if you know what you're doing. I'm saying this as a photographer who normally photographs storms and landscapes, BTW. a dark and intimidating thunderstorm rolling over some hills has a tendency to come out looking weird no matter how long you take to set things up, especially because you're only using natural lighting.

[@davidekstrom9595]

Practice effects will NEVER DIE

[@veiledrecalcitrance4314]

Ok, A) I actually passed the snow trooper by in this line, but seeing him posed def makes me want this figure now. And B) I wonder about melting, how often are the figures or the props get melted. Those movie realization figs are pretty pricey. And last, Sgt Bananas was the first toy photographer I ever followed, his work is pretty damn epic

[@rektangular]

Another great episode!

[@Chromaz]

Flour is very flammable and youre using fireworks on it...

[@Mate2Frio]

Combustible ....

[@karlkastor]

yeah, this could have caused a dust explosion.

[@StevenRichter]

Flour is flammable in a well dispersed cloud, which he was kind of doing... but it needs a pretty big open flame to get it going. And really if it did go up it would just make a puff of flame and then go out. I used to make fireballs with powdered coffee creamer in my backyard for movies, it's tricker to get that mix right than you'd expect.

[@Maeyanie]

Most of those compressed-gas dusters are flammable too. So he's blowing around a flammable powder with a flammable gas in the spray of a firework... I'm sure they had an extinguisher handy off-camera just in case, though, worst thing that's likely to happen is the stormtrooper gets a little scorched.

[@RFC3514]

The sparks won't ignite the flour, but yes, you should definitely check that your compressed "air" is something inert (it won't be actual compressed air; not from that type of can), and not a flammable gas like butane. The worst that can happen is a lot worse than scorching your stormtrooper, especially since that foam base is probably quite flammable. Ask Adam about his eyebrows.

[@kevinkley6259]

Followed him on Instagram so many cool photos

[@HOPALONGCHIEFKIWI]

AWESOMENESS!!!

[@Foggen]

Seems risky to blow flour into the air around fireworks, but I guess that's the price of special effects photography.

[@willemvdk4886]

This should come with an extra disclaimer. I used to work in a big (industrial) bakery and they were very serious about flour explosion safety. The dust is VERY explosive.

[@TheEnishazan]

Johnny is one of the best in toy photography world. We've been following each other for quite some time. He is a very humble and nice guy and his work inspired a lot of toy photographers including myself. Great to see him in this channel. Keep up the awesome work @sgtbananas

[@WanderFeetChronicles]

Enis Hazan shut up now and go make some more Gonks. Hahaha. GONK4EVER!

[@MegaCorey1977]

I was mesmerised by Alf on the skateboard, it’s been Decades!

[@ProjectsandReviewsZone]

Pretty cool

[@c.a.k.comedy692]

Directed by Michael Bay

[@ArtSteve]

Lol

[@shelleynobleart]

Epic. Thanks so much for sharing.

[@Alluvian567]

I notice he had a wire to help hold up the figure in the one legged pose. Does he do anything in post to remove that sort of thing in photoshop or are the supports just part of the art?

[@Hydrogoniise]

Pretty sure he had it positioned directly behind the foremost leg, directly opposite the camera so you can't see it in the photos

[@DA-lz9ed]

cool effect but it is not worth a fireball in your face. Do not use particles of flour like that next to fire, you are out of your mind

[@VagabondTE]

It would be amazing if you found several good shots in a row and made a slow moving gif. Maybe add a morphe effect or something. I don't know I'm not a visual artist. But I love those half still life, half motion photos.

[@MechaBorne]

Daaaaaaaang this guy's worth is amazing! I know vapes/fog machines make things look really cool, I wonder if this would work with steel wool!

[@WanderFeetChronicles]

Radagast not really in a static burn, it looked odd, but a small spin and falling steel wool does look good. It’s hard to direct though.

[@androidliveplays52]

You have to get a 3d printer. You'd be able to make tons of awesome scenery props.

[@Hungry_Box]

Clearly you guys whinging about the flour have never created a flour bang before. What he's doing definitely won't

[@NettlewoodPark]

Cool!

