how best to become a specialty prop maker for film,TV,and commercials.
- Thread starter Mackaiver
- Start date
Gain skills on your own (mold making, painting, casting, fiberglass, 3D modeling, 3D printing, sculpting, EVA foam armor building, etc). Take photos of your work and put together a portfolio. Move to LA and find FX shops that are hiring. Many TV and Film productions are just starting to get back to work so it's a slow time for prop makers, FX creators and set builders right now.
Riceball
Master Member
Try to find any schools that teach this, that would help, if only in that it gets you started and provides you with help in finding a job once you graduate. But, whether you go to school for this or not, definitely practice on your own. Start small and simple and work your way up to larger and/or more complicated builds. It also helps in figuring out what exactly you want to do in the industry and research effects houses, both big and small. The smaller ones will most likely hire generalists, people who may specialize in certain things but can do it all or at least most of the different jobs; a larger house will most likely hire specialists where you would do only one thing most of the time.
Another thing to do, in addition to practicing and researching effects houses, try to find the contact information of professional effects artists and ask for their advice. Write to them, in the most polite and professional manner (that includes proper spelling and punctuation), ask how they got started and what advice would they have to offer for someone in your position and looking to get into the industry. If you can build up a relationship with one or more, you can ask them for advice whenever you have problems with a project and they may offer you a job or internship eventually, if you show promise. But don't go asking a job or apprentice/internship, just ask (politely) for advice and if you can show them your projects from time to time. The important thing is to not make any demands, have no expectations and leave it to them as to how much, if any, interaction they want to have with you.
Another thing to do, in addition to practicing and researching effects houses, try to find the contact information of professional effects artists and ask for their advice. Write to them, in the most polite and professional manner (that includes proper spelling and punctuation), ask how they got started and what advice would they have to offer for someone in your position and looking to get into the industry. If you can build up a relationship with one or more, you can ask them for advice whenever you have problems with a project and they may offer you a job or internship eventually, if you show promise. But don't go asking a job or apprentice/internship, just ask (politely) for advice and if you can show them your projects from time to time. The important thing is to not make any demands, have no expectations and leave it to them as to how much, if any, interaction they want to have with you.
I think becoming a professionnal propmaker is somehow about relationship.
smithjohnj
Sr Member
As you follow the other advice about practicing your skills on small projects you might also practice your problem solving and time management skills. The type of work you are looking to follow can have very short time constraints and limited budgets. Learn how to work quickly but carefully. There is often just enough time to perform a task but not enough time to fix an error or enough budget to start over. Even as you practice try to first estimate what it will cost and how long it will take. Then try to keep to your schedule. If you miss it, try to determine why so you will improve on the next project. If you are like most your estimates will start out way too short and too cheap . And injuries are the worst complications of all. Being able to improvise is also an important skill. For example how can you make a piece of carboard look like another material such as leather, wood, marble, metal, a liquid surface, etc. Run through the exercises again with plaster or wood. Try to obtain quality tools and more importantly learn how to use them to their full capacity and how to maintain them. Being able to sharpen, setup, or calibrate your tools as necessary will make you more valuable than other artists who cannot do this themselves. Even tools as simple as a framing square has many capabilities that most modern "makers" do not know such as how to use it to draw an arch, an oval or even create a protractor. If you enjoy this type of learning and discovery I think you will enjoy this type of career.
signeddiamond
Well-Known Member
Consider getting a more stable and educational full time job that can lead to applications in the prop field. For example if you had an actual job as a carpenter building houses then you would be much more valuable to a production looking to make full sets. If you were a trained programmer you would be very appealing to a production with animatronics. Being a tailor and knowing how to make, cut, and sew patterns is invaluable to a costuming department.
Like many will tell you its very difficult to make a real stable living in the industry especially starting out. Many of the names you see roll by in the film credits didn't start as prop builders but as specialists that became more and connected because of their reliability and skill.
