Major Project: Prop Creation

As part of the pre-production process I wanted to create a couple of important props for the film.

PROP CREATION

Props are an important part of any film, and they shouldn't just be chosen at random. Each and everyone one should be important in its own way and have a link to the story. Some of the props for this film needed to be created by us, so I took that role onboard.

Clive's Promotion Letter

Although the letter probably won't be on screen for long, I want to ensure that it looks as realistic as possible. I also want it to contain some important details for audience members paying close attention.

This is the letter I created:



Clive will only read out the first paragraph in the film, but I added more information to make the letter look more realistic.

There are some important details in this letter:
- The letter details Clive's last name (which we can assume is also Bobbie's last name), Barrow, which is also the last name of Clyde, from Bonnie & Clyde.
- The date on the letter is important, but I will come to that when talking about Frank's security badge.
- I decided to call the fruit company the 'Parker Fruit Company' as Parker is the surname of Bonnie, from Bonnie & Clyde.
- Bonnie's middle name and surname are Elizabeth Parker, and so I chose to call the CEO of the company the same names. The signature is fake, and just one I came up with, but again it adds to the realism of the letter.

Overall I think the letter is very realistic.

Frank's Security Badge

Frank's security badge is an important part of his costume. It will help make his character more believable. I wanted to ensure it looked real, even if it doesn't appear on screen for long, or at all. I also wanted it to contain important information for eagle-eyed viewers.

This is the badge I created:



The photo on the badge was taken during our rehearsals. The badge has some important details on it:
- Frank's surname is Hamer. Frank Hamer was the name of the sherif who caught the real life Bonnie & Clyde.
- It says that Frank's security licence expires on the 3rd March 2018. Clive's letter is dated 2nd March 2018. This suggests to the audience that Frank is about to lose his job, otherwise his licence would have already been updated. SIA licences are normally renewed a month before they expire. This suggestion gives Frank a motif to steal from the company, as he is about to lose his job.

Bobbie & Clive's Photo

It is important that the photo on Clive's desk looks real, and looks like one he would keep on display for his co-workers to see. It also needed to stand out enough that Bobbie would notice it when she walked past the desk.

This was the photo I created:



The original photo was taken during the rehearsals. There isn't any important information in this photo.

Bobbie & Clive's Car

This isn't really a prop creation, more a prop choice. The car we use must fit the characters, and so we have chosen to use my Renault Clio. My car is cheap, and could easily be sold on screen as a car that has many faults with it, which their car needs to have. This will explain one of the many reasons why they need money so bad.

We used my car during the test shoot so we know we can use it in the film and it would be an issue for the camera or the lights. There is enough room inside for a scene to take place.