Friday, October 16, 2009
An Interview with Scott Buckwald, Prop Master for the Hit TV Show Mad Men
Collectors Weekly: "Scott Buckwald has been the prop master on a variety of popular movies and television programs, including Race to Witch Mountain and The Prestige. Recently, Buckwald spoke with us about his experiences as a prop master for AMC’s hit show Mad Men. He discussed what life was like in the early 1960s, when Mad Men takes place, and the lengths he had to go to to source and create authentic period props for the show. He also talked about TV and movie props generally, and his personal experience as a collector."
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6 comments:
It's really interesting to hear from someone who approaches props almost dramaturgically and very intelligently. The only props masters I have had the opportunity to work with were the "well, this thing looks nice and does the function, let's use it" types, like the producers of Mad Men who chose to use the IBM Selectrics typewriters rather than more accurate models. The process of being a television or film props master sounds extremely daunting; you are responsible for making a setting look truly real with all the little things people don't even think about, yet you only have a week to find and repair or make those items from scratch. It's certainly an overlooked position in the public eye, but the proper props are crucial to the success of any type of production.
Its such a treat to read this article. Mad Men is a big hit and every time it comes up someone who knows I do backstage theater starts talking about their set and costume budgets. It's fun to know how much of his time is spent in photoshop, just like us. It's also interesting to see that in film the prop person gets part of the stage management job of making sure the right actors have the right prop at the right time and are using them the right way.
I thought this article was really good insight to the props for Mad Men. I haven't actually had the chance to watch Mad Men yet, but I've heard it's very accurate historically, so it was interesting to learn that the prop master for it was a history major in college. I also think it was interesting to see how they sometimes sacrifice this accuracy in exchange for other benefits from the props. I'm amazed at the amount of money and work they really put into all of the props, especially the investment of $500 for a vinyl bag essentially.
It was very interesting to hear a props master speak about the relationship they have with actors. While I do not consider this very often, it is true that often props tell a lot about a character, in the same way that costumes do. Having extremely detailed props is of course important for the look of the show as well as to establish an accurate time period however having good props is probably extremely helpful for the actors who's character owns this props and interacts with it in their daily life. While I knew how much detail and research went into props this article has exposed even more layers involved in props making.
I also really liked the approach of this article. Sometimes, I don't really think about everything that the Props Master does. I am happy to hear that he takes his work seriously and wants to provide an acurate portrayal. It's amazing how little details are so important. the fact that the wardrobe, which in the time period, would have been along the lines of a cardboard tube from toilet paper, cost them $500.00 to "create". and that was only after they found one on ebay! It's interesting when the "Does this really matter" questions comes up. Would it really have made a difference to not have an exact pattern? or an exact plastic? The viewers aren't going to feel it. I wonder what other options could have presented themselves.
the other part of this article which amused me was the fact that he cooks the food himself! You never really think that part of a Prop Master's job is good cook. Also that the decals on cars are props makes sense, but it's kinda funny. But I guess someone has to do it....
It is so cool how he approaches his work, from a history background. It makes a ton of sense to love history and put that to use in the theatre, but I have never thought about it that way. I was kind of shocked by the relationship be had with all the actors he worked with. Although I don't agree with his stalking ideals it is cool that he gets to meet them all.
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