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?

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2 Comments

ellis.charles5mo 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.

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river1825mo ago

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

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