Prop Department Breakdown - January Bonus Video!
Added 2025-01-26 15:00:08 +0000 UTChere's the bonus video for the Patreon for January!
I talk about a lot of aspects of the prop department, including:
what the prop department does/what are we responsible for
crossover situations with other departments
what jobs are within the prop department
weird things that the prop department is responsible for
how we determine what props are needed
what my job entails as a prop buyer
what happens when a show ends
product placement
legal clearances
extra questions
and also an update on what'll be coming up on the Patreon!
I really hope you enjoy!
Comments
I'm personally not interested in being a prop master!
camilla
2025-02-01 14:45:59 +0000 UTCThis was so fascinating! It's really crazy to think about all of the little details that have to be decided on and accomplished so that a movie/TV show can be made. Fake license plates? It makes total sense why you would need those but it's something that 99.99% of the audience will never notice or consider. Props to the props department! I work as a property director/building manger of a large facility so I spend a lot of my time ordering supplies online, receiving and opening packages, organizing and storing supplies, keeping track of inventory and expenses, and going to Lowes's or Home Depot for things 2-3 times per week. Who knew my job had so much in common with being a prop buyer!? Haha. I could definitely see myself doing that in another life! I really appreciate all of the details you shared about the storage and organization of props. Yet again it's one of those background details that not many people consider, but it must be done by someone to ensure that the entire operation succeeds. Bins and labels and spreadsheets, oh my! The prop lock-up sounds like it could be my happy place. I love the idea of doing "prop show-and-tell"! Especially if there is an occasion for an actor to get to choose a specific personal prop. That just sounds like fun! I didn't think to ask about it, but I'm glad you brought up the idea of having to use "cleared" products on screen sometimes. I remember watching a short video from Adam Savage visiting a prop house and talking a little bit about the design and creation process of all of these "fake" products that are used in place of real ones due to legal reasons. I think the one of the most interesting things that I learned is that some of these fake products/brands have become sort of famous in their own right as props, and some have been around for many years and used in many unrelated productions. I'll share this link to Adam's video which is about 10 minutes long if anyone else is as interested in this subject as I am. https://youtu.be/uShxeyGQrEQ?si=W826Oh9vKuwo6Yg0 Thanks for answering all of our questions and sharing so much more too! I love watching the "behind the scenes" and interviews with cast and crew extra features that sometimes come along with movies, but I don't think I've ever seen anything that covers the process of how a prop gets from the script to the screen in so much detail. I think it's all pretty fascinating. Thanks for sharing! I do have one follow up question: It sounds like the role of prop master is most directly responsible for which props end up being used for a production, especially the most important/key props. Is that a role you would ever desire having yourself?
JKP1138
2025-01-27 04:21:46 +0000 UTCInteresting! Thanks.
Steve Holton
2025-01-27 00:26:13 +0000 UTCwe always have doubles or even triples of most any prop, so sometimes an extra prop might run away with an actor if they really want to keep a certain item.. we also give them their chairback [if they want it] whenever they're done filming!
camilla
2025-01-26 23:26:00 +0000 UTCInteresting!!! I work as an Exhibit Electronics Technician at the California Science Center for the State of California. In so much I handle, repair and ensure anything other than 'hardware' is working with any given exhibit here or one that visits our museum. Our department has 2 sides - "hardware" (from doors, walls, and mechanical items, physical labor and such) they do all that part but we ET's handle everything else from refrigeration to complex computer networks and even video editing when necessary. We've done this for visiting exhibit such as "Body Worlds" to "Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination" and even to "The Dead Sea Scrolls" just to name a few. I do 'everything' from installation, repair, re-design, dismantle and even ensuring that the exhibits are working properly and are safe for 'the public.' My main priority is to ensure the exhibits are operational on a day to day basis. I used to travel with our exhibits all over the USA but that's diminished due to the number of traveling exhibits we have. So in theory: If you were around in 1975 or so and purchased props for "Star Wars" you could have sent them to 'LucasVille" and after 20 some years they would have been transferred into "Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination" exhibit. Then I would have setup exhibit with Mr. Brown in 2007 - who's always trying to kick the exhibit onto me! And maintained it through its run here! lol FYI: That exhibit had "The Millennium Falcon" exhibit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSVXqvhY2yg That was one of my hardest challenges ever. It was a 5 projector edge blended system projecting onto a semisphere! 3 projector 'screens' on top and 2 on the bottom. One day I come in on a Sunday morning and it's way out of alignment; unfit for exhibition. I make some calls knowing full well they're not in their offices! As I'm doing this I look over the documentation for the projectors. Then I proceed to realign the entire system. I have 1 hour and 50 minutes every day to do anything, but "we" have hundreds of exhibits, not to mention any visiting exhibits that may also have hundreds... I recalibrated the screens in 1 hour! That's why Mr Brown is always trying to dump it on me! My claim to fame here has been: "Goose Bumps: The Science of Fear" where I worked with the curator and vendors of the exhibits for procurement, assembly, troubleshooting and redesign of the entire exhibit. I did the same for "World of Ecology" (Phase 2) but to a lesser degree with install and troubleshooting. There's like 174 exhibits and I couldn't do it all by myself so I had to distribute more than half out to the rest of the technicians. I have also been trained in Artifact handling. Generally we won't do this unless it's 'our' artifacts due to insurance liability issues. I installed the case we present the moon rock Buzz Aldrin donated to us. https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/aldrin-named-ambassador-of-exploration/ Then in 2012 we were awarded the Space Shuttle Endeavour; the people at Boeing/Seattle were soo sure that they would be awarded it that they built the museum of flight for it. Some of my friends were disappointed and surprised 'we' got it as they knew I worked here. When we first got it I operated the lift up to the shuttle for all the head honcho's as well as Mrs. Samuel Oschin. Shortly after they entered - it dawned upon me that our family had another link to NASA. I almost lost it. See? My father handled the notorious fenders for the Lunar Rover of the Apollo missions in the late 60's. And here I am a part of the crew 'handling' the Space Shuttle. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQTK3QNlCRw
Randolph Tirazona
2025-01-26 21:47:36 +0000 UTCVery niche topic, but I enjoyed the video a lot. Thanks for taking the time to make it. I didn’t mind the barebones approach either. It was still interesting.
Jeff Marshall
2025-01-26 19:58:00 +0000 UTCThat was a very informative video. Enjoyed every minute. The stars get and directors get the eladulation but I always love hearing about just what goes I to movie making, including the props. Something else I wondered, Ive seen time and again where stars talk about the props they either got to keep or otherwise ::ahem:: just acquired after a movie or show wrapped. How does the prop department handle the missing inventory? Go after the starts to return or buy it or just write it off?
Todd Preble
2025-01-26 19:28:28 +0000 UTC
