Directions Unit: Gathering Props

I have learnt from my previous experiences (in both a directing and acting capacity) that it can be extremely frustrating when the day of a shoot arrives, and there is an essential prop missing, or there is still work to be done on a prop or costume. As such, I have taken it upon myself to begin creating and crafting my props a long time ahead of my shoot so that I have plenty of time on the day of the shoot to focus purely on the directing side of things, and so I am not rushing around.

The identical shirts that the main character and the "prisoners" will be wearing.

The above photograph shows some shirts of varying sizes I have purchased which will be worn by quite a few of the characters, as well as the main character. I decided each shirt will be branded with a certain number, much like prison uniforms, and so I also had to purchase an appropriate fabric pen.

A close-up of a practice with the fabric pens on an old shirt of similar material.

Personally, I do not like the way the fabric pens make the figures look on the shirt, and that is probably because they were only cheap pens. However, I am hoping that they will appear fine on camera. This is of course also only a practice- the actual numbers on the final shirts will be much bolder and thicker.

This large piece of paper I purchased will be an essential prop in my telling of "A Journey Through Freedom." Although in the image I have not begun work on it yet, the final prop will be of a large blue-print floor-plan of a building. This will also be the "package" that the character is given by the mysterious character they meet in the film. Originally I wanted the blue-print to literally be a blue piece of paper with white writing and pictures on, but because the store I visited did not sell paper in blue, I had to settle for white.