Stage Combat Professor Demonstrates How to Make a Blood Pack

blood pack demo
Curious how stage actors use fake movie-quality blood during fight sequences? Professor of Instruction David Woolley explains his favorite way to create fake blood for stage.

Professor David Woolley started teaching stage combat at Columbia 39 years ago. His expertise in theatrical violence runs deep in Chicago’s theatre scene. He has staged fights for more than 400 productions since 1982 and is a Fight Master at The Society of American Fight Directors. Now, he oversees the Stage Combat program at the School of Theatre and Dance.

As a theatre industry veteran, Woolley knows a thing or two about creating realistic fight scenes on stage. Woolley gathered his stage combat students to demonstrat a fight scene using blood packs and small swords. Students Emma Green and Jangmi Neis, both majoring in Acting and minoring in Stage Combat, volunteered to get a little messy and act out a fight scene using the blood packs Woolley made. 

“One can use compressed air, stomp rockets, even small explosive squibs for fake blood practical effects. But the old standbys are a cup of fake blood hidden on stage or a blood strawberry,” says Woolley. 

For the uninitiated, a “blood strawberry” is another name for a blood pack. It earned the nickname because of its distinctive strawberry shape. Traditional fake blood recipes can get messy and easily stain, so Woolley recommends using a ready-made stage blood recipe. 

Blood strawberry packs using Gravity & Momentum stage blood

“You can make your own blood with a variety of recipes... Caro syrup or Hershey's syrup and food coloring; laundry detergent and food coloring; or even finger paints for children,” explains Woolley.  

“But I like to use blood syrup from Gravity & Momentum, a company founded by a former Columbia part-time faculty member. It has the texture one seeks, dries to an excellent scab, can be diluted for more watery blood if needed, and washes out completely.” 

Follow these easy steps to recreate your own blood pack for your next fight scene or stage combat project.

3 Things You'll Need to Make a Simple Blood Pack

  1. Cheap sandwich bags with no seal
  2. Gravity & Momentum blood syrup 
  3. Clorox Wipes (for clean up)

Step 1: Fill small sandwich bag with fake blood to desired amount. Step 2: Squeeze out air and tie a tight knot. Step 3: Hold blood pack in palm of hand with the pointed tip facing out between your thumb and index finger. You're ready to use the pack!

How much fake blood is needed for a practical effect to be successful:

  • For a mouth pack, 2-3 cc
  • For a small wound, 4-6 cc
  • For a large pack, 7+ cc will give a great effect

Recent News