Hand Props

A hand prop is a prop handled by an actor. These are frequently mentioned in the script and help tell the story. In some Broadway theatres and films, hand props are called action props to emphasize the fact that hand props are not necessarily held or manipulated by a hand. Hand props can include items as diverse as glassware, guns, bagels, shovels, swords, cellphones, bananas, suitcases, newspapers, magic wands, skulls, and defibrillators.

Film and television also differentiate hand props into hero props, background props, and stunt props. Hero props are meant to be filmed up-close. Background props are props that will only be seen in the background. There is no inherent difference between hero and background props, but to save money, background props are often made with less detail than hero props. Stunt props are props used in stunt and action scenes, and thus require special safety considerations. Because film and television prop builders frequently make multiple versions of a prop, one prop may have a hero version in full detail, a quick cast with painted details made for background versions, and casts done in soft foam or rubber for the stunt version.

A practical is a prop that behaves as one would expect it to. Lamps that actually light up and alarm clocks that actually ring are considered practical props. The opposite of a practical prop is a dummy prop. A box that does not actually open and a cell phone carved from a single chunk of material are dummy props. Practical and dummy props are also called working props and static props, respectively.

We often distinguish between rehearsal props and actual props (or “show props”). There is no intrinsic difference between the two, but rehearsal props are frequently cheaper or simpler versions of the actual props (though hopefully matching the size and weight of the actual prop). They may also be versions of the same item; one is used exclusively for rehearsals, where it gets beat up and worn down, and a new one is switched out for performances. Sometimes a rehearsal prop is a very basic item used as a stand-in, just to give the actors something to hold on to. A dowel may be a sword, or a cardboard box can be a television. We sometimes call these “do-fer” props, because “they will do fer now”.

Figure 1-1: This stunt prop for the film Jumanji looks like the hero version that could be opened to reveal a game board, but it is actually just a solid casting with no moving parts. It was a stunt prop used during action scenes.

Figure 1-2: This chandelier was built to be practical, with lamps that light up and LEDs along the interior of the ring. 39 Steps, Triad Stage, 2014. Scenic design by Timothy Mackabee.

Figure 1-3: Eyeglasses are typically supplied by the costume department, but these glasses were more of a scientific instrument than a costume piece. Additionally, the stone rings were removable and also used as hand props. Props like these require careful and early communication with other departments to determine exactly who is responsible for what. The Spiderwick Chronicles, 2008.

A costume prop is an item or accessory other than a piece of clothing that is part of a costume. Pocket watches, sword belts, gun holsters, masks, crowns, pipes, glasses, and even jewelry can all be considered costume props. The distinction between a costume prop (or propstume) and a hand prop can be murky; typically, a costume prop is used to create a sense of character and appears in the costume designer's rendering, while a hand prop appears in the script and is used to drive the plot forward. A costume piece may also be treated as a prop, as when a glove starts on stage with other props. The costume and prop shops often collaborate and communicate, such as when a sword needs to fit a sheath which must hang from a belt.

A personal prop is one that the actor keeps with himself or herself at all times, and is not handled by the props crew. This often includes certain costume props, but it can also refer to items such as a letter that is kept in the pocket and never shared with another actor during the performance.

In theatre, we also designate consumable props, sometimes called perishables. These are props that are “consumed” during every performance: food (obviously), cigarettes, fake blood, or a piece of paper that gets torn up. Similar to these are running props, which are props and related items (such as batteries for electrical props) that are replaced or replenished at regular intervals. A newspaper, for example, can last for several performances, but it accumulates enough creases and wrinkles that it eventually needs to be swapped out with a fresh copy.

A breakaway is a prop that is meant to break or be destroyed during the performance (and hopefully not before). It may be rigged to break in a predictable manner that can be quickly and easily reassembled (chairs and swords are popular breakaway items), or it can refer to a single-use item that can be broken easily without causing injury or creating sharp shards. The second type of breakaway would also be considered a consumable in theatre. The use of breakaway props often requires coordination with either the stunt department in film and television or the fight director or fight choreographer in theatre.

Set Props

A set prop is a large movable object located on the set. Most furniture is a set prop, as are rugs and any other distinct items on the floor, walls, or ceilings. Trim props are items that hang on the walls, such as curtains, blinds, or pictures. Set props also include “furniture-like” objects, such as a rock used as a seat. More abstract or metaphorical production designs may introduce some ambiguity into this category as the actors use nontraditional or imaginary items as furniture. This category can overlap with the scenery department as some sets may have “built-in” furniture, and some elements may look like furniture but act like scenery.