If you are really looking for the best bang for your buck though I would try to get into some form of 3D modeling job. Be it graphic design, animation, or industrial CAD. More and more the industry moves away from actually building props and becomes more dependent on designing them as a 3D model that can be used in animation or printed out and painted as a set prop. In your free time create a portfolio of 3d assets you have designed freehand or copied from visual reference (both are valuable skills) and then show them printed and finished. Not only will it leave you with a shelf of cool stuff but it will show potential productions that you can be a creative asset from start to finish with adaptability.
Signeddiamond
Like many will tell you its very difficult to make a real stable living in the industry especially starting out. Many of the names you see roll by in the film credits didn't start as prop builders but as specialists that became more and connected because of their reliability and skill.
If you are really looking for the best bang for your buck though I would try to get into some form of 3D modeling job. Be it graphic design, animation, or industrial CAD. More and more the industry moves away from actually building props and becomes more dependent on designing them as a 3D model that can be used in animation or printed out and painted as a set prop. In your free time create a portfolio of 3d assets you have designed freehand or copied from visual reference (both are valuable skills) and then show them printed and finished. Not only will it leave you with a shelf of cool stuff but it will show potential productions that you can be a creative asset from start to finish with adaptability.
Signeddiamond
This might be old school, but since I'm assuming you are 15yo I would say:
- Stay in school no matter what. Finnish high school.
- Find a prop maker, builder, designer, etc, that you look up to and try to get an apprenticeship with him/her BEFORE going to college and committing to 2-3 years.
- Offer your labour for free. Remember that early on you know nothing. Try and learn from the best in the field. When going to college you pay them to place you in an unpaid internship. So...might as well try and find that yourself. Learn for free.
- Be eager and don't give-up after failing.
BR12819
Sr Member
There's a lot of good advice here. Getting into the industry can be challenging, we can a pretty tight knit group which can be good and bad. It's a business prepare for rejection, prepare for starting as a P.A. and making connections. That said, don't give up! You probably won't be designing/building hero props for the next ultra high budget feature anytime soon, and that's okay. You get into the industry because you love it and can't imagine doing anything else. I've been involved in the film business in one form or another since 2007. L.A. and NYC aren't the only options you have, Atlanta is continuing to grow as a film hub, so keep that as an option.
If you want to be a prop builder, like others said, bring skills to the table that the other guy might not, be comfortable with mold making, be able to do it quick and cost effectively, know how to sculpt with foam, and I think having a knowledge of 3d rendering would put you on the right track.
Good Luck!
If you want to be a prop builder, like others said, bring skills to the table that the other guy might not, be comfortable with mold making, be able to do it quick and cost effectively, know how to sculpt with foam, and I think having a knowledge of 3d rendering would put you on the right track.
Good Luck!
signeddiamond
Well-Known Member
Absolutely a good idea. The skills you learn as a machinist will go a long way in teaching you not only how to create various things but also how to structure a workflow or layout of a project. Plus a machinist can always find work in the RPF when times are slow. People are always looking for Proton pack parts or little machined capsules for holsters.
Signeddiamond
You can make a better living as a machinist in the manufacturing industry rather than the film industry. There is a lot of mathematics and computer programming involved. I studied a few years to become a machinist, and changed my mind.
If you have the aptitude, it’s a rewarding field.
If you have the aptitude, it’s a rewarding field.
Very good direction.
Remember that professional prop/model/set making is a business. Time and budget are always an issue, and there is seldom enough of both.
Learn to work fast and clean. That will make you valuable. Creative problem solving is always needed.
The majority of the time, we don't get to indulge in making the things we build as nice as we would like them to be. You only build what the camera will see, and if it's never seen close-up then it can be pretty rough. Spending extra time to make it pretty just wastes time and $$$.
You have to learn when "good enough" is reached.
We had hobbyists apply with beautiful portfolios of amazingly detailed models that they proudly told us how many hundreds of hours they took to make. They were shocked when we asked what they could do in two weeks. A one-day-wonder made their head spin.
It's a business, so you have to learn to only spend time and money where necessary.
Learn to work fast and clean. That will make you valuable. Creative problem solving is always needed.
The majority of the time, we don't get to indulge in making the things we build as nice as we would like them to be. You only build what the camera will see, and if it's never seen close-up then it can be pretty rough. Spending extra time to make it pretty just wastes time and $$$.
