Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with props

Someday we'll find it, the USB connection...

Doctor Suarez — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:21:59 -0800

Help me build a laptop puppet My friends/coworkers and I are about to start a video project and our idea involves a talking laptop puppet. Not an animated screen, mind you, but a mouth-flapping laptop.

Here's what I have figured so far:

-Buy a plastic dummy laptop like they use in furniture stores/model homes. (actually, buy two)
-modify/replace the hinges so that it moves really quickly. This would either involve new hardware or simple tape-hinges.
-mount on a cheap, thin coffee table (or substitute)
-drill through both laptop base and table
-mount push-rod through hole and connect to upper "jaw" of laptop
-hide puppeteer under table.
-install two blue LEDs to top front of laptop for eyes. (I was lucky enough to work with Muppeteers in the past, and I learned that puppets need eyelines)

Is there anything I'm forgetting? What is the best color laptop body for filming? I was thinking the silver model.

Currently, I can buy the dummy laptop at this site, but if I could buy one locally that would be a big help as time is short. (I live in LA. Does anyone know a local shop where such a thing could be purchased?)

Name the knife used in "A Perfect Getaway"?

Merlin144 — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 09:48:56 -0800

Name the knife used in "A Perfect Getaway" - seen in the previews, strapped to the leg of one of the male characters. It appears to have a handle that looks like brass knuckles, and generally looks very cool. I'm interested in knowing the model and manufacturer of this knife. Thanks!

Looking for 1890's desk set for stage production, Toronto.

dirtynumbangelboy — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 10:48:17 -0800

Propsfilter. Looking for a specific prop to use in a Fringe production. Difficulty level: free, sourced in Toronto, 1890's period accurate (repro is fine). A friend of mine is production manager on a fringe production of Shaw's Candida. All props and sets are sourced, but for two outstanding questions:

1) They need a desk set--blotter, pen (not quill), inkwell, pencil holder, etc--for the entire show. Run starts in July, so there's some time left. We need to find a source for something--as I said, repro is fine--but it needs to be free or incredibly cheap. Any thoughts?

2) Were typewriter erasers used in 1890's London, and if so, where could we find one or how would we accurately reproduce one? Again, cheap or free.

My friend has extensive contacts in Toronto theatre, and is asking there as well.

This is (not) a bird.

ddaavviidd — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 09:26:44 -0800

I am looking for a fake bird (obviously real-looking), and just can't seem to find what I am looking for! I am looking for a common, north american bird for a film shooting. Robin, lark, these commonly seen birds. Taxidermists won't do it here because you can't legally hunt them. I am looking for a fake one, perhaps with real feather, and I imagine there is such a thing somewhere online for film purposes (a props company for instance), but can't find any. Anyone has suggestions?

"Do you play?" "Try me."

rush — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 13:22:55 -0800

Was the chess set in The Thomas Crown Affair (1968) a one-of-a-kind or a mass-produced set? What other details might you have on it?

Where can I find life-sized, realistic goat replica quickly and for not too much money?

thewrongparty — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 21:19:34 -0800

I'm posting this on behalf of someone helping a theater company source some props (this is not his usual job and he isn't an experienced prop guy). The play is The Goat: or, Who Is Sylvia?, by Edward Albee. This is an unusual and the goat is central to the plot, so they need a realistic-looking goat on stage. (It cannot be a comical goat.) They can't spend much money, so they are okay with borrowing or renting the goat. He's sent out some emails to theaters who've recently done this play for advice. I found this reasonably priced version and this awesome but expensive thing that I sort of want to keep for myself.

I thought there might be some experienced prop people among the mefites with some suggestions.

Thanks in advance!

Why would a TV-prop soda can so closely resemble a real-world soda can (without being the real thing)?

chudmonkey — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 22:36:23 -0800

On an episode of The Big Bang Theory, characters can be seen with soda cans which are near-approximations of a Dr. Pepper can and a Sprite can, but which are not actual cans from the manufacturer. Why might this be? Photos within. During a cafeteria scene, characters are seen with these two cans: Dr. Peeper & "Sprite". I wondered if perhaps Dr. Peeper was a regional name for Dr. Pepper somewhere, but the Sprite can isn't a real can - it's a pretty well-done fake, with no text logo and a white & black stroke on the main logo instead of all-white (among other differences). [reference pic of actual Sprite Can/Logo]

All-in-all, it looks like the people behind the show deliberately used mocked-up soda cans, but the fact that the cans they used would pass for recognizable major-brand cans to the casual viewer has me scratching my head about the motive. It's not quite product placement, but it hardly distances the on-screen item from a real-world manufacturer at all. Do TV-types assign some value to this verisimilitude, even when official arrangements to use a product aren't in place?

The same show has also taken to covering all Apple logos (on phones & laptops) with stickers which only obscure the top-right corner, where the bite is. The show doesn't obscure all logos & trademarked materials, by any means.

I'm speculating rampantly about this, and I'm very curious about the goings-on of TV production in general, so I'd love to hear any thoughts, educated guesses or out-right answers to this one. Thanks in advance.