Set dressing is the objects and items placed on the set that are not manipulated by actors. Rather, they help create a sense of place and time, or evoke an atmosphere. Set dressing includes everything from books on a bookshelf, bric-a-brac on a mantel, merchandise in a general store, bottles of liquor behind a bar, barrels and pallets outside a warehouse, and flasks in a mad scientist's lab.

In theatre, the props department is in charge of both the set props and set dressing. In television and film, it is the set decoration department rather than the props department that is tasked with dressing the set and providing the set props.

As a prop builder, you may be hired by the props department for one production, the costume crafts department for another, and the set dressing department for a third. Some independent shops may even be approached by both the set decorator and the props master from the same production to build items. Your skills can also get you work with a practical effects company on a film or doing puppets on a play. While this book is focused on teaching you how to build a “prop,” the materials and methods I describe can easily be used to build objects for other departments in the entertainment industry.

In Japanese Kabuki theatre, props are divided between real articles used in daily life (hommono) and items created specifically for the stage (koshiraemono). Hommono are typically bought, borrowed, or rented by a props master from thrift shops, secondhand stores, flea markets, auction houses, prop rental houses, and regular stores, both brick-and-mortar and online. What this book is concerned with are the koshiraemono, the items created specifically for the stage or screen.

Figure 1-4 and 1-5: Look at the difference between a set and a set with props. The props department was responsible for all the furniture, rugs, wall hangings, curtains, practical lighting, set dressing, and hand props. The props department also built the fireplace, but it was permanently attached and couldn't be removed for this photo. Deathtrap, Triad Stage, 2015. Scenic design by John Coyne.

Why Make Rather Than Buy?

A lot of props you may need can simply be bought. This is often cheaper and easier than building a prop. Mass production in countries with lax labor laws and environmental regulations can give you items cheaper than the raw materials themselves, even though the items have to be shipped around the world.

So why would you need to make your object? The main reason to build a prop is because it simply does not exist already. Imaginary objects or pieces designed to specifically fit into the world of the play fall into this category. For example, during a production of Merchant of Venice, my wife made a skull upholstered in black velvet and encrusted with shiny jewels. This is not the type of item you can pick up at the local department store.

Sometimes existing objects need to be specific in appearance or size. You can find oil paintings and oil painting reproductions, but if you need an oil painting of your lead actor in his costume, you must make it. Likewise, a comically oversized coffee mug or furniture built in forced perspective will not be found in stores.

In some cases, you can simply adapt an object you bought at a store. Keep in mind though, that you may spend more money and labor adapting a piece than you would have if you had simply built it from scratch. An object from a store will already be finished, and if you cut into it, or add parts to it, you will need to match the color and texture of the original, which may be more challenging than just mixing a paint color from scratch. Some store-bought items are not made of the material they appear to be made of, which could create unforeseen problems. Modern furniture is particularly bad in this respect; when you cut into what looks like wood, you discover it is actually stress skin filled with honeycomb paper, and you have no structure inside to attach things to. If you believe your prop is going to undergo many changes during the rehearsal period, it may be wiser to build a prop designed to be adapted, rather than using a store-bought item that undergoes degradation with every change made to it.

Figure 1-6: This dragon, the bookcase, and the items in the shelves are items that cannot be bought, rented, or borrowed from anywhere. They all needed to be custom-built. Dragon built by Eric J. Novak.

The second major reason for building your props is if they need to perform some kind of function different from what they were built for. Most furniture you buy was never designed to be danced on, carried around, leaned on its side, or otherwise mistreated in any number of creative ways an actor or director comes up with. Large props are faked out of papier-mâché and fiberglass because the real deal would be far too heavy to lift and carry in a quick scene change. Swords may need rubber or foam blades to prevent injury during use.

Figure 1-7: Fake body parts also fall in this category. Legal and moral issues aside, we don't use real body parts because they rot and smell and attract vermin. You need to build fake ones that will not degrade over time or make a mess on stage every time they are used.

A final reason to build a prop is because the actual item is too expensive to buy or rent. Shakespearean plays and grand operas frequently rely on gold objects littered about the stage, but it would be prohibitively costly to buy real gold. It is much cheaper to gold leaf plastic or wooden items. Real furniture, especially antiques, is built with expensive hardwoods and labor-intensive finishes that can be indistinguishable from cheaper materials with a convincing paint job. Likewise, fake food is often built because the cost of buying and preparing real food every night for every show for several weeks (or months or years) is so much more expensive and wasteful than constructing a facsimile. In film, the food may need to sit out for several hours while retaining a fresh appearance.

