Introduction
Part One: Preparation
1. What are props? - Definitions in theatre and film; Why make?; A brief history of prop-making
2. Getting Started - Making the shape; Shape vs surface treatment; Structure
3. Breaking it Down - What your prop needs to do; Reference and research; Dividing complex shapes into simpler parts; Work- flow; Construction drawings; Mock-Ups and Patterns
4. Choosing your materials - Strength; Weight; Appearance; Realism; Resources
5. Safety - Chemicals; Respirators and Ventilation; Gloves, Sleeves and Clothes; Eyes, Ears and Shoes
6. Tools - Hand vs power tools; Jigs and measuring; Adhesives and attachment
Part Two: Materials and methods
7. Constructive Materials - Carpentry; Metal; Plastics; Cardboard and other non-traditional
8. Drape it and shape it - Fabric and Soft Sculpture; Sheet Metal; papier mâché; Fiber Glass and composites; Pepakura
9. Armatures and skeletons
10. Sculptural Materials - Foam; Clay
11. Assemblage - found object; repurposed pieces; nurnies, greebles, diapering, and kit-bashing molding and casting
Part Three: Finishing it off
12. Getting it smooth - sanding; filling
13. Getting it rough - Texture; Scenic dope and monster mud
14. Painting - Primer and base coats; faux finishes; translucent coats; protective coats
Part Four: Finding jobs and getting paid
15. Budget estimates
16. Charging for your labor
17. What types of jobs can you get as a props artisan; Where to look for work
18. Maintaining a portfolio - photography and process shots
Eric Hart has built props for numerous theatres off-off Broadway, off-Broadway and Broadway, and has worked with some of America's top directors and designers at the Santa Fe Opera, the Actors Theatre of Louisville, and the Public Theater. He has also constructed props for display and exhibition, including the Macy's Herald Square Holiday Windows, Saks Fifth Avenue Holiday Windows, and Lord and Taylor's Holiday displays. His articles about props have been published in Stage Directions Magazine. Eric's blog, covering all aspects of prop making, receives over 10,000 visits each month. Eric belongs to the Society of Properties Artisan Managers.
'By focusing on how we build static objects using common
materials...Hart has generated an excellent primer text for
students and amateurs just getting into the field... [and] as a
professional props master and a university instructor, I have found
this book to be both a wonderful addition to my reference library
and an invaluable teaching tool.' - Erin Freeman, UNC-Charlotte,
Southern Theatre 'In the preface to The Prop Building Guidebook For
Theatre, Film, and TV, Eric Hart writes, "This book will show you
how to look at an object you wish to create, break it apart into
its component parts, and put it all together." His well-organized
and beautifully illustrated book accomplishes this goal of
familiarizing the reader with common tools, materials, and
techniques used to build quality properties for a show, and it
offers guidance that allows the user to select the most appropriate
materials and best method of construction. Hart's writing style is
straightforward and reflects a personal, tongue-in-cheek wit.
[The book] is an equally valuable resource for the professional
prop artisan, the experienced designer in an allied area who also
works with properties, and for the student entering the world of
design and technical entertainment production. It is an interesting
and informative book for the first read-through. It could be used
as part of a stagecraft or practicum course in an academic setting
and certainly deserves a place on the reference shelf in the design
studio or shop.' Lighting & Sound America, Book of the Month,
December 2013 Issue 'This compendium by Hart (a free-lance prop
builder) is designed to assist amateur and professional properties
artisans in planning and building properties for stage, television,
and film. Organizing his book into four parts, Hart first deals
with preparations for the prop assignment. He provides terminology
for the various kinds of props and breaks down the task according
to its stage requirements and such elements as research, drawings,
shop organization, safety, or selection of the appropriate
materials and tools. Part 2 deals with construction methods and
assembly in wood, metals, plastics, fabrics, papier-mâché, molding,
and casting. In Part 3, he discusses finishing techniques, from
sanding and preparing the surface to painting techniques and
protective coatings. Part 4 addresses the profession of props
artisan, covering budgeting, fees, job sources, and portfolios.
This last section is very useful to young professionals because
these topics are rarely addressed in how-to-books.
Numerous photographs illustrate tools and props projects in
process, although materials mentioned do not have accompanying
pictures. The author maintains a freely accessible website, Prop
Agenda, as an accompaniment to the handbook, offering step-by-step
illustrated instructions for various properties, along with book
reviews, resources, how-to videos, interviews with props-related
artisans, and more.Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels of
students and professionals.' Choice, R.A. Naversen 'In a
personable, informative style, Hart gives you the full rundown,
from basic to advanced techniques across a spectrum of disciplines,
supported by excellent tutorial photos as well as theatrical
eye-candy shots. Chapters cover safety, shop tools, joining,
measuring materials, sculpture, finishing, and more with rich
detail and sparkling clarity. The heavy-duty comb binding is a
thoughtful touch. Hart's book makes a valuable shop companion for
makers of all types and skill levels.' Gregory Hayes, Make Magazine
'...I was asked to review what I'm sure folks will be calling the
new bible by Eric Hart...because that's what I'm calling it. I'm
going to gush like a fanboy...I love this book for the content and
for the fact that it has a hard cover and is coil-bound so it can
be laid flat on the work surface like a workbook and be used as
such!...As Eric Hart, who has been a freelance props builder for
theatre, retail display, and other industries since 2003, points
out in the preface, no book about props can be comprehensive. It's
impossible to compress the collective knowledge of all prop makers
into a single volume. Well, this book comes pretty close! In
addition to nineteen well laid out chapters, there is a website
link that will guide you to two bonus chapters, videos, and a link
to the author's blog, Prop Agenda (www.props.eric-hart.com) where
he documents ongoing prop fabrication projects...Now I will tell
you to buy it because it's going to be a valuable resource in your
library and worth every penny.' Todd Debreceni, Theatre Design &
Technology 'Since graduating as a theare major with an emphasis on
set design, Eric Hart has earned a national reputation as a prop
master, working on major stage and screen projects and maintaining
the popular Prop Agenda blog at props.eric-hart.com. He has
recently written the definitive reference for his industry that is
being hailed for its clarity and breadth, The Prop Building
Guidebook.' Claudia Ebeling, Bucknell Magazine
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