I plan on making a locally released film. It has been planned out for a little over a year now, and summer is the perfect time to film the outdoor scenes.
My question is, is there some kind of store (online or other) that sells movie props, like fake knives, guns, police uniforms, etc. etc. etc.? I haven’t been able to find one.
Just a quick note. I’m not talking about a store that sells “real Pirates of the Caribbean movie props.” I mean movie props that are made to be used for movies, not ones that were already in it.
Some of these things can be found at your local costume/Halloween store. In large towns and cities you might find a specialty shop. Otherwise your best bet it to google “theatrical supplies.” You might also call your local theater or college film department to see if they know of a local supplier.
I don’t know where you’re located. but here in middle Tennessee there is a chain called Party Place. They rent costumes, accessories, and all kinds of “party related” stuff. I’m sure they’d be willing to make a deal for someone renting in quantity.
Unless this is intended to be a very cheesy film, party store costumes are going to look really lame.
A little Googling turned up a list of stores
http://www.mandy.com/1/services.cfm?c=prop&t=usa
This one can supply knives and guns, but not costumes.
http://abc.nodeadlines.net/
blank-firing stage guns
Check out the National Costumers Association website - they can help you locate a member shop in your area. www.costumers.org
Guns: One of the guns we used was an Airsoft-type replica. It looked like the real deal, and the slide worked when it was fired. Had the film been finished, flash would have been added. Experiments with Final Cut gave us very realistic flashes. We also used real guns. We modified a Beretta 92 to fire blanks. The modification cost virtually nothing, but the pistol had to be bought (pre-owned, NIB). Note that we knew what we were doing. Don’t try this if you don’t know about guns. Other firearms were unmodified actual firearms that were unloaded, except for one scene that took place at a shooting range. We used live fire there. Needless to say, safety was paramount. Nobody was allowed to touch the firearms except me, the director, and the actors using them. The actors received instruction in use and safety. The rifle we were live firing was not loaded until just before we were ready to shoot the scene, and then only with the number of rounds that were actually going to be used in the take. Nobody was allowed on the other side of the firing line between takes. Magazines, which were empty, were removed, safeties were on, and bolts were locked open between takes. In another film we used real revolvers. One was never loaded and the other used blanks. Revolvers don’t need to be modified to use blanks. Blanks are available from places like Stembridge Gun Rentals.
Anyway, real firearms can be used when they are strictly controlled. If you are unfamiliar with firearms, hire someone who is. (Really is. Not just some random person who says he is.) Airsoft-type guns are good choices if you don’t mind a bit of CGI work. There are also blank-firing replicas of modern firearms: Handguns. You can also get blank-firing replicas of M-16s, AK-47s, etc. but I’d have to ask around to find links.
Knives: We used real knives. Close-ups were unmodified. Knives used in the extensively-choreographed scenes had their edges and points dulled with a file. (And the actor who used them was a weapons and martial arts expert who has actually trained some government agents.) You can also get rubber training knives.
Knives, guns and other things can be made fairly easily from silicone. Our make-up artist was also a mouldmaker from Canada who has worked on a lot of ‘real films’. (I have the moulds for Catwoman’s ‘claws’ that she made.) I have a few books on the subject, as well as some product information I picked up at the L.A. Film Expo but I haven’t had the time or need to make props myself. Still, it all seems very straightforward.
Uniforms and accessories can be purchased from places like The Quartermaster. Googling will yield lots of results.
You may also contact your local authorities. Robert Rodriguez used actual cops in El Mariachi, and was able to use their firearms and jail. In a film we made in the '90s the New Orleans Police Department cut loose with some crime scene tape and a couple of cops drove their car and acted in the film. One of the guys with Semiahmoo films (local to me) is a cop as well as a filmmaker, which was handy. When we needed a cemetery, we just asked to use one. One of the fun things about indie filmmaking is finding out who can do what, and what you can get or make.
Don’t forget foley. It’s better to drop an expensive prop onto something soft and add a sound effect later than to drop it on asphalt. (And if someone is kicking a gun across the floor, use the real one in close-up and a cheap replica for the longer shot and add sound later.)
Good luck.
ETA: Years ago a friend wanted a gun for a stage play. I loaned him a P.08 Luger that I’d made from a plastic kit. Unfortunately these kits have been banned. Why can you get a real gun or a blank-firing or non-firing replica, and not a plastic model? I don’t know. Just one of those reactionary laws (after consumer reporter David Horowitz was forced to read a statement on-air at the point of what appeared to be a .45 Colt, which turned out to be a BB gun – and you can still buy the BB guns over the counter for about 30 bucks).