How do you make somebody look dead in black and white?

I'll be shooting an overhead black and white medium shot of an actor on his back with no shirt on. It needs to appear as if he died a few hours ago from drowning. Would anybody suggest makeup or anything else to create the look of a corpse?

Thank you!

Trey

_________________
TV

a few hours? not much changes. just make sure he stands really still.

_________________
AIM me!

The area around the eyes and lips will turn bluish due to lack of oxygen. Eyes (I think) will dilate. Some hemorrhagic behavior in the surface capillaries due to the struggle for air. Cheekbone area is good for that. Around the eyes.

For simplicity sake, though, just darken the eye sockets and lips.

While I agree that there will not be MUCH changes, there will be SOME. As for the coloring, I'm guessing "make up" is the ticket. Please forgive me if I'm stating the obvious, but I want to be thorough on my next short film.

Thank you,

Trey

_________________
TV

a bit of seaweed dangling out the corner of his mouth, maybe? (unless it was a bath or swimming pool)

	basilisk wrote:
	(unless it was a bath or swimming pool)

Yes, in which case use pubic hair of the kind you find at the bottom of the bath drain, or something that looks like it. Well, I'm sure your actor will prefer fake pubic hair.

As a matter of fact he WILL be drowning in a bath tub.

_________________
TV

...ew

Is the shot that he's found in the tub? Should be self-explanatory, especially when it's enhanced by a bit of makeup.

	Brandt wrote:
	...ew Is the shot that he's found in the tub? Should be self-explanatory, especially when it's enhanced by a bit of makeup.

Sorry, buddy but I don't understand what you mean by "is the shot that he's found in the tub?

And to clarify he drowns in a bath tub, but the shot of him will taken on a living room floor. So we see him in the tub, but don't see his dead body until later on when he's pulled out and lied on the ground.

Thanks for the feedback, gents.

Keep it coming!!!

_________________
TV

You've answered my question, Trey.
If he's slack when he's laid out on the floor, it'll go a long way. Either unconscious, or dead, and they'd likely look very similar, anyway.

	Brandt wrote:
	You've answered my question, Trey. If he's slack when he's laid out on the floor, it'll go a long way. Either unconscious, or dead, and they'd likely look very similar, anyway.

Thanks, man. What do you mean by slack?

_________________
TV

If he has no muscle tone, like carrying a sack of flour or a sack of potatoes. Limp bodies are hard to manage because there is no muscle tension to offer rigidity. Not sure if this made it any clearer...

	Brandt wrote:
	If he has no muscle tone, like carrying a sack of flour or a sack of potatoes. Limp bodies are hard to manage because there is no muscle tension to offer rigidity. Not sure if this made it any clearer...

Yes, sir. I've got you now;)

_________________
TV

But also remember that rigor mortis begins to set in after a couple of hours and generally lasts a couple of days, so you will have muscle stiffness to deal with as well.

I'm not sure how drowning or time/temperature in the water would affect onset or duration of rigor.

_________________
Jamie
www.crashandannie.com

	crashandannie wrote:
	But also remember that rigor mortis begins to set in after a couple of hours and generally lasts a couple of days, so you will have muscle stiffness to deal with as well. I'm not sure how drowning or time/temperature in the water would affect onset or duration of rigor.

Interesting, Senor. Rigor Mortis - such strong words. Ri-gor Mor-tis. Ouch.

_________________
TV