Saturday, January 21, 2012
Parts of a Cigar, Cigarette, Pipe and Matchbook
Prop Agenda: Theatre and films seem to have an awful lot of tobacco smoking in it, so it can be useful to the props person to be able to identify the parts and anatomy of common smoking devices. Cigars, cigarettes and pipes have endless variations of shapes and styles and have evolved much throughout history, but they do have parts that have remained somewhat consistent over time.
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4 comments:
This is a fantastic resource. If I had only known that there was a website like this in existence in high school... let my just say that my brieft stint as Props Mistress would've gone a lot smoother.
This article is what I want all textbooks to look like: bullet-points of information that are detailed (yet not excessive), pictures with labels, and suggestions for places to find more about the subject.
Now that I've thoroughly praised the form of this post, I suppose I should also talk about the content. I find this sort of information totally fascinating. The details in props are what really make a show for me. Researching what sort of brand is appropriate to the character, then buying or creating those cigars is so much more helpful to the overall production (not to mention the actor(s) using them) than just buying some generic looking cigars. In that situation, knowing the terminology for the different cigar parts is crucial. (And of course in the general theatre world, knowing the appropriate terminology is always crucial.)
Reading articles likes this gets me so excited about props, which just happens to be the Stagecraft Mini that I'm currently in.
This is a great diagram and explanations of anything we could ever want to use to smoke on stage (thats in the legal world at least). I definitely agree with Pia, if all textbooks and information sites had diagrams like this, the world would be much easier and better! Trying to find that one perfect diagram is sometimes difficult, but one you have its good to keep that resource on hand. If I ever was a prop master I would absolutely love to keep a book with diagrams and simple bullet points of EVERYTHING. It might even be useful to start one know. Like shoes for example. People always wonder what that plastic cover on the end of a shoelace is (aren't you wondering now!?).
This was a very informative article. It seems as though this website would be a great resource for any props master. I applaud Eric Hart for making this site and sharing his knowledge in such an organized, detailed manner. The contents of this article made me giggle just because it's funny to think that there's someone in an industry other than tobacco/smoking-related industries that would actually need to know this stuff. It's easy to forget how much work goes into being a good props master. You have to have knowledge of vast amounts of items, crafts, etc. and also know where to look for information that you don't already have stored inside your brain. A talented props master is a jack of all trades. Keeping a log of facts, projects, etc., like the one Eric Hart has created on this website, would be a great way to help keep track of what you've done and how you did it, in case you ever need to do it again.
As an avid pipe tobacco smoker it would be great to see an addendum to this article that would enumerate the styles of pipe. This would be another great resource to add to this article. More times than I care to mention I have been asked about appropriate pipes for shows and this is something that should be public knowledge. Also the act of smoking a pipe is something that should have an online tutorial for actor reference.
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