[ice clicking] [quiet thudding] Narrator: Look at these two paper bags. They don't appear very different, but they sound different. One of these is a real,
everyday paper bag, [bag rustling] and the other one is a silent prop. [bag quietly unfolding] This fake paper bag was an innovation thought up by prop maker Tim Schultz. Props is always about solving a problem. Narrator: And one of those problems is everyday objects that
don't look distracting, but sound distracting. I often say that a sound guy can hear grass growing when you're on location. Narrator: Silencing
some props, like drums, can be fairly simple,
like adding a drum mute. [drum booms] [muted drum thuds] [drum booms]
[muted drum thuds] But others require getting
a bit more creative, like with pool balls, which were too loud for these two bar scenes in season one of "Friday Night Lights." Man: Nice shot! Narrator: Property master Scott Reeder needed to find a ball that would create a softer sound on impact. First, he experimented with
plastic balls from a ball pit. They were much quieter, but he couldn't get paint
to stick to the surface. Then he remembered a trick he used on 1991's "Necessary Roughness" during a shot where a character is thrown onto a pool table in a bar fight. Reeder swapped real pool
balls with racquetballs, so the actor would land
on something softer. We didn't really clue in at the time that, oh, you know, these
would be good for sound. Narrator: Listen to how
real pool balls sound. [balls clacking] It's too noisy. Narrator: Compared to the racquetballs. [quiet thudding] Much better. Narrator: To get it to
look like the real thing, Reeder added a layer of primer to make sure the paint stuck, followed with a glossy spray to give off the signature
shine of a real pool ball. Reeder: You gotta pick them up to tell that they're not real. Narrator: And Reeder also had to know when to swap the props in. Reeder: If actors are playing in a scene, we'll typically do real if the camera's going to
see them hit the ball. And then when the camera goes to where it's just on their face, we'll throw the fake ones on the table so they can actually play pool. That way, the sound man
can catch the dialogue. Narrator: Prop masters don't always need to find a replacement. Some silent props are made by just modifying the real thing. For example, in this scene in "Tammy," actress Melissa McCarthy needed to wear a paper bag on her head
to hide her identity and another one on her hand to hide a gun. Schultz said it was important
for her to use the real thing, but a real paper bag would
sound something like this. [paper rustling]
Tammy: You want some pies? [paper rustling]
Worker: I like pie. [paper rustling]
Tammy: Well, get a pie, [paper rustling]
you get a pie for -- Narrator: Quieting these real bags down meant adding more weight to them. So Schultz sprayed the bags with a mix of water and glycerin, which is typically used
to add the appearance of sweat or water droplets on anything from human
skin to beer bottles. Schultz: Takes quite a bit of -- well, it takes time and finesse, 'cause you don't want to overdo it. Narrator: He also taped the bags inside to hold them together and
prevent them from crumbling. But this fix was only temporary, since the bags would
eventually lose their color and fall apart over time. And this wouldn't work for when actors have to handle bags consistently. So for other projects, Schultz developed a quiet, durable, alternative using fibrous nonwoven fabric. This is actually the same
material as coffee filters. To make it look like the real thing, Schultz wraps the fabric around a mold, then he glues and folds the sides by hand. Schultz: We're trying to copy the bottom of a standard bag that's
really made by a machine. It's important to get the
corners so that they're square. A lot of times we'll,
when we're using them, we'll crinkle them and
make them look more used, so they have a more realistic look. Instead of cutting it smooth, it's going to cut it with
a little jagged edge to it. Narrator: This fabric can be used on other paper products as well, like when this butcher
in "The Kominsky Method" talks to Alan Arkin while grabbing a handful of cold cuts. That butcher paper? Fake. [paper rustling] It's these small handheld props that give prop masters the most trouble, especially in scenes with dialogue. For example, an actor with a drink will likely hold it near their midsection, where microphones are often attached. It's especially important to make sure whatever is in that drink doesn't produce any unwanted sounds. So if you're watching
a show like "Entourage" with lots of scenes at parties and bars, it's safe to assume that
these ice cubes are all fake. But not all fake ice is the same. Plastic cubes don't melt, which is great for continuity, but they're still really loud. [cubes clicking] So when sound is crucial, Schultz often opts for
another type of fake cubes. These ones, made out of silicone. These rubber cubes can
either be molded in trays or ripped apart. Since the final product floats in a glass, they look more convincing. [ice softly clunking] And, best of all, they're
completely silent. Schultz: Background actors
can move this stuff around without having to worry about the sound. Narrator: So when this waitress walks by with a trayful of cups with ice, you can hear ... Turtle: What time's dinner? We're starving. Narrator: And not ... [ice clinking]
Turtle: What time's dinner? [ice clinking]
We're starving. Narrator: While ice cubes only
pop up in certain moments, other loud materials are everywhere. Like plastic. Everything from sandwich
bags to potato-chip bags make loud crackles. So Schultz will create
fake ones out of vinyl. So, this material, [dull crackling] it's that dull sound. Narrator: And it comes in handy for other places you might not expect, like flower bouquets that
are wrapped in cellophane. Take this moment from
"The Kominsky Method" where Michael Douglas' character brings flowers to an ailing friend. If Schultz had used real
cellophane for the bouquet, all the sound team would hear is ... [plastic crackling]
What kind of flowers [plastic crackling]
are those? [plastic crackling]
I have no idea. Narrator: So, he used a
transparent vinyl material to replicate the look
without all the noise. What kind of flowers are those? I have no idea. Uh-huh. So your daughter bought them? Yeah. Narrator: But no solution
is one-size-fits-all. [tissue rustling]
Noisy tissue, but a quiet bag. [tissue rustling] Still doesn't solve the problem. Narrator: Some objects
need multiple layers of silent material to
effectively kill any noise, like with these gift bags. So, quiet tissue. Quiet bag. Done. Narrator: So, next time you see a scene set in a grocery store, a bar, or even just around the office, look twice at the everyday objects you can see, but can't hear. We can all thank the prop makers for that.
I remember when I first used a decent condenser microphone to record, I learned that EVERYTHING makes sound. I could hear my eyelids blink.
Never would have thought that would be an issue, but it so obviously is now lol. The amount of preparation that goes into making a series and film is insane. I recently learnt that when actors are eating food the camera will move away before the actor swallows the food so they can spit it out, I can't help but notice it now when watching something. Film production techniques are really interesting
The clip with Melissa McCarthy was actually funnier with the paper bag sounds.
Check out Scott Prop and Roll. He owns a prop studio
https://youtube.com/channel/UCTyvyVpWyspz8-anuyXUreA
I built my own stormtrooper outfit 9 years ago. I quickly learned I sound like an idiot when I walk around.
daaaaamn!
I'm surprised to learn that it matters. I thought all dialogue and sound effects were dubbed back in later. TIL
Ha, who knew?!
For real