My uncle told me to always use real glass for prop bottles and I think he's wrong

He worked on a low budget horror film back in the 90s and swore that sugar glass looks fake on camera. So for a short I shot last month, I spent over $300 on a case of real glass bottles for a bar fight scene. We had to do the stunt three times, and cleaning up the tiny, sharp shards added two hours to our day and was a safety risk. I watched the dailies and honestly, you can't tell the difference from the sugar glass break we tested. Has anyone else switched to safer breakaway props and been happy with the look?

2 comments

2 Comments

thomas_young10d ago

A prop master friend says modern sugar glass looks perfect on 4K.

rowank6910d ago

My uncle worked on a low budget horror film years ago. They used real glass for a window break scene to save money. An actor got a nasty cut that needed stitches and delayed filming for days. The cheap choice ended up costing way more in the end. It's wild how the small details can make or break a shoot. Your friend's point about sugar glass holding up now makes total sense.