In a show like National Treasure: Edge of History, the characters handle and search for pieces like medallions, journals and mystery boxes to unlock secrets.
These props are made by a talented team of artists who paint, airbrush, and distress these objects to make them look worn, ancient, real and screen-ready. We sat down with Trey Shows, a local props maker who worked on National Treasure and the recently wrapped Iron Claw, to hear all about how props are made—and how essential they are for every scene.
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WHAT HE DOES
[As a props maker, Trey Shows sources and makes on-screen props, which move along plots or give background to main characters.]
Take us through the process of making props.
We get the scripts, and then the props master will do a breakdown of all the props (including the spoken props, mentioned props and even the unspoken props). Next, we make a budget with the line producer and executive producer or director, breaking down every single prop and how much it’ll cost to either buy or rent or make. Then you start any sort of outsourcing you have to do to make that particular product.
Tell me how you got started working in film.
I was always artistic. I majored in film and art in college. I got my first film job on Jurassic World, but it was in the casting department. Your first few years in film you’re trying to network and jobs are few and far between, especially if you’re doing something other than grip work. My first break was when I got into the set dressing department, buying and sorting set pieces.
How did you transition into prop making?
I learned the ropes about how the art offices work. I started doing graphic design for props on Your Honor with Bryan Cranston. I was a set dresser, then I took kind of a demotion and became a production assistant for an art director. I started doing a little bit of art direction for sets, making signage and things like that. That led to a bigger graphic design job on Your Honor. I started getting more calls. A designer I met while I was a production assistant hired me as an art director. It was the whole shebang, overseeing construction, paint, graphics and props. Our props master was Stephen Noell, who ended up getting a gig on National Treasure. I sent in a resume to that show to see if there was any room in the art department. There wasn’t, but Stephen asked me if I wanted to be a props assistant. That was a dream come true on a show like that.
What has been your favorite film project you’ve worked on recently? And how does it feel to get to see that work on screen?
National Treasure. With a show like that, we’re making the clues that drive the story. It’s a prop-driven show. I’ve seen the first few episodes, and I get excited every time I see something. Whenever you see it on screen, it’s better than whenever you see it in real life because the resolution drops a little bit and it looks more realistic in the world of the show.
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As a Baton Rouge native, what’s it like to see the city get recognition as a filming hot spot?
It’s nothing but great. We’re going to have more people from Baton Rouge take the time to learn the trade and film, and we won’t have to outsource from New Orleans. I hear it’s very promising for Baton Rouge. There are a lot of projects that want to come here in the future, and it’s just going to get better from here, as long as the tax incentives aren’t altered.
This article was originally published in the February 2023 issue of 225 magazine.