Props are Not Always What they SeemAt Mr Dog Poop Studios we continue to build our prop and costume collection and we often buy obsolete electronics and industrial devices that will probably never be used for what they are intended. Instead, having a bunch of old electronics gives us set dressing for some unique scenes.
For example the mad scientist in his basement needs shelves of devices that make him seem smart and working with tools.
The modern minimalist staging in some films does not work for us. Having an empty room and a fake computer CGI generated 3D interface leaving everything up to the viewers imagination falls flat because the movie depends on people having watched other movies to accept the character for who he is.
It is also less visually appealing and does not empower the viewers to use their imagination to understand the complexity of the character. Instead, it is, copying what they have seen before in other movies.
This method is like putting a name tag on the person saying "mad scientist" and assuming the viewers will accept and understand that is the character. Of course no reasonable person would ever do that. One would dress the character in appropriate clothing, maybe a lab coat, place objects in his hand and direct the character in such a manner that convinces the audience he is verifiably crazy.
But doing that in a white room with no background, no crazy machinery, no "SCIENCE DEVICES" would be a shame.
Movie directors through time have explained so much without any dialog. A characters apartment is just as important to setting up the profile of the character as any dialog, in fact even more important.
If we want someone to be a serial killer, there are always hints in the set design. Bloody meat with a huge knife, a box of keepsakes from victims. We want the audience to start putting the clues together without telling them what they are directly.
It is hard to do that without props to stimulate the viewer and put them on edge or to sew doubt about who the serial killer really is.
But not all props are what they seem, in fact many sets and props are completely out of context using devices for something completely different than what they were intended.
For example, we have a Neutral Density Analyzer from the 1960's.
Is anyone really going to know what this is?
Would you expect to see a photographer using this device?
Of course not, but instead t can be anything that we tell the audience and they will believe. Couple it with a few more similar devices and connect them with some complex looking wires and it is even more believable.
So having props like these at our disposal are critical to staging good productions. Even if they are only 2 minute YouTube videos.
When choosing pros from our collection, use your imagination as you would want your audience to use theirs. What emotion does the prop invoke in you? What will it tell your viewers?
Just because it was something else, does not mean you cannot use it for your set design and prop build out.
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