A rare profession - prop artist. What is a prop maker What does a prop maker do

The word came into our language from Italian. Prop - what is it? Fake items, items for theatrical performances, dummies that are used on stage instead of real ones.

Usage

Props have a wide range of uses. There are several types of dummy works in the theater.

1. Decoration.
2. Furniture.
3. Props.
4. Costumes.
5. Decorations.

The set is an artificial world for the action to take place: walls, columns, stairs on the stage. All this is decorated and stylized to suit a certain era and place. For example, walls and ceilings like palace halls or stone castles of the Middle Ages, railings “like gold” or figured “forged” patterns.

Furniture: tables, chairs, armchairs, sofas are made according to the time period and the need for the play. For example, the king's throne or Venetian chairs. The costumes have a fake base in hats, trim (unusual buttons, buckles), and shoes. For example, the horns of the Silver Hoof, the crown of the king, the painted boots of Grandfather Frost.

The most widespread use in the theater is props. What are these - all the small household items that are used during the performance. Dishes, food (cakes, fruits, roasted wild boars), weapons. All the jewelry on the actors is fake.

Materials and manufacturing

It is impossible to list all the materials for props. Almost everything that the artist’s imagination is capable of is used in the work. But the main ones can be considered paper, fabric, foam and plaster. Any dummy can be created using glue and paints. Such items are lighter in weight, quickly repaired, naturally, cheaper than real ones, but at the same time they have expressive, recognizable shapes. Small details that are invisible to the viewer and do not work during the performance are not reproduced.

The main method of making props is papier-mâché props. What is made from several layers of paper soaked in glue or paste. In order to make such a prop, they usually use a real object as a base. For example, a vase is sealed with the first ten layers of paper, dried, cut into two halves, the main thing is taken out, a copy is glued or stitched, glued with paper or fabric and painted.

You can create a prop object from one material or a combination of materials. Products made of foam plastic are covered with fabric; gypsum and plastic are an ideal combination for statues and columns. Wooden or plywood railings are usually decorated with softened cardboard molding.

Story

Props arose during the first theatrical performances in Ancient Greece. The actors portrayed gods and heroes with dummy swords, shields and bows. It became widespread in Italian comedy productions, and there it received its name, which has come down to us.

Today, the use of counterfeits is large. They are used in advertising and holiday decorations. There are props for photo shoots and for everyday use. Dummy video cameras are often placed in places where crime or theft may occur. This technique deters criminals and saves the organization money. During World War II, fake warehouses with weapons and equipment were created to mislead the enemy.

Profession - prop maker

In Soviet times, in theater universities it was taught as a separate discipline and was a profession. Nowadays, it is part of the training course for artists. In large theaters, all dummies are made in a separate workshop; in provincial theaters, it is combined with the art and production department or a carpentry workshop.

The most successful examples of stage fake art are exhibited in museums, allowing the viewer to see up close some of the “great deception” and behind the scenes. Props: what is it? A full-fledged partner of actors and directors. Not everything on stage is a prop; real objects are also present on stage. But it is customary to process them to complete the artistic image, to tint them for brightness and proximity to the theme of the production.

BUTAFOR

BUTAFOR

(French bout -a -port). A person in the theater who gives the actors various things they need when going on stage.

Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. - Chudinov A.N., 1910 .

BUTAFOR

a person who prepares everything necessary for staging a play in a theater except the scenery, i.e. costumes, furniture, weapons, iron sheets for thunder, whistles for howling wind, etc.

A complete dictionary of foreign words that have come into use in the Russian language. - Popov M., 1907 .

BUTAFOR

a person whose responsibility is to prepare all the accessories included in the setting of the play, with the exception of scenery (costumes, furniture, utensils, etc.).

Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. - Pavlenkov F., 1907 .

BUTAFOR

French bout -a -port . A person in a theater who gives various small items to performers as they enter the stage.

Explanation of 25,000 foreign words that have come into use in the Russian language, with the meaning of their roots. - Mikhelson A.D., 1865 .

Props

it. buttafuori) a theater worker who makes props.

New dictionary of foreign words. - by EdwART,, 2009 .

Propper

A, m., shower (it. buttafuori).
Theater worker making props.

Explanatory dictionary of foreign words by L. P. Krysin. - M: Russian language, 1998 .

