Prop Book

Prop making

I wanted to create a character who is seen to have an obsession with another person. I wanted to convey this idea through the use of a prop and therefore created a collection of items.

First of all I got a large sheet of paper and covered it with tea bags, coffee and dirt. This is help me create the rustic and tattered look, not only this it also makes the prop look more effective as it doesn’t look brand new.

When thinking of items to use I wanted to use props that were considered personal, I used an image of a family. However I wanted it to fit in with the background so I also covered the image with tea and coffee to make it look older. Once I completed this I took the image and burnt the males face so you would not recognise him, I also scratched out the eyes of the children in order to follow common conventions of a horror. I made sure to leave the woman so you are able to see the target of the killer. I also burnt the sides of the picture as photos are commonly burnt within horror films.

I also used playing cards to give the audience an insight in to who the killer is and what their hobbies include. To show the character was heartbroken I used the king and queen of hearts. Once I found these cards I covered them in tea once again to make sure that everything linked together, after I completed this I burnt the sides of the cards and made sure it was half on each card. I also included the use of the three of hearts as the number three is very symbolical in horrors and religion. Three could symbolise the love of three or the past, present and the future.

I wanted the prop to be seen as more disturbing and therefore I used a figure in the piece, however just by adding this toy did not work so I set up the figure as if it had been a suicide by wrapping string around its neck and letting it hang down. This was very effective as it brought a very sinister element to the full prop.

In order to show the obsession I included a cut of hair as this is commonly seen in horror films. The cut of hair can be shown to be the victims and I placed it by the figure, by placing it by the figure it conveys the idea of a voodoo doll suggesting the idea of control over that person.

Once I had finished I wanted to add some details, I added ink to my prop to suggest blood however it was very difficult to make as I had to use pink and black due to the lack of red ink, this showed to be very tricky and very messy. I also included the words ‘paradise on earth’ to link it to the bible and religion. This is the final product: