Property Master

What they do

The property master breaks the script down for every object a character touches, then works out how many of each will be needed. That arithmetic is the job: a letter that gets torn needs a dozen identical copies, a meal that gets eaten needs resets for every take, a hero prop that a stunt double throws needs a rubber duplicate, and anything that appears in a close-up needs to survive being looked at closely. They source, buy, hire, adapt and commission: prop houses, makers, armourers for weapons, graphic designers for anything with printing on it, and food stylists for anything edible. They clear rights and practicality, since a real brand, a real newspaper masthead or a working replica firearm each bring their own legal and safety constraints. On set the standby props crew places every item, resets between takes, and hands an actor the object at the top of the take. Continuity is shared with the script supervisor: which hand the glass was in, how full it was, whether the cigarette was lit. Firearms, blades, breakaways and anything on fire come with safety protocols that the department runs. In the United States property masters are represented in IATSE Local 44.

What they decide

The calls that belong to this role and no other.

• Which objects appear, in what state, and how many duplicates exist
• Whether a prop is hired, bought, adapted or made, and by whom
• Hero props versus stunt and breakaway versions
• Safety handling for weapons, blades, fire and anything hazardous
• Reset procedure between takes, and prop continuity with the script supervisor

Principles of the craft

• Count the takes, then count again: the number of copies a prop needs is set by how it is destroyed, eaten, thrown or torn, and running out of a consumable prop stops the unit dead.
• A prop is a piece of characterisation an actor can hold: the specific wallet, the specific phone, the state of the wear on it, all read faster than dialogue does.
• Hero and stunt versions are different objects: one is built to be photographed close, the other to be safe when it hits someone, and confusing them is either an ugly close-up or an injury.
• Anything with printing on it is a clearance problem: mastheads, labels, artwork and logos need to be cleared or created, and that lead time is longer than it looks.
• Continuity is a photograph, not a memory: every hero prop wants a still in each state, because the pickup will be shot eleven days later.

Common mistakes

• Ordering one of something that gets destroyed on camera
• Bringing a real brand or a real publication onto set without clearance
• Choosing a prop that looks right in the hand and reads as plastic on a long lens
• Letting the reset drift, so the glass is a different level in every take of the coverage
• The competent version: perfect props supplied without checking that the actor can actually work with them at the pace the scene needs

How to learn it

Exercises and routes in, not a reading list.

• Break down a ten-page script for props and write the duplicate count for each, with your reasoning. Then have someone who has shot before mark it up.
• Make three versions of one hero prop: a close-up version, a rough stunt version and a breakaway. Shoot all three on a long lens and see which survives the scrutiny.
• Shoot a scene with an eaten meal across six takes, resetting each time, and log what you needed. That log is the real lesson about consumables.
• Design and print a fictional newspaper front page or product label that reads correctly on camera at two metres. Fine detail is where props work is won or lost.