My hero prop coffee mug shattered on the last take of a shoot yesterday

It was a custom ceramic piece for a short film, made to look like it had a specific chip in the rim. We were on take 12 of the final scene, the actor set it down a little too hard on a marble countertop prop, and it just cracked right in half. We had a backup that was just a plain mug, but the chip detail was a plot point. Had to glue it back together with clear epoxy and shoot the close-up on a different angle to hide the crack line. What's your go-to method for making fragile hero props that can survive a few takes? Especially ceramics or glass?

2 comments

2 Comments

ellis.charles3d ago

Honestly, that's just how it goes sometimes. I'd never trust real ceramic for a hero prop on set. My go-to is a plastic or resin cast painted to look perfect. You can bang it around all day. The chip? Just sculpt that into the master mold.

river1823d ago

Totally get that. See it everywhere now, like fake plants that never die. The perfect copy lasts longer than the real thing.