Who Does What

In theatre, the props master is responsible for the hand props, set props (including furniture), practical effects, and set dressing. In theatres with a permanent prop shop, the props department may be headed up by a properties director or props manager, who may act as props master on the shows, or hire separate props masters for some or all of the productions. In Broadway houses, the person responsible for the props may be billed as the props coordinator or simply as production props, to distinguish from the house properties person and props running crew. This is especially true when the props coordinator is not in a union, as the title of “props master” is reserved for union members.

The props are commonly designed by the set designer (or scenic designer). Some set designers will draft the more unique props in the same way that they draft scenery, though many will leave some or all of the props open for interpretation; it is up to the props master to improvise and make choices, with the set designer approving them. On some occasions, a production may have a props designer, either in addition to the set designer, or in lieu of one where no scenic elements are constructed.

For props that need to be built, the props master will rely on props artisans. Larger shops will have a small staff of full-time or seasonal artisans; others may hire freelancers on a project-by-project basis. In very small theatres, the props master may need to build some or all of the props, or commission outside contractors to build specialty items. Some theatres distinguish between props carpenters, who construct items out of wood, metal, and plastic, such as furniture and semi-structural items, and props craftspeople, who do sculpting, upholstery, casting, paper props, and the like. They may also have a separate soft goods artisan, who handles all fabric-related props, from upholstery to draperies to table coverings.

In film, the props are designed by the production designer or art director. “Production designer” is essentially a fancier title for art director, who was traditionally the head of the art department. In productions with a production designer, the art director is responsible more for the practical considerations and day-to-day operations of the art department. The title of “set designer” in film is used to describe employees who draft all the scenery and props.

The props master is in charge of supplying the hand props and vehicles such as cars and bicycles. Although not officially a part of the art department, the props master certainly works very closely with the art director and the set decorator.

A props department often sets up a temporary prop shop for the duration of the shoot. If studio space is available, a section of the studio or a nearby building may be rented out. If no studio space is available, a film company may rent out a whole group of vacant warehouses for sound stages and shops. This is particularly common in areas outside of Los Angeles where filmmaking is booming but the infrastructure is not yet in place.

This prop shop will have a number of prop builders to construct and repair the props needed. Often, a props master will have outside contractors build the more specialized or tricky props. An outside contractor can be anything from a single prop builder making stuff in their basement to an entire company that employs dozens of artisans. Union regulations often prohibit the props master from actually handling any props on set, so all construction and maintenance is fulfilled by separate prop builders. On non-union films, the props master may do some actual construction, particular when the budget is too low to hire additional labor.

On larger films, the construction department will have a mill shop, which is responsible for all the custom wood moldings, turnings, doors, and windows, as well as custom cabinetry and furniture. Some of the carpenters who work in the mill shop are called “prop makers” even though they work for the construction department.

The set dressing and set props are handled by the set decoration department. Though much set decoration is bought, rented, and borrowed, many set decoration departments do employ a number of upholsterers and soft goods artisans for window treatments and floor coverings. The set decorator may also contract out custom items to prop shops or outside contractors. A prop shop may find itself building hand props for the property master and set dressing for the set decorator simultaneously for the same film or show. This is often done on purpose so that the props and set dressing will share the same “look” and feel.

The swing gang is the part of the set decorating crew that moves and changes the set dressing while it is on set. This includes everything from shifting furniture in between shots to changing over the entire set for a different scene.

In television, the production designer supervises the procurement of new props, which includes any props that need to be constructed. This can mean supervising a props master who handles all props, or working with vendors directly for smaller productions. Television is very similar to film; the props master has an inside crew working at the studio to maintain and rig all the props, while a separate outside crew will work with vendors, rental houses, and artisans outside of the television studio. Outside packagers basically have their own mini-production staffs, and their property chiefs will work with the inside, or studio, crew. An established show may have an ongoing contract with an outside shop to build all the props needed on a weekly basis. As with film, union regulations prohibit props masters from handling any of the props while in the studio or during shooting.

On commercials and music videos, the props master is much more likely to be “hands on” and build some or all the props needed. This is particularly true on non-union shoots.

