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My fake police radio prop just started screaming static in the middle of a quiet scene

We were filming a night shoot in a park in Tacoma last week, and the scene was supposed to be a tense, whispered conversation. I had a cheap walkie-talkie prop on the actor's belt. Right on the actor's line, it just started blasting full-volume white noise... it was a total wreck. We had to cut, and the sound guy was not happy. I found out later a real security guard's frequency was bleeding through. Has anyone found a good way to make sure prop electronics are truly dead?
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2 Comments
sage_lewis10
Honestly, this is why I just assume everything electronic is secretly listening and waiting for the worst moment to turn on. It's the same energy as a phone alarm going off in a movie theater after you swear you turned it off. The universe loves that specific kind of awkward chaos. Removing batteries is the only safe bet, because even "off" switches can lie if there's a weird power bleed like you found.
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olivia_chen35
Just remove the batteries (it's the only way).
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