See what "BUTAFOR" is in other dictionaries:

A prop maker is a theater worker who makes various props. The prop man was originally a stage worker who was behind the scenes and gave the artists the necessary items for the action: weapons, flowers, books, letters... ... Wikipedia

Cm … Synonym dictionary

BUTAFOR, prop maker, husband. (theater.). A person who prepares props. Ushakov's explanatory dictionary. D.N. Ushakov. 1935 1940 … Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

BUTAFOR, huh, husband. Theater worker in charge of props. Artist b. (making props). | adj. fake, oh, oh. Ozhegov's explanatory dictionary. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 … Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

Male, Italian a type of theater artist who is responsible for preparing the entire furnishings of the game, except for painting (scenery); fake things, all the accessories of the game: weapons, furniture, canes, dishes, stuffed birds or animals, etc. Prop or... ... Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary

prop maker- ah, h. The person who is in charge of props in the theater, and also the master who prepares props... Ukrainian Tlumach Dictionary

A; m. Theater worker in charge of props or making them. Prop artist. ◁ Sham (see) ... encyclopedic Dictionary

prop maker- A; m. see also. props A theatrical worker who manages props or makes them. Prop artist... Dictionary of many expressions

prop maker- BUTAFOR, a, m A theatrical worker who produces objects that imitate genuine things in a stage setting (furniture, dishes, weapons, etc.) or disposes of these objects. A prop maker is a profession that is very necessary for the theater, especially for puppet theaters: in... ... Explanatory dictionary of Russian nouns

- (Italian) a theater designer who is obliged to take care of the setting of the play, except for the scenery. A prop or prop room at the theater, a prop maker's workshop, where everything needed for the prop part is prepared. Props accessories... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron

In the theater during the performance we see various objects on the stage. For example, jewelry made of large precious stones, unusual furniture, a telephone, a mirror in an antique frame, delicious fruits in a beautiful vase, a bright box and much more. From the audience, these objects seem real, but if you look at them up close, it becomes clear that they are fakes. Such items are called props. "Props" translated from Italian as "fake". That is, it is a fake, a dummy of some object, created specifically for the performance.

Why do they use props in the theater instead of real things? There are several reasons for this:

1. Cheapness. For example, in a play, the script requires a gold necklace made of precious stones. No theater can afford this. But you can make a necklace from artificial plastic stones that will look no worse than real ones.
2. Ease. Fake objects are lighter than real ones. Furniture, dishes, boxes, vases made from lighter materials weigh less and are more convenient to transport to the stage from the props shop and back.
3. Strength. Props are often created to be very durable if such a thing is needed to last for more than one theater season. Or vice versa, more fragile. For example, according to the scenario, a vase should break. It is specially made from such materials that it breaks into pieces without much difficulty.
4. Expressiveness. Prop objects are often brighter and more expressive than real ones. And this is not surprising, because the audience looks at them from afar, and from any part of the auditorium it should be clear what this object is. The viewer must believe in the reality of everything he sees on stage: in the reality of jewelry, weapons, furniture.

Almost every theater has its own prop shop, which makes the necessary props for performances. A theater worker who makes props is called a props maker. This is a jack of all trades. He makes objects of various sizes and shapes from different materials: paper, fabric, cardboard, mastic, wood, metal, various synthetic materials, paints, varnishes. A prop maker is a jeweler, a sculptor, a carpenter, an artist, and a cutter all rolled into one. He can make absolutely anything for a performance, from a small box to an impressively sized tank.

Exercise:

Prop masters often have to make masks for actors from different materials. The easiest way to make a mask is to print a colored template, cut it out and attach rubber bands. You can download the templates. There are also excellent books with masks for every taste, which also need to be cut out. For example, “Masks for carnival” or “Merry carnival”.

You can play prop maker and try to make your own little castle. Castle template.

Props are a type of theater artists who are responsible for preparing the entire setting of the play, except for paintings (scenery), props and other accessories: weapons, furniture, canes, dishes, stuffed birds or animals, etc.

The props master is essentially the person who prepares the props.

Props (Italian buttafuoria) are fake, specially made objects (sculpture, furniture, dishes, jewelry, weapons, etc.) used in theatrical performances instead of real things. Prop items are distinguished by their low cost, durability, and emphasized expressiveness of their external form (in their production they usually refuse to reproduce details that are not visible to the viewer).

The production of props is a large branch of theatrical technology, including work with paper pulps, cardboard, metal, synthetic materials and polymers, fabrics, varnishes, paints, mastics, etc. The range of prop products is no less diverse, requiring special knowledge in the field of molding, cardboard , finishing and locksmith work, fabric painting, metal chasing, as well as in the field of jewelry manufacturing and many others.

For the first time, prop objects appeared simultaneously with the advent of the theater. Props were widely used in Italian commedia dell'arte.

The Second World War gave a new impetus to the development of prop objects. Dummies of tanks, artillery pieces, and warehouses were made in order to deceive the enemy, focusing his attention on fake, rather than real, forces that posed any threat.

Dummy video cameras are currently used where there is a threat of hooliganism or theft, and when installed correctly, they reduce the likelihood of these offenses.

Responsibilities of a prop maker

Making simple props.

Modeling of products with shallow relief from various materials according to sketches and ready-made templates.

Making plaster molds and gluing from papier-mâché and mastic of prop products with a relief of a large, clear pattern with little depth.