A skilled prop builder can work in departments outside of props, such as effects, models, puppetry, and animatronics. They are also not limited to working in theatre, television, or film; one can work in opera, dance, fashion shows, photo shoots, magic shows, or commercials. Prop builders are also needed in the display and exhibition world, creating props for window displays, trade show booths, conventions, marketing and PR events, weddings and other social occasions, retail spaces, museums, and other events. Likewise, one can find work at theme parks or haunted houses that are open to the public. Finally, private clients may request props either for their personal use or display.

Getting Started

If you want to be a prop builder, it is important to start working with your hands. All materials and tools possess individual quirks and characteristics that can never be properly conveyed in a book or even in a video. You need to dive in and discover them yourself.

You may be afraid to make mistakes. Don't worry; you will. Your first prop will not be perfect. Start off with less expensive and more forgiving materials so your mistakes will not put you into debt or frustrate you into giving up. Even experienced prop builders go through a learning curve when first using unfamiliar materials or machines. Good prop builders are simply those who have made a lot of props and paid attention to their own processes so they can continually improve their skills with each new project. Every time you do something, you get a little better at doing it.

Project-Based Learning is often more helpful than just rote repetition of certain techniques. If you want to learn welding, for instance, you build a small item out of steel rather than simply running welding beads up and down a piece of scrap material. This teaches you “all the things you don't know you don't know.” That is, when learning something new, you are not aware of all the information that you need to learn.

Want to learn woodworking? Build a birdhouse. Birdhouses remain a popular woodworking project because they are almost as simple to make as a box, but they have just enough angles and shaped holes to make it interesting. Want to learn sculpting? Grab a bar of soap and a pocket knife and carve a polar bear. Sewing? Make a pillowcase. Upholstery? Find a drop seat and recover it in new fabric. Casting? Grab a slab of clay, press some objects into it, and pour plaster on top.

You don't need fancy equipment or expensive materials if you are just trying to grasp the basics. You can build shapes and structures quickly with cardboard and a hot glue gun, and almost everyone has the ingredients for papier-mâché sitting around their house (newspaper or tissue paper, flour, and water). If you can't figure papier-mâché out, then how will you be able to figure out fiberglass, which involves much more complicated chemistry and setup, as well as a complete understanding of how to minimize the various health risks it entails?

What's Not in This Book

Props is a large and comprehensive field, and to present all the information pertaining to it in one book would be overwhelming. An encyclopedic set would be more appropriate. I've explained in this introductory portion what I intend to cover in this volume, but just to clarify, I will describe what is not in this book just in case any of my readers feel I am being neglectful.

This is a book for a props artisan or prop builder. Props master and properties director are different job titles. While a props master or director occasionally starts out as an artisan or fulfills some prop-making duties as part of their job, their own duties are distinct. (In many smaller theatres where a single person does props, the props master is the props artisan.) This book does not deal with reading a script and developing a props list; buying, renting, or borrowing props; maintaining and organizing a props stock, or the like. Nor does it deal with managing a shop, hiring artisans, or maintaining records. My colleagues have their own books geared toward these topics and do a much better job explaining it than I would.

Even though this book is geared solely toward the props artisan, I feel even that field is too wide to cover in a single volume. I have restricted coverage to constructing objects, and the materials and methods needed to do so. Discussing all the tricks and movements that props occasionally need to do is done in my second book, The Prop Effects Guidebook: Lights, Motion, Sound, and Magic. In that book, I talk about electrical, pneumatic, and mechanical props, as well as radio-controlled props. I also touch on trick props, such as breakaways, magic props, props that are moved or manipulated backstage, and any of the complicated rigging that goes into special effects.

Many prop artisans have duties that go beyond simply building props. They often have to adapt and repair furniture and other store-bought items. They may have to help dress and decorate the set, especially when items need to be attached to the walls or otherwise rigged. While many of the materials and methods described in this book can be used in those situations, I do not discuss any of these ancillary duties in the following pages.

Though the materials and methods of prop making are very similar from prop shop to prop shop, it is true that props can be made out of nearly anything. I have avoided crafts and techniques that are highly specialized or rarely pop up. Skills like throwing pottery, casting bronze, or electroplating chrome may occasionally be needed in the prop shop, but most shops are not set up to do these things.

This book is not a manual for specific tools and machines. I will tell you what a band saw is used for and what materials it can cut, but I will not describe how to change the blade on a Powermatic 1791216K 14″ band saw. This is especially true for software such as graphics programs and CAD, as well as for digital fabrication like CNC machining, laser cutting, and 3D printing. I will describe what these programs and tools are capable of, and discuss some of the more universal aspects about them, but detailing how to operate any of them specifically is beyond the scope of this book.