Blog #12 Props

 Props are a very important piece of film production. Props are anything movable or portable on the stage and are used to give context to many of the scenes in a film. There can be many reasons to have props in a scene. It can be used to set the tone or show action and make the film flow more smoothly. There are 3 different kinds of props. Hand props, set props, and costume props.

Hand Props: Hand props are props that can be held in the hand of a character a lot of the time these props are used to help show the action of characters or to help the characters Journey be easier to accomplish. 

This picture shows the character from Gladiator holding a prop sword and posing in an intimidating manner. The sword he is wielding is shown to give the character a more powerful threatening feel and give more meaning to the scene

Set Props: Set props are movable objects that are placed on a set to create a realistic environment and add to the aesthetic of the scene. These props are used to set the scene of a play or film. These props can a lot of the time be used to represent the landscape like a prop mountain or rocks. They can also be things like the walls of a house and are used to create meaning.

This image shows a very good example of set props and is used to show how the scene seems to be in some kind of town square and makes it seem more welcoming and shows a really good example of how set props can create meaning and how these play an important role in media production.

Costume Props: Costume props are items that actors wear or carry that the costume designer designed but not normally considered clothing. These props include things like glasses hats and other forms of jewelry. These props can be used to show wealth with expensive shiny jewelry which can also be shown as power in certain context..

This image from Kingsman uses a couple different costume props. One of them is the hat that the character on the right is wearing. Another one is the bow tie the guy on the left is wearing as well as his glasses. These are meant to show what the characters are supposed to represent certain levels in class and how they are supposed to fit in.