Help me tar and feather someone on stage!

minervous — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 14:39:19 -0800

I'm directing a play that calls for an actor to be tarred and feathered on stage. It's a powerful moment, and I'd love to do it. But ... how? Complicating factors:
- the theater we're working in has no on-premesis shower (there is a large mess sink, but no floor drain) and no possibility of altering the building to have one

Things in our favor:
- the actor is game, and largely bald, and willing to be stripped to skivvies
- we have a large metal tub (several, actually) in which to contain the tarring and/or clean-up
- we have a fair budget, so costly-ish solutions need not be ruled out
- this is the climax of the play, and we can make a feathery mess without worrying about later scenes

Any and all ideas welcomed with open arms. Thanks!

Help me brainstorm a witch's apothecary worth of Halloween props

rosebengal — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:33:59 -0800

Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble. Halloween is fast approaching and I need help creating some apothecary style props from the Bard's well known witches chant based on the introduction to That Scottish Play. Most of my audience isn't going to remember much past "eye of newt and toe of frog" but being a geek about details I'd like to try to create a tableaux of the entire contents of that cauldron. Here are my constraints. I'm crafty but sorely lacking in free time this year (and I've already vowed to make a full sized papier mache cauldron...). I'm not looking for authenticity, e.g. I don't have any desire to know where I can purchase a goat gall bladder or baboon blood. Items that can handle at least a week of non-refrigerated display are desirable. Easy to find re-purposed household items a plus.

Here's the list (and my ideas).

poisoned entrails (Shakespeare was nonspecific as to whose)
toad venom -- corn starch slurry dyed maroon, or glowy...
fen snake -- rubber snake
eye of newt -- bubble tea tapioca pearls
toe of frog
wool of bat -- cotton wool, dyed black
tongue of dog
adder's fork
blind worm's sting
lizard leg
owlet wing -- raid flytying supplies for feathers
dragon scale
wolf tooth
witches mummy (powder) -- talcum powder
shark jaw
hemlock root -- errant walnut tree sprout from yard
[human] liver
gall bladder of a goat -- silly putty
yew slips
[human] nose
[human] lips
baby finger
tiger entrails
baboon's blood -- corn syrup and red food coloring

Have You Seen These Books (on TV)?

Karmakaze — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 05:49:19 -0800

Have you seen these books in the background of movie/tv scenes? I'm looking for examples of where the Martindale-Hubbell Directory has been shown in movies or TV shows – those shots of lawyers standing before a wall full of the books. The link in the question is probably your best visual reference - that's the 2003 edition, but it's more or less what they look like every year. It needs to be exactly that brand of directory, but it can be any year (it been printed every year for about a century).

I'm trying to help some marketing folks, so I'm looking for specific examples with as much information as possible – name of movie or show, name of the actor/actress and/or the scene/episode in which they appeared, and any other details that might help locate the footage.

What watch was that?

subajestad — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 11:28:40 -0800

Just saw Eastern Promises. Kirill was sporting an interesting looking watch. It often happens that some item of clothing, a watch, a doily, or slipcover catches my eye in a movie, and then I spend way too long trying to track it down online. What websites do y'all rely on to answer these and other harrowing questions more expeditiously? Many thanks in advance.

How do I make fake icicle wings for a costume?

nessahead — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 10:18:39 -0800

How do I make fake icicles like this for a winged costume representing Winter? For my Winter costume I want to have little wings made of branches with fake icicles that look like this.

I don't want something that will break and be dangerous. I can't use anything that will shed itself all over the place, making a mess. I thought about making icicles out of some sort of glue but I don't think it would dry clear. Prop icicles for movie sets are prohibitively expensive.

Any ideas?

How to find fake snow in LA?

arishaun — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 21:47:45 -0800

PropFilter: How to find fake snow in LA? I'm doing a photo-shoot this weekend that will require me to use at least 5 pounds of fake snow. I know of a place where I can mail-order it, but I procrastinated and I'm not really in a position to pay for next day shipping. Any other photographers out there who can tell me where I can get some fake snow locally? The closer to the Valley, the better. :-)

Props for a 'vintage' photography project

flibbertigibbet — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 15:51:52 -0800

Help me think of easy-to-make props for my photography project... or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Turn-of-the-Century European Society. I'm doing a "non-linear narrative" for a photography project. That bit is completely unbendable.

My take on it: the collected objects of one man, as seen throughout his anthropological studies (mostly of the awful, Hottentot Venus and death type). I will have access to a macro lens and a copy stand, so the objects can be decently small.

The twist: the 'tribes' are Europeans from the turn-of-the-century, and depending on a few issues, I'd be willing to go throughout the 20th century if needed.

Examples of props I've thought of:

Maps
Star charts
Books
Various technological inventions
Drawings of various symbols of supposed religious significance (the monarchy, churches, ~~iPods~~, necklaces)
Photographs of 'tribal elders'
Jewelry and fashion
Natural objects and spices??

And that's when I run out of ideas. I want more 3-D items in any given picture than 2-D ones, if it's at all humanly possible.

Any help?

big money wheel

amberglow — Tue, 22 Feb 2005 13:14:32 -0800

Where can i buy/rent a big money wheel (like an upright roulette wheel with black and white areas) like in casinos? NY area a plus.

What happens to the props when the film production wraps?

picea — Wed, 08 Dec 2004 10:19:51 -0800

What happens to movie props and costumes after production wraps up? Films that must have a huge amount of these things, like say, the Lord of the Rings films, make me wonder where it all goes.