You have to learn when "good enough" is reached.
We had hobbyists apply with beautiful portfolios of amazingly detailed models that they proudly told us how many hundreds of hours they took to make. They were shocked when we asked what they could do in two weeks. A one-day-wonder made their head spin.
It's a business, so you have to learn to only spend time and money where necessary.
PlanetAlexander
Active Member
Some great info on this thread. I'm also working to get into the prop making industry.
One very important thing I have learnt over the past couple of years is networking. Get to know local creatives (or industries) in your area. Jump online and join in with forums (you're here so a great start!). Chat with other makers on social media, get to know how they did things, and you might be able to return the favour. Remember, as makers, we grow together!
One very important thing I have learnt over the past couple of years is networking. Get to know local creatives (or industries) in your area. Jump online and join in with forums (you're here so a great start!). Chat with other makers on social media, get to know how they did things, and you might be able to return the favour. Remember, as makers, we grow together!
Some good advice here. If you're looking to make props, learn how to do 3D modeling. Also learn the art of body shopping. Taking a printed part and sanding it smooth and priming it without destroying the fine detail. That's a big part of my job these days.
It's a hard business to get into. As others have said, it IS a business, so the faster you can do good work the better.
Learn power tools. Start with just the basics, drills, sanders, saws, etc. You don't have to know how to weld or run a milling machine to get your first job. It's best to have a good overall understanding and experience with power tools, you can learn the big ones as you go. No one is going to expect you to know every aspect of prop making when you first start.
Also, get used to the fact that what you make is not yours, so don't get attached to it. You may be asked to change something you just made a half a dozen times and then it never makes it on the screen, that's just the nature of the business. Learn how to keep a secret. I can't over emphasize that one. I've seen people ruin their career because they took photos of a top secret project or worse, posted about it. Don't be too picky, take whatever job you can to gain experience and most importantly, make connections. Don't let yourself be abused though, your employer is making money off your labor, make sure you get paid. I don't think it's mentioned enough how important networking is, I haven't had to show my resume in 10 years. The better you can work with a diverse group of people the easier you'll be to get along with and the more jobs you'll get. Most of the time when my boss needs more crew he'll just come into the shop and ask, who do you guys know that's available next week?
So learn as much as you can. Tell everybody you meet what you want to do, you never know when you'll meet someone who can help you out in your career. And don't let other people tell you no.
It's a hard business to get into. As others have said, it IS a business, so the faster you can do good work the better.
Learn power tools. Start with just the basics, drills, sanders, saws, etc. You don't have to know how to weld or run a milling machine to get your first job. It's best to have a good overall understanding and experience with power tools, you can learn the big ones as you go. No one is going to expect you to know every aspect of prop making when you first start.
Also, get used to the fact that what you make is not yours, so don't get attached to it. You may be asked to change something you just made a half a dozen times and then it never makes it on the screen, that's just the nature of the business. Learn how to keep a secret. I can't over emphasize that one. I've seen people ruin their career because they took photos of a top secret project or worse, posted about it. Don't be too picky, take whatever job you can to gain experience and most importantly, make connections. Don't let yourself be abused though, your employer is making money off your labor, make sure you get paid. I don't think it's mentioned enough how important networking is, I haven't had to show my resume in 10 years. The better you can work with a diverse group of people the easier you'll be to get along with and the more jobs you'll get. Most of the time when my boss needs more crew he'll just come into the shop and ask, who do you guys know that's available next week?
So learn as much as you can. Tell everybody you meet what you want to do, you never know when you'll meet someone who can help you out in your career. And don't let other people tell you no.
A lot has been said here about skills. Individual material / technique skills are important, and what has been said here is mostly true. But there is such a wide range of skills used in film production, it would be impossible to master them all, and even if you could, there are many "bad" or "tribal" techniques used in the film business that differ depending on the shop you work in. So when you work in a shop, they will likely have "Their way" of doing things.
But one "skill" that I have not seen talked about here, and is consistent in the film business, and it does not require college to learn. That skill is reliability. Don't be a flake.
