I thought using a real cake for a food fight scene was a terrible idea

On a low budget shoot last month, the director insisted on a real, full sheet cake for a messy kitchen scene. I was sure it would be a sticky, expensive nightmare to clean up. We got a basic vanilla one from a grocery store for about $35, and it smashed and slid on the linoleum exactly like you'd hope, way better than any foam or rubber fake. Has anyone else been surprised by how well a cheap, real prop worked over a fancy replica?

3 comments

3 Comments

wesleyjohnson29d ago

Cleaning that up sounds like a nightmare though.

taylor.jessica29d ago

Read a blog post that made it seem easier, @wesleyjohnson.

felix_jones9d ago

Quoting "I was sure it would be a sticky, expensive nightmare to clean up" - honestly, I was right there with you before I tried it myself. We used a cheap store-bought cake for a backyard short film and the cleanup was way easier than I expected. The thing just kinda slid off the floor with a mop and some warm water, no sticky residue like I thought. @wesleyjohnson is spot on that it sounds bad on paper, but real cake behaves totally different than a fake one does when it hits a surface.