Any cheap stores, for props for thrillers, such as weapons, police radios, radio jammers, etc.? The kinds that look more convincing than things you'd find on ebay, and hopefully would not cost too much, reasonably?
What's a good online store for props?
- Thread starter harmonica44
- Start date
Try local thrift stores.
Costume shops generally rent costumes/props that are pretty high quality for less than purchase price.
And always, Amazon.ca
Costume shops generally rent costumes/props that are pretty high quality for less than purchase price.
And always, Amazon.ca
It all depends on what kind of weapons you are looking for. If you want weapons of anything that isn't guns (IE - swords, knives, fantasy, batons, tazers, etc) then swordsswords.com, trueswords.com are good, and very cheap. Most of the blades are steel but practice, so they aren't sharp, unless you get battle ready ones. For guns, shortyusa, airsplat, etc are all fine.
Okay. I tried some stores here but the knife props are too obviously fake looking. Like for high school plays or something. I had to buy real combat knives and dull them for my current short. I could check back for guns but if they don't have real enough knives I doubt they would guns. Thanks I'll try those sites. I tried Amazon before but they didn't have much of what I was looking for. They did not have a prop category, so I typed it in all categories.
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Well, there's not really a prop category in most stores, as most props are real objects.
Weapons are the exception, but unless you go the "hire an armorer" route airsoft is the best way to go. They look great. Knives are a little trickier. Many nowadays are cg, there's a tutorial someone posted here not long ago on how to make your own out of plastic and they looked great too.
Weapons are the exception, but unless you go the "hire an armorer" route airsoft is the best way to go. They look great. Knives are a little trickier. Many nowadays are cg, there's a tutorial someone posted here not long ago on how to make your own out of plastic and they looked great too.
I saw that tutorial on how to make one out of a CD, but I didn't like since they weren't that long. Wouldn't it be a lot more effort, and money to make a CGI knife though?
Probably. But you can actually get a knife close to an actor and stab/cut them without losing any lives on set.
Seems like after hospital bills and funeral costs the cost would even out a little.
Well yeah but that's where the props and editing come in. I guess CGI may be easier to do than editing on a knife fight? Maybe in the future when I find a good CGI guy I can get real looking CG knives. Right now the real knives I bought that are dull have been working, I just have to storyboard and edit it to make it look convincing. What about the knives in the movie Eastern Promises, were those CG?
And I was looking at the radios on Amazon. They just don't look near as real as the police issue radios you see on officers. And Amazon has no radio jammers of course do you be used as props. Since they are illegal I would have to find a fake prop one. I'll see if those sites have any.
And I was looking at the radios on Amazon. They just don't look near as real as the police issue radios you see on officers. And Amazon has no radio jammers of course do you be used as props. Since they are illegal I would have to find a fake prop one. I'll see if those sites have any.
I'm not sure, haha, that may have been a little overly-sarcastic sorry. They do still use a lot of prop knives, but I have no idea where to find one. The CG route isn't for everyone.
I do bet that one of those cheap looking prop knives would look great sanded and painted with some aluminum metallic rustoleum. As long as it's shaped right, that paint is pretty killer for making wood and plastic look like metal.
Buy some used walkie talkies, the big nineties kind. Or get the hand mics for some CB sets and clik it on their shoulder to a random black box on their belt.
Being illegal, how many people know what a radio jammer looks like? I don't. Find an radio and glue random wires to it. Scratch off all the frequency marks. I would think all you need is a large black or silver box with some knobs and a button or switch or two.
The Deloreon in Back to the Future is a time machine because we're told it is, and because it has some knobs to set a date and a lot of plastic, wires and sheet metal glued on.
I do bet that one of those cheap looking prop knives would look great sanded and painted with some aluminum metallic rustoleum. As long as it's shaped right, that paint is pretty killer for making wood and plastic look like metal.
Buy some used walkie talkies, the big nineties kind. Or get the hand mics for some CB sets and clik it on their shoulder to a random black box on their belt.
