If you liked this page, you might be interested to know I add new articles three times a week. Sign up now to receive updates for free. You'll never miss a post, and they come ad-free.
I am Eric Hart, the assistant props master at the Public Theater in New York City, and a longtime prop maker.
This site is a way to share my work and the things I've learned over the years. It's also a way to connect with other prop makers, props masters, and artisans, as well as a collection of all things of interest to props people from around the internet.
Behind the Scenes: Props in the Movies
Nowadays, DVDs come with all sorts of special features, such as behind-the-scenes footage. Occasionally, there’s a clip about the props of the film. Oftentimes, these featurettes are fairly fluffy, presenting a couple of key props or special effects and only going so far as to show “Look, we had to make props for this movie too!” But every once in awhile, you find one that goes a little further and shows the props people at work, with a discussion of the specific challenges the props master faced on the film or television show.
I found some of these on YouTube to share with you.
Behind the scenes – Making of the Lord of the Rings Props
Lord of the Rings took place in an entirely invented world, and so nearly all the props had to be built. It’s amazing how many artisans and craftspeople they had on this show, and this video highlights some of them.
Life on Mars Behind the Scenes with the Prop Master
Life on Mars takes place in 1973, and this video does a great job of showing how Jim Lillis, the prop master, and his team went about researching and organizing all the information they needed to prop the show.
Behind the Scenes on Supernatural
This is a bit on the fluffy side, but it is interesting to hear the Christopher Cooper, the prop master, talk about the process of creating more fantastical props for this show.
So there you have it. Are there any videos available online that you’ve found interesting or helpful? Drop a link in the comments.