Happy (Prop) Hunting!

Greetings! We all have our strategies for holiday shopping. But prop shopping is a different sort of hunting. Here's a few tips for the trips that take you to small town antique stores.

1. Bring cash
And your checkbook. I run into a lot of shops that don't take plastic. There might not be an ATM in town when you get there.

2. Bring small bills
Once I was shopping for tools in an antique shop. The bill was under $20 and I tried to pay with a $100 bill. The owner apologized, and explained he didn't have enough change in the register. Even the post office in town couldn't change me on a Saturday morning.

3. Know the schedule
Not just the shop's hours.  Some little towns have fall festivals and Labor Day car shows. There's little parking and lots of out-of-towners. These are terrible times to hunt!


4. Know what you're looking for
Your director wants green glassware from the 30s. Let's say you're doing These Shining Lives. And he mentions something about glassware that glows. Hopefully, the store owner can decipher your description and show you to the Vaseline glass case (if they have one).

Do your homework. Know what you're looking for, and what you should be paying for it.
Speak intelligently about what you need. Last year I learned True Detective magazines not considered 'pulps' in the antiquarian bookseller community.

If you can't find the answer, call Grandma. Seriously.

5. Bring a camera and a tape measure
Take a few pictures if your purchase is going to require approval. Write down the measurements, price, store name, who you spoke with, the store's number, shop's hours, and any other relevant details. On the days I visit multiple shops these details can blur quickly.

Happy hunting!

Prop Cameras 2.0

University of Florida's production of Chicago closes Sunday. I'll be sad to see this one go. The cast, crew, and production team produced an amazing experience. And our prop mistress did a wonderful job on her very first show! I helped her get started on the tricky props like custom newspapers and magazines. So I decided not to post repeat projects. But when we finished the cameras, I thought it would be a nice follow-up.

She'd originally purchased vintage cameras online. But the director wanted something larger and more primitive. Also, he asked for a camera that could flash on command. I showed him a photo of the camera I built for Floyd Collins. (Cameras for Collins) I'd never attempted a flashing camera, but the lighting department had a few ideas. So we set out to build Old Time Camera 2.0.

With only two days to build four cameras, the boxes were identical to speed up construction. We broke apart a few video cameras from the prop room - cameras from the days when 'HD' on the side of the camera stood for 'Heavy Duty'. The parts were spray painted with a silver metallic and attached to the bodies. But the antique cameras proved very useful. The flash reflectors were easy to detach and can be reused on the original units after this show.

Ben, our lighting assistant, and one of the cameras.

At this point the cameras were handed over to the lighting department. An LED was added to the flash reflector. Battery packs were added to the bodies, and switches were placed on the handles. Then the cameras returned to the shop for backs and straps.

Smile!

The cameras were a hit - even the KCACTF adjudicator commented on them. The director was also pleased, and said he's been asking for this kind of camera for 18 years. Just goes to show what a little collaboration across the departments can create!

Roxie and the reporters.