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I was totally wrong about using real food as props
For a short film last month, I needed a character to smash a plate of spaghetti in anger. I figured using real pasta would look best, so I cooked up a huge batch and dressed the set. The first take looked great, but by the third take, maybe 20 minutes later, the noodles were cold, stuck together, and looked totally fake on camera. We wasted half a day trying to make it work. Then my sound guy, Mike, said he saw a prop master use a mix of rubber bands and yarn soaked in sauce for a similar scene. We tried it, and it held up perfectly for a dozen takes over 4 hours, and you couldn't tell the difference on screen. It completely changed how I plan messy food scenes now. Has anyone else found a fake food recipe that saved a shoot?
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amyc2219d agoMost Upvoted
Honestly that's such a good point about the rubber bands, it's like we get stuck on the idea of "real equals better" in so many things. @mason361 is right about the texture sometimes, but the trade-off just isn't worth it when the real thing falls apart under pressure. You see this everywhere, people using a complicated real tool when a simpler fake one does the job better and lasts longer. It's all about what works for the situation, not just following the default rule.
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