Serious question, has anyone else ever catalogued over 500 individual props for a single project?

I just finished the inventory for a small period drama, and the final count was 537 items, from teacups to typewriters. It really hit me how much physical stuff goes into building a world. How do you all keep track of such large volumes on a tight schedule?

3 comments

3 Comments

margaret_bennett322d ago

Actually, that number sounds totally normal for a period piece, even a small one. Every single item on screen has to be from the right time, so you need backups for breakage and options for the director. Panicking just means stuff gets lost or forgotten, which costs way more time than doing a proper list. A good spreadsheet with photos and scene numbers is the only way to keep a shoot like that from falling apart.

the_amy23d ago

Okay, "small period drama" with over 500 props is killing me. I mean, what do they consider a big project, a full museum recreation? I just picture someone in a warehouse somewhere slowly losing their mind counting 200 slightly different spoons. My method would just be to panic and hope the important stuff shows up on the day.

the_ryan4d agoTop Commenter

200 different spoons? That's exactly the kind of detail that would break me. I had 14 different glassware sets for a 1920s speakeasy scene and I thought THAT was a nightmare. Can't imagine cataloguing which spoon handle style matches which year, that's some next level dedication right there.