Trading tips for dark displays and prop production.
By cuvers
#22202
Hi everybody, haven't been on in a while but check often to see whats new. I have been experimenting for years on how to make the best props for the least amount of $.

I generally start with an awesome mask and go from there, the mask usually will be your most expensive investment in your prop.

after that build the body, my latest one i made with a coat rack someone threw away, take a 2x2 and attach it several inches down from the top going across, this will be for the shoulders, then take 2 rolls of paper towels and slide them onto either side, then you can just throw a black cloak over it and your body is done. take whatever you got lying around to stuff the mask and position it onto the top post and you're done.

if you want the eyes blacked out just cover the openings from the inside with electrical tape, or tape in whatever color you like, also to really freak em out look in magazines and find a good face shot, cut out the eyes, and tape em' in then it looks as tho there really is someone in there.

for 1/2 bodies, like a corpse coming out of the ground, go to local 2nd hand store buy a dark turtleneck, a white dress shirt, and a suit coat, prob less than 20$ i then cut a coat hanger and sew a piece into either side of the neck of the turtleneck then long pieces are sewn in the length of the arms, then sew shut the top of the neck and the ends of the arms, then stuff it with some of the million plastic shopping bags we all have at the house.

once stuffed to your liking sew shut the bottom of the shirt. the neck will hold your mask and the wired arms are now possible due to the hanger wire, (also if you buy latex hands for your prop shape wire to insert into each finger then stuff them with polyfil then you can pose the hands how ever you like) put the shirt and coat on and put him in your yard toss some dirt around him as if he is breaking ground and your done.

and for just about any shape you want I recently tried and had success with using a black garbage bag slice the sides so you have a nice long piece of plastic, do this with 2 bags so you have 2 pieces, lay 1 piece out and take a silver sharpie and draw whatever shape you want, i usually do a body, then take a glue gun and put a hotglue line on your entire outline, take the 2nd piece of plastic and press them together, then take scissors and cut out your shape a half in. or so past your outline.

now as before stuff it with plastic shopping bags, add an outfit, and a mask and you have an awesome prop for next to nothing, and they are also very lightweight so can be suspended, or hooked up so you can drop them out of a tree at a moments notice, then pull em back up and drop em on your next victim