Being illegal, how many people know what a radio jammer looks like? I don't. Find an radio and glue random wires to it. Scratch off all the frequency marks. I would think all you need is a large black or silver box with some knobs and a button or switch or two.
The Deloreon in Back to the Future is a time machine because we're told it is, and because it has some knobs to set a date and a lot of plastic, wires and sheet metal glued on.
I used Netlink Enterprises for our weapons. Quality real looking firearms at a low price.
http://www.netlinkenterprises.com/replicas/products.php?cat=32
http://www.netlinkenterprises.com/replicas/products.php?cat=32
Yeah I thought about using my sound recorder as a radio jammer (shrug). The big nineties walkie talkies, don't have near as many buttons or dials on though, compared to a mordern police radio, but I guess if I shoot it with murky lighting it will suffice? What about those police radios that go over their shoulders, on a wire, and clip onto their shirt? Or maybe those are becoming more obsolete and I can have all the cops wear blue toothes, or blue teeth so to speak...
I shot a knife fight scene where we used real knives, a buddy was a collector and had a bunch of the knives from the shopping shows. We used plastic ones where there was fast action and real ones for the eye candy. It worked well enough.
Looking back one can edit in real ones afterwards, that is where the post magic happens
Looking back one can edit in real ones afterwards, that is where the post magic happens
when you vfx a knife, you usually don't do a fully computer generated knife. You go in and add shine and reflections to a real world prop. Lots of rotoscoping but can look cool.
Also just cause a prop looks kinda fake in real life or a pic, doesn't mean it will look fake on video. Color grading and motion can do alot to hide the "fake" look of some items.
Also just cause a prop looks kinda fake in real life or a pic, doesn't mean it will look fake on video. Color grading and motion can do alot to hide the "fake" look of some items.
Why look and spend money on custom weapons?
Expand your horizons...
If you saw my 36 hour (more like 10 hour) 'Halloween Challenge' clip, you will notice that I have plenty access to realistic weapons... cause they are REAL! But I prefer to move away from guns and such when I can...
I am hoping to be doing several new feature-length movies in 2012. My goal is to use weapons that are NOT typical used as weapons -- darts, very sharp pencils, kitchen knives, boiling water from a stove, electrical cord, pepper spray, tasers, etc...
Always looking for that new twist, that unusual slant -- how would the protagonist defend himself (and others) from the Antagonist (well armed and lethal)...
Anyone else have ideas?
My point is, don't rely on the typical -- think outside the box. Use as much of what you have around the house as possible -- be creative!
Expand your horizons...
If you saw my 36 hour (more like 10 hour) 'Halloween Challenge' clip, you will notice that I have plenty access to realistic weapons... cause they are REAL! But I prefer to move away from guns and such when I can...
I am hoping to be doing several new feature-length movies in 2012. My goal is to use weapons that are NOT typical used as weapons -- darts, very sharp pencils, kitchen knives, boiling water from a stove, electrical cord, pepper spray, tasers, etc...
Always looking for that new twist, that unusual slant -- how would the protagonist defend himself (and others) from the Antagonist (well armed and lethal)...
Anyone else have ideas?
My point is, don't rely on the typical -- think outside the box. Use as much of what you have around the house as possible -- be creative!
BTW harmonica, you might want to google and check out canadian customs laws. You may find it impossible to ship prop weaponry into Canada.
I don't have links right now, but I remember reading that stuff when I was doing some browser shopping.. some of the restrictions are ON the online shops themselves under "shipping to Canada" or similar link
So if it does prove impossible your only option is Canadian stores, where the choices are pretty abysmal.
I don't have links right now, but I remember reading that stuff when I was doing some browser shopping.. some of the restrictions are ON the online shops themselves under "shipping to Canada" or similar link
So if it does prove impossible your only option is Canadian stores, where the choices are pretty abysmal.
Okay thanks for the heads up. Other Canadian filmmakers have their own gun and weapon props where I live, so I will have to get them the legal way. However I probably could still order radio props for now maybe.