Prop Creation- Practical task

Prop Creation- Practical Task

For our castle scene, we needed to make it look like it was the killer's lair as well as his home. We had big things to put in the castle like a work table and a mattress which indeed would imply that he was sleeping there but we wanted props that would really make the castle feel realistic and so the group decided that the best way to do this was attention to detail; having smaller props that aren't necessarily essential to the scene but just are an extra touch that the killer may actually have in his living area. The space was fairly big so filling it up was always going to be a challenge but we all were able to bring items from our own homes to the castle.

 This is my mini chessboard and I thought that it might look quite mysterious and give another side to the killers personality. It makes him look lonely because he hasn't got anyone to play with but it also adds to the plot behind a lot of his schemes; it implies that he's a good game-player, he's manipulative and is always one step ahead- like you have to be in chess to win. Having a set up chess board in his castle makes him look like he practises when he has spare time so he's prepared for any move the other player makes.

I then also decided that the killer would need food in his lair to survive. I questioned what sort of food a killer who was crashing in an abandoned castle would eat; he wouldn't have very much money and also the castle is slightly medieval themed so normal packets of food would have looked out of place. Also using shop-bought food would have been product placement so I found a tin at home and peeled off the paper label. I then decided to make a sort of 'gruel' from oats and water to show how poor he is and is just living from basic rations. I then found an old teaspoon and figured that they could just be placed somewhere in the castle. 

I also thought that just scattering some dried pasta on the table would add to the simplicity of his basic rations. The audience wouldn't necessarily notice it but it is just another prop that makes the castle look more lived in.

This lamp I had looks old fashioned and because he doesn't have electricity he would need a source of light.

We also decided to make him have a more 'normal' side as well, almost like the part of him that he was  before he turned into a psychotic killer is still in him. Next to the mattress, we thought to put in a pile of classic old books as well as some newspapers which we thought made his character more interesting and gave him in another persona.

I also decided to buy some tea lights to create a more medieval feeling and again let the audience know that he's living on the bare minimum. Because of the wind, we had to put the candles into jars that Tia brought but this actually worked in our favour as the jars made the area look more rustic and because the flames didn't blow out they flickered and we got a really good shot of them clustered on a rock surface.



Overall we managed to gather together some good, realistic looking props which helped create a good atmosphere in the castle.