ART DEPARTMENT

Job Overview

The prop assistant, under the direction of the prop master, is in charge of all props used throughout the production. Some productions may designate an outside props person to purchase props, and an inside props person to oversee their placement, use, and maintenance on set.

“On a feature, it is very clear what your rank and file is,” says prop person Jason Ivey, “but on a commercial, waters get a little muddy. You may be in the prop department and end up doing special effects, like smoke or snow. You may be the entire art department, in which case you rely a lot on production to help you move large pieces of furniture.”

“If you're doing property on a feature, it can be stressful, making sure everything is right. You have to stay true to what the person would really use and make sure the environment matches the script. If a glass is half full or a light wasn't on, you have to make sure it is the same when they reshoot the scene.”

Special Skills

Individuals working in the property department must be physically able to lift and carry furniture and other heavy objects. They should possess the ability to remember the details of an environment, and have strong people skills.

Advice for Someone Seeking This Job

“I think anybody who wants to get into the film industry at any level should begin by working as a production assistant,” says Ivey. “Unless you're working on getting your days for DGA [Directors Guild Association membership], I suggest they don't PA on features. On a feature you learn how to tell people not to cross through the frame, how to get coffee, and how to hand out call