A shelf of dinnerware from Martha's prop shop
This is from last year, but I just came across it and found it interesting. Martha Stewart maintains a prop library for all her photo shoots and television segments. On her blog, she gives an inside look at this props library and how it is maintained. The place looks huge!
They use a bar code system to track and inventory all the props. I know the Santa Fe Opera also bar codes all their props kept in stock. What kind of inventory management system does your shop use?
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3 Comments
I wish my props storage was that organized. The best system we have now is my own memory. But I would love to hear suggestions on how others have started some sort of system.
Sometimes I wish the stuff I own was bar coded like that.
Chris– to answer your question, a great inexpensive way to do it is to buy a G1 phone from tmobile. It uses Google’s Android operating system and the camera is capable of reading barcodes using free software you can download from their apps marketplace. Most of the software is designed for price comparison and checking reviews while shopping, but there is at least one written just for keeping inventory.