Be on time, and be prepared to stay late. Be prepared to do dumb boring jobs. Then, do them well, and efficiently.
Don't act like you know something when you don't. Ask questions. Look up words you don't know (or ask).
Don't waste time. Time is most often the most limited resource on a film. I have seen obscene amounts of money thrown at a problem because of a lack of planning and lack of time.
I have owned and operated a prop shop for 35 years and the most common problem I have with new (or younger) employees, beyond reliability, is "lying".
I use this word deliberately, because they would not think of themselves as "dishonest" and in the normal sense, nor would I.
But, they lie to themselves and then to their supervisor about their skills. This is brought on by fear, fear of appearing stupid. (or desperately wanting a job)
When asked to do a specific task, they say they know how to do something and perhaps in their limited experience, they think they do know how. The results are often an inferior item, or worse, a ruined item and a loss of time.
It is difficult to "know what you know". Be honest with yourself, and the skills you have.
How to "Know what you know" or "don't know".
Educate yourself in what is possible in any skill set. Also learn how fast an item should take in that skill set. As an example, I can make (throw) pottery on a potters wheel. But I would not call myself a "potter". I can make something basic in 20 minutes to a half hour. But while at the Worlds Fair in Japan, I saw a potter making small vases in 15 seconds each. Now this is an extreme example, but you can get the point. What I can create in a 3d CAD program in 30 minutes a highly skilled guy can do in 5 minutes. But if I don't have that skilled guy, I'm happy with being able to get it done in 30.
Don't be discouraged, skills will come to you, and often in the order you need them. College is fine, but it may not be all that helpful, depending on what you think you want to do, and what you end up doing.
What props do you want to make? Is it really props you want to make?
The first question I ask a new employee (or interviewee), is; "What do you like to do?" I'm looking for the thing that challenges them, gets them excited. When people do what they really like, they will be better at their job.
So, What do you like to do?
Props? What type? Period props, Sci-Fi props? What materials? Wood, metal, plastic, fabric?
What about sets or costumes?
Is it the designing you like? Is it the building? or is it the problem solving and / or discovery of the process?
These are important questions to answer, and you may not know yet. But the answers will help guide you to the job you really like.
I never considered prop making back in 1979 when I started in the film business. Stunts, Physical FX and Makeup effects where the things I thought I wanted to do. I stumbled into prop making because I had skills building things, and I needed a job. Over about 10 years, I did all of them at different times, and eventually I found I liked the problem solving and use of different materials. This put me in specialty costume and props.
If you want to come to LA or NYC, understand that many bigger shops divide their work force into departments. Sculping, fabrication, mold making, casting, finishing, electronics and so on. So, in many shops, you won't get the opportunity to build a complete prop, just some aspect of it. This is why learning a set of skills to start your career, may not be necessary. Having experience in a range of skills is important because with the limited time we get to make things, understanding what the other guy has to do on the project, can help you understand what you have to do on the project. (and perhaps make their job easier)
If you are going to work in smaller shops, then you may be asked to do multiple aspects to a project. Then a wider range of skills is useful.
An important thing to understand in "prop building skills" is all of them are useful, and useless, depending on what you are building, who has what skills in the shop, how much time you have and how much money you have. Since many times props do not have real world engineering requirements, I can make a prop an a number of different ways, depending on the skills and tools I have at my disposal.
Problem solving is the most important skill in most jobs in film. A prop maker friend of mine delivered a light up "control panel" to the set and the Art Director loved it, but when John turned it on, the Art Director asked him how fast the lights could blink? John said "Blink?, No one asked me to have the light blink." The Art Director was furious, since this was an important part of the prop. Thinking quickly, John went to his truck, crawled under the dashboard, and yanked out the turn signal blinker and went back onto set and wired it in. The Art Director was happy again. John said to me later, "If he wanted it to blink faster or slower, I was screwed!" So being lucky is also essential.