[@jubb1984]

Fantastic, this inspired me so much =D

[@USWaterRockets]

As everyone else said: flour is flammable in the air, and blowing it with compressed gas is a great way to disperse it in the air. The only thing needed to ignite it would be a spark... err....

[@lupusdante5786]

Amazing job, this is new to me awesome photos 👍

[@joelthomas007]

Ughhh wish we could get fireworks in Australia. -_- Would love to be able to get images using them...

[@alex0589]

So many kids will set fire to their goddamn house after seeing this. Great job, guys.

[@trevorkehl7458]

Can we have Adam make the time machine from napoleon dynamite?

[@stealthstar4]

If you're gonna try this at home, make sure you use Gun Powder, Hair Spray, & Jet Fuel. I find that it always gives that authentic look! #ItWorksAllTheTimeForMe

[@UrbanSipfly]

Thanks for the emergency room advice...Would it also be prudent for one to have their medical insurance coverage up to date? Just asking, man?

[@JasonEdelman66]

Nothing is worth your personal safety, always think how something will harm you. Safety glasses!

[@roasty80]

America

[@Sharklops]

could be cool to poke the canned air straw through the foamboard from the bottom and put a little pile of flour over it. Then blast the air and it could look like a mortar strike or a landmine exploding or something like that.

[@musicandcoffee2853]

This is beyond cool. So creative and the pictures are simply works of art!

[@RoryStarr]

"This is not a how-to... so tell us: how do you do it?" Also, any high carbon fine dust (like flour) is enormously explosive due to the carbon having a great deal of surface area.

[@Laufield]

Please take pic for toy shark in underwater looks awesome

[@mikepettengill2706]

40 year flash backs to G.I. joe, black cat firecrackers and an 8mm stop motion camera, Nice video thanks!

[@dREHER0009]

Loving all the Sgt.Bananas videos!

[@randallcromer66]

Love your work, it's a real art form and I hope you keep doing it. Great video and AWESOME photos.

[@oranda15]

Anyone know what brand the mini spotlights are? These look really good and could be useful to me.

[@finndeets]

Allan Boyd they are called Lume Cubes. Kinda pricey but super effective!

[@oranda15]

@@finndeets Thank you Finn. Regards.

[@PLAGUE720]

Really cool idea for making great photographic images. I may have to use something similar with my Mad Max toys? Don't worry, I'm an experienced adult. 😉😎🤩

[@Riverrockphotos]

This dude better be careful with flour and fire. Flour is very flammable and explosive.

[@Shilly_JD]

Thanks, Norm! I bought the "Ten Frames Per Second" book based on your earlier Tested videos with Johnny Wu! His work can be really impressive.

[@rivards1]

Try it with coffee creamer... Multip;y the danger!!

[@fusionvision]

DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME KIDS.... THEN ASK'S......Has anyone here tried to add blast effects to toys before? If so, what technique did you use? YES HIS NAME IS NORM ...

[@Sadiquecat]

Holy this is awesome. I'l have to give toy photography a try

[@sunnyhu4363]

Can you please ensure sound quality, some sentences cannot be heard.

[@BornAdventures]

That's amazing! I'm surprised the flour didn't catch fire when he was using the compresses air

[@champarcadesminiatures4638]

Excellent job. Congrats my friend :)

[@neonpaintsplash]

If you didn’t know flour was flammable, stick around, someone will let you know🙄

[@draarandom475]

Lmao He has an Alf shirt on I love it

[@chrisrokbarber9358]

DOPE

[@ColeVR-gt]

Why dose this guy remind me of a sirdork ripoff lol no hate this guy is amazing but really quick tip DONT USE SPARKLERS WITH FLOUR IT will BLOW UP

[@Bartyron]

question: Is there a chance on combustion of the flowerdust?

[@TheMixmastamike1000]

Johnny's creativity and artistry blows my mind I would never have thought you photograph a toy in such a realistic and beautiful way 👍👍

[@꿈틀꿈틀-e6p]

Better then some movies itself) nice job!

[@ThatTattooGuyOfficial]

This is super cool!

[@lolmanurfunny]

The air duster he is using is Ultra Duster. np

[@rampagetv]

Dudes! As previously mentioned, flour has its dangers. But at the very least wear your safety mcglarses when you're gonna stare at fiery things from less than a foot away... Entertaining video otherwise.

