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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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....

[@Geeksmithing]

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

[@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!

[@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

[@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

[@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

[@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.

[@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 👍👍

[@falcore91]

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

[@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

[@musicandcoffee2853]

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

[@71degrees]

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

[@MegaCorey1977]

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

[@BargainBarons]

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

[@WanderFeetChronicles]

Bargain Barons so go out and do it

[@avielthealienfromplanetmex5679]

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

[@CIMiclette]

Watching my older brother become a professional photographer and watching these having a long time love for star wars makes me want to get into models and other creative projects, so inspiring.

[@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.

[@mixflip]

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

[@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.

[@mikepettengill2706]

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

[@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.

[@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.

[@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?"

[@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.

[@randallcromer66]

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

[@dREHER0009]

Loving all the Sgt.Bananas videos!

[@꿈틀꿈틀-e6p]

Better then some movies itself) nice job!

[@TheComicCoalition]

Yea!!!!!! Lets go!!!!!!! Im here for the Toys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@tysonator5433]

What a great video, I have been trying to photograph military scale models and this video of blast effects is my answer, bloody well done guys

[@thelegendcollector8538]

He has the best podcast for toy collectors 🔥🔥

[@KiLLJOY1056]

I love the host of this show, great energy and really appreciates the artist 🙌

[@ELKFILMZ]

The compressed air trick is so awesome

[@Sadiquecat]

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

[@TechChucker]

Absolutely Love Johnny Wu's work. Awesome showcase.

[@chriscarr2114]

That Alf shirt is freaking awesome btw.

[@BigManila]

Wow love it. Those explosions and effects looked so real 🤩

[@ThatTattooGuyOfficial]

This is super cool!

[@NUXLOO505]

That was fantastic so creative fictional war characters brought to static life in motion.

[@JajabarBangladesh]

I am mesmerized!!! This is my new hobby!!!

[@DeeNimmin]

That was awesome to watch!

[@ziggityzee3230]

Amazing work johnny!

[@langohr9613ify]

flower and fire are a really explosive combination.

[@ThinkHuman]

I have no interest in miniatures or toy photography, but these videos are always so well put together and you have some really cool people on, great stuff!

[@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

[@mrgizmo182]

Another awesome Johnny video!! Loved the slow motion bits.

[@azynkron]

I love that it's practical effects. +10

[@justinhuynh92]

so sick thanks for supporting the collectors

[@ThatVideoGuyTom]

Great Job Norm!

[@BornAdventures]

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

[@mallorykong503]

Those shots were awesome!

[@randifelix]

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

[@rob7105]

I wish youtube had been a thing back in high school, I feel like art class could have been fun.

[@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.

[@EdwardENigma-ry1io]

Dudes a beast

[@draarandom475]

Lmao He has an Alf shirt on I love it

[@MrChief101]

Fascinating process. Very cool to see.(Also thanks for the slo-mo!)

Amazing outcome!

[@miketech2]

I love seeing this style video

[@mosesjh8272]

Wow! That's awesome! Love it! Thank you for sharing!

[@Spydaw]

This is amazing, please keep these videos coming!

[@CreativeRob]

That was so cool. It's like seeing my imagination come to life, when I was a kid playing with my army guys!

[@SOUNDINTHECITY]

Awesome work

[@NecroDingus]

Wonderful video. So interesting.

[@rektangular]

Another great episode!

[@BoogNice]

Dope. Keep pushing.

[@somerandommonkeydude]

Why is no one talking about how awsome that alf shirt is?

[@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. 😉😎🤩

[@Foggen]

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

[@willywijaya3841]

Amazing photi skill

[@champarcadesminiatures4638]

Excellent job. Congrats my friend :)

[@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.

[@crucialfarmsurbanandfresh]

This was cool to watch

[@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.

[@Davy.J.Y]

I have never seen anything like this, its dam awesome : )

[@lolmanurfunny]

The air duster he is using is Ultra Duster. np

[@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....

[@androidliveplays52]

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

[@08wolfeyes]

Brings back the days when I used to do this as a kid. I used to get my action figures and do pretty much the same thing. Anything from star wars figures to toy soldiers etc. Never realised it could be a thing people would be interested in though but then, i was an odd kid, lol! An artist now so all good.

[@Laufield]

Please take pic for toy shark in underwater looks awesome

[@georgelopez6539]

just watching this video im sold on that bandai snow trooper sick

[@jimmythx1]

Sgtbananas rules!

[@kevinkley6259]

Followed him on Instagram so many cool photos

[@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.

[@rlg222]

Very creative! excellent!

[@dobrystyle]

Nice job. Dispites fact that he's blowing air away from him i would still use safety glasses :D

[@Cake_Doge]

I will try to use those for my scale model tank photographs. Thanks.

[@HOPALONGCHIEFKIWI]

AWESOMENESS!!!

[@BargainBarons]

Wow! This is really cool!! The photos are *AMAZE-BALLZ!!!* :D

[@0042090]

Cool!

[@corujariousa]

That is Art!

[@frelin244]

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

[@stephanevarin6938]

Super amazing !!!

[@shelleynobleart]

Epic. Thanks so much for sharing.

[@AppleKid]

Just like how modular is growing a following on its own, so does the s.e's

[@Kevvvinus1]

That was so cool like the photos

[@maurotodographics2321]

great art

[@brotherroman340]

Exelente trabajo !!!...muy profecional

[@grimlightwildoutdoors]

Brilliant.

[@kinowa4381]

That's awesome!