Modeling of three-dimensional props with small pattern ornamentation based on sketches from various materials.

Production of complex plaster lump forms of sculptural products.

Making colors from paints.

Casting models from plaster.

Texturing of trees.

Carrying out fake work.

Making flowers from silk and velvet.

Drawing and making templates.

The prop maker must know: methods of preparing mastic; design and operating rules of equipment and devices used in the manual production of props; techniques for making three-dimensional props with small pattern ornamentation; technology for manufacturing imitation items and restoration work; techniques for artistic painting of props; technique and technology for making flowers; methods for making templates.

1. What do prop makers do in general?

Propmakers create scenery and props. Our task is to first select a manufacturing technology (often we have to invent our own from scratch), and then directly create the object. Sometimes the work is simplified by automatic machines, but, as a rule, it is completely manual work. Prop products and scenery are used in cinema and theater, at various events, in quest rooms, at fashion shows, shows and photography. These can be elements of a costume or interior, even parts of an artist’s installation.

Props of a scene from the film about Harry Potter

My colleagues, for example, created props for the quest “Half-Life Theory” based on the cult game Half-Life. It was then that they learned that all props with which the public interacts must be very durable and safe, like toys for small children, because there is little that compares with the destructiveness of a person who is trying to entertain himself.

2. How can you become a prop maker? Is education necessary? And some basic knowledge a la physics/mathematics?

The question is how complex a thing you want to do and how many errors are you willing to encounter in the process. Having hands (which grow from where necessary) and a savvy mind, you can achieve a lot, but in such complex work practical experience plays the main role. Often props are created by people with an artistic education, but sometimes they may have no education at all or have an engineering education, for example.

If you want to become a prop maker, the easiest way is to attach yourself to a master and learn: like being an apprentice to a blacksmith or jeweler in the old days.

An artistic eye is a good thing. Suddenly, for example, resistance materials may come in handy. Physics and mathematics with geometry can be upgraded in the process: when, for example, you need to calculate how many kilograms of silicone will be needed to cast a female torso into a mold.

3. I heard that the prop man-This is a male profession, have you had to deal with such stereotypes and prejudices?

There is a stereotype that women are afraid of power tools or cannot work in difficult conditions, get tired quickly, complain, and so on. For several years, we have been successfully destroying these stereotypes: we work with electric saws, carry 20-kilogram bags of putty, drill, saw, hammer nails and do this for 10, sometimes more than 20 hours in a row. Usually men quickly let go of their prejudices, and we become friendly colleagues and help each other in our work.

4. Were there any cases where an object crashed during a concert or event?

I don't remember this. If the props are on the street or in a shopping center where people walk, you need very good anti-vandal coatings: everyone will touch/break them. Usually an order is made with certain conditions in mind and with a margin of safety, so nothing can just break. In addition, the props are quite difficult to break, since they are almost all made of foam or plastic.

Except that once at an open-air event, a strong wind arose and the fastenings were torn off: one wall of the decorations fell. But people hadn't launched yet, so we just lifted everything and screwed it tighter.

5. Where does all this go then? Maybe they hold auctions?

And it’s up to anyone to decide, honestly sometimes it’s a mystery to me too. I haven't seen any auctions.

6. Have you done international projects? Thanks to your work, what interesting and unusual places have you visited?

We haven’t gone to work abroad yet, although we would like to, but some of our work is going to move right now, it seems, to Germany.
In Russia you often find yourself in interesting places: at the Alfa Future People construction site in the summer, when the site is empty and at night the lights and sound are just being built on the huge stage; in winter in an elite equestrian club outside the city, where you paint iron beams on swaying scaffolding with silver under the ceiling, and then you go to look at beautiful horses; On Red Square at the War Museum, at a reception you drink champagne and eat a chocolate dessert in a caramel cage. Sometimes it feels like you're living in another world - and that's one of the reasons I love my job.

7. What projects in your workshop are you most proud of?

Of course, it was cool to work on the project to create a stage for the Alfa Future People festival, for 2 years in a row! It was also very cool to work with the artist Oleg Dou.

8. Who else would you like to work with?

My dream clients are Tim Walker and Ridley Scott. In such cases, the tasks are the most interesting, and often the products are no longer just props, but works of art. I would also like to work in films/series in the fantasy genre, films based on comic books, where there are many interesting tasks with decorations and props. I’m ready to happily apply silicone to any actor from the Marvel or Star Trek universe.

9. Do you do anything for yourself? Maybe earrings for going out? Halloween costumes?

All the skills come in handy, I'm always doing something creative for myself. Every year for Halloween we have a party with costumes and decorations, and we often have themed parties in honor of birthdays. The last one was about Post-Apocalypse. And three of my colleagues recently built a toilet in their dacha from
remnants of the thematic stand.