Never do this
HONESTLY. YOU’D THINK characters in movies had never seen a movie before. Here are my suggestions for ways to avoid coming to a premature sticky end. Never go down into a cellar. Especially if the power is off. If it’s your last job as a cop before you retire, don’t tell anyone. Or you’d be […]
The recurring device
IS THIS THE MOST IMPORTANT device in the universe? It appears it is. Built by John Zabrucky in the 1970s, its official name is Modern Props #195-290-1. But it’s better known as The Most Important Device in the Universe. Like the prop newspaper, it has appeared in dozens of science fiction films and TV shows, […]
The recurring newspaper
FILM PROPS are frequently reused, as it’s a lot easier to pick an existing prop than to go to the trouble of making a new one. This is especially the case with newspapers, often glimpsed only briefly in a shot. This prop newspaper, created by the Earl Hays Press, has been featured in over ten […]
Music in films
FILMS USE MUSIC to heighten excitement – there’s nothing so stimulating as frantic strings when the hero is rushing to beat his nemesis. But music also steers your subtler emotions, guiding you on when to be sad, or joyful, or hopeful. It’s quite possible to watch a whole film without registering the music at all. […]
Newspaper design
HANDS UP WHO KNOWS what a newspaper looks like. All of you? That’s great. Perhaps you could tell the graphic designers who work on films and TV shows, since most of them have clearly never seen one. There have been many obvious gaffes – like the fact that the same prop newspaper has been seen in […]