Just realized fake rust looks way better than the real stuff I was trying to use

For months I was dead set on using actual rusted metal pieces for a post-apocalyptic short film I'm making in my buddy's garage outside Denver. I kept finding old hubcaps and scrap pipes thinking it'd look authentic on camera. Then last week a prop maker at a local flea market showed me how he makes rust with paint, vinegar, and salt on clean metal. He sprayed it on a piece of conduit in about 20 minutes and it looked exactly like something pulled out of a cornfield. I was wrong about trying to hunt down real rusty junk. Has anyone else switched to forcing rust effects instead of using found objects?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_zara13d ago

Read somewhere that even big movie studios do this now because real rust flakes off and gets everywhere. My friend works on a show and he told me they use this technique for all their "wasteland" props. The fake stuff holds up way better under lights too, real rust can look dull or just dirty on screen. I remember seeing a behind the scenes thing for Mad Max where they showed them painting fake rust onto cars. It makes sense because you can control exactly how it looks instead of hoping some random junkyard piece matches your scene.

west.alice13d ago

Wait, Mad Max did that? That's wild. I always assumed they used actual rusted cars from a junkyard or something.