[@constantinosschinas4503]

no toy characters were harmed while making this video.

[@codybudris7137]

how do u get the raindrops do you use a;ot of light? mine dont comeout there eather blurry or cloudly and my shutters 1/2500sec

[@avielthealienfromplanetmex5679]

I love the focus on figures that this channel seems to be frequenting lately

[@ShahabZargari]

Where do you buy those sparklers?!

[@BoogNice]

Dope. Keep pushing.

[@greemu]

Day 23 of commenting on every video I watch

[@Kinnamon100]

If he had used coffee creamer it would have been real explosive.

[@bcbock]

This looks amazing. I wonder if he’s ever had the flour explode on him. Aerosolized flour and flame is kind of dangerous. A safer alternative might be fuller’s earth. (Get the food grade version.) It looks and probably behaves like flour, but isn’t flammable. It’s composed of diatoms.

[@808michiganjedi3]

Instead of using Flour, why not use Woodland Scenics Snow?? Flour turns a yellow color after awhile. Woodland isn't as messy as flour

[@Darren.n.RCvids]

I love that work, i've used sparklers before but not as good as he does with the mini tanks, would be interested to know the make of them lights. btw i live 12 miles from Terry English.

[@Dan-ku9mt]

Anyone familiar with those mini lights Johnny was using to light the scene? Would love to get a few! Looks like you can even insert different colored gels?

[@shrike9t1]

Does someone know which remote App for the Camera was Displayed at 1:09 ? It don’t looked like the normal Sony App or? Thanks

[@bumbledouche3323]

Huh. I never really gave it much thought before, I just assumed the effects in shots like that were done in Photoshop.

[@ejramirez9940]

I’ll just get the rocks from outside 🙄

[@-Hail-15]

Hehe

[@squizmasterzero9342]

We have firecracker night once a year here. Cool photos but nothing compares to strapping some real boom boom to a model and watching it it blow up.

[@johnlmcgary]

A bb gun is a fantastic thing to use to move material around in an explosion or even lighting up some steel wool and shooting through it for an effect, and you don't have to use a bb even, just use the air blast, semi-auto works better for fast repeating shots.

[@lorenzotarantola8175]

When you go to your dealer 4:36

[@NateParens]

If you think this is cool, check out the photography of Daniel Picard. That dude is legit.

[@jamesduffy2446]

I've been trying to find these sparklers that are used in the video. Can you please point me in the right direction?

[@adriank2959]

fucking awesome........im definitely gonna try the same technique on baby photographer, thank you.

[@walkingpureheart4330]

OMGreatness! Thank you for sharing dude's fantastic skills and the behind the scenes magic.. just making me want to go buy toys and play with flour lol

[@diktatorro]

Its just me or tested lacks content nowadays? It used to be about new technologies testing new things making interesting useful things not just props...

[@manjunathn6172]

As I am very much passionate about this. I want to have career in this. Kindly help me

[@55Wasert55]

Someone knows the brand of the lights he’s using? I liked the way he increased the intensity and I see one with green tint

[@tested]

Lumecube is the brand!

[@55Wasert55]

Wow thanks for the quick response! I wanna try myself doing this kind of photography.

[@thra-x1855]

cool vid but for the love of God please replace the flour with baking soda or anything else that wont potentially catch fire!

[@ForjdAmerica]

Love this. My kids wanted to do a Batman video. Just posted it. Would love to get your .

[@-Hail-15]

Link please

[@androidliveplays52]

Have you ever tried to recreate the look of that wind blowing over the top of snow? It sort of looked like that when you were using the compressed air can.

[@frelin244]

Putting a regular sparkler just to the side of the camera out of frame would make a cool effect i bet

[@stormykeep9213]

This is better than those commercials you've seen as a kid, of other kids playing with action figures and thinking "how come it looks like more fun when they are playing with them?"

[@Rich77UK]

Where is that samurai figure from?!

[@constantinosschinas4503]

better to use gypsum or other natural dust and pump compressed air. both are not flammable, in direct contrast to what you use now.