Now while the structure of a prop is not always critical, the durability is, at least when it comes to filming it. I made the mistake early in my career of thinking, this piece looks cool, and even if it's a little delicate, I'll make it easy to fix. Well, you can't fix it in the middle of the shot when it breaks, and you can't fix a pissed off actor or director when your prop breaks. So it has to be durable and easy to fix. Also, it was mentioned above that props don't have to be completely detailed, you only "Build if for what the camera sees". Not true.
Example: The first Terminator film, was a low budget film, for an art director named Jim Cameron. The owner of the "Hand Prop Room" (Note: big movie prop company in LA) was friends with the prop master and trying to help him out. I was working in HPR's shop and had a few films under my belt and we where busy working on a number of projects in the shop, when we were told we needed to get some sci-fi props made for this little film. Everyone in the shop was already busy, so some of the people in the leather shop upstairs were enlisted to sculpt some props. They where not sculptors, and the resulting pieces where not very good looking, but we molded them and finished them since we had no time. Over the years, I had been told by many, "Paint it black, the camera will never see it". So we did.
My boss took the props to the set, and Jim Cameron took one look as these sorry looking props and chewed a pices of my bosses ass off. It was then I realized, "When the camera, starts signing the checks, you can make it for what the camera sees. But until then, you have to make it for what the director and actor see."
If you are looking to start with a skill that can work in a variety of disciplines, then, with 3d printers getting so good, and cheap, 3d printing is going to be the way of the future. So if you are going to learn any skill, I would say 3d software and 3d printing will be your best option.
Lastly, Portfolio.
I'm sure everyone has a portfolio in some electronic form these days. (I'm from the printed, in a traditional portfolio age)
Only put in your portfolio what you have made, or contributed a significant amount of work too. Don't take credit for what you didn't do. Don't include pictures of other peoples work. Sounds dumb, I know, but I have had people come in for a job interview and show me their portfolio, only for me to find my work in it. A friend John got a model building job at a very prominent model shop here in LA, even though he was not a "model builder". Surprised he got the job, John asked the owner why he had been hired, over some of the other model builders applying. The owner responded, saying John's portfolio was one of the few he had seen that didn't have something he had built in it.
But one "skill" that I have not seen talked about here, and is consistent in the film business, and it does not require college to learn. That skill is reliability. Don't be a flake.
Be on time, and be prepared to stay late. Be prepared to do dumb boring jobs. Then, do them well, and efficiently.
Don't act like you know something when you don't. Ask questions. Look up words you don't know (or ask).
Don't waste time. Time is most often the most limited resource on a film. I have seen obscene amounts of money thrown at a problem because of a lack of planning and lack of time.
I have owned and operated a prop shop for 35 years and the most common problem I have with new (or younger) employees, beyond reliability, is "lying".
I use this word deliberately, because they would not think of themselves as "dishonest" and in the normal sense, nor would I.
But, they lie to themselves and then to their supervisor about their skills. This is brought on by fear, fear of appearing stupid. (or desperately wanting a job)
When asked to do a specific task, they say they know how to do something and perhaps in their limited experience, they think they do know how. The results are often an inferior item, or worse, a ruined item and a loss of time.
It is difficult to "know what you know". Be honest with yourself, and the skills you have.
How to "Know what you know" or "don't know".
Educate yourself in what is possible in any skill set. Also learn how fast an item should take in that skill set. As an example, I can make (throw) pottery on a potters wheel. But I would not call myself a "potter". I can make something basic in 20 minutes to a half hour. But while at the Worlds Fair in Japan, I saw a potter making small vases in 15 seconds each. Now this is an extreme example, but you can get the point. What I can create in a 3d CAD program in 30 minutes a highly skilled guy can do in 5 minutes. But if I don't have that skilled guy, I'm happy with being able to get it done in 30.
Don't be discouraged, skills will come to you, and often in the order you need them. College is fine, but it may not be all that helpful, depending on what you think you want to do, and what you end up doing.
What props do you want to make? Is it really props you want to make?
The first question I ask a new employee (or interviewee), is; "What do you like to do?" I'm looking for the thing that challenges them, gets them excited. When people do what they really like, they will be better at their job.
So, What do you like to do?
Props? What type? Period props, Sci-Fi props? What materials? Wood, metal, plastic, fabric?
What about sets or costumes?
Is it the designing you like? Is it the building? or is it the problem solving and / or discovery of the process?
These are important questions to answer, and you may not know yet. But the answers will help guide you to the job you really like.
I never considered prop making back in 1979 when I started in the film business. Stunts, Physical FX and Makeup effects where the things I thought I wanted to do. I stumbled into prop making because I had skills building things, and I needed a job. Over about 10 years, I did all of them at different times, and eventually I found I liked the problem solving and use of different materials. This put me in specialty costume and props.
If you want to come to LA or NYC, understand that many bigger shops divide their work force into departments. Sculping, fabrication, mold making, casting, finishing, electronics and so on. So, in many shops, you won't get the opportunity to build a complete prop, just some aspect of it. This is why learning a set of skills to start your career, may not be necessary. Having experience in a range of skills is important because with the limited time we get to make things, understanding what the other guy has to do on the project, can help you understand what you have to do on the project. (and perhaps make their job easier)
If you are going to work in smaller shops, then you may be asked to do multiple aspects to a project. Then a wider range of skills is useful.
An important thing to understand in "prop building skills" is all of them are useful, and useless, depending on what you are building, who has what skills in the shop, how much time you have and how much money you have. Since many times props do not have real world engineering requirements, I can make a prop an a number of different ways, depending on the skills and tools I have at my disposal.
Problem solving is the most important skill in most jobs in film. A prop maker friend of mine delivered a light up "control panel" to the set and the Art Director loved it, but when John turned it on, the Art Director asked him how fast the lights could blink? John said "Blink?, No one asked me to have the light blink." The Art Director was furious, since this was an important part of the prop. Thinking quickly, John went to his truck, crawled under the dashboard, and yanked out the turn signal blinker and went back onto set and wired it in. The Art Director was happy again. John said to me later, "If he wanted it to blink faster or slower, I was screwed!" So being lucky is also essential.
Now while the structure of a prop is not always critical, the durability is, at least when it comes to filming it. I made the mistake early in my career of thinking, this piece looks cool, and even if it's a little delicate, I'll make it easy to fix. Well, you can't fix it in the middle of the shot when it breaks, and you can't fix a pissed off actor or director when your prop breaks. So it has to be durable and easy to fix. Also, it was mentioned above that props don't have to be completely detailed, you only "Build if for what the camera sees". Not true.
Example: The first Terminator film, was a low budget film, for an art director named Jim Cameron. The owner of the "Hand Prop Room" (Note: big movie prop company in LA) was friends with the prop master and trying to help him out. I was working in HPR's shop and had a few films under my belt and we where busy working on a number of projects in the shop, when we were told we needed to get some sci-fi props made for this little film. Everyone in the shop was already busy, so some of the people in the leather shop upstairs were enlisted to sculpt some props. They where not sculptors, and the resulting pieces where not very good looking, but we molded them and finished them since we had no time. Over the years, I had been told by many, "Paint it black, the camera will never see it". So we did.
My boss took the props to the set, and Jim Cameron took one look as these sorry looking props and chewed a pices of my bosses ass off. It was then I realized, "When the camera, starts signing the checks, you can make it for what the camera sees. But until then, you have to make it for what the director and actor see."
If you are looking to start with a skill that can work in a variety of disciplines, then, with 3d printers getting so good, and cheap, 3d printing is going to be the way of the future. So if you are going to learn any skill, I would say 3d software and 3d printing will be your best option.
Lastly, Portfolio.
I'm sure everyone has a portfolio in some electronic form these days. (I'm from the printed, in a traditional portfolio age)
Only put in your portfolio what you have made, or contributed a significant amount of work too. Don't take credit for what you didn't do. Don't include pictures of other peoples work. Sounds dumb, I know, but I have had people come in for a job interview and show me their portfolio, only for me to find my work in it. A friend John got a model building job at a very prominent model shop here in LA, even though he was not a "model builder". Surprised he got the job, John asked the owner why he had been hired, over some of the other model builders applying. The owner responded, saying John's portfolio was one of the few he had seen that didn't have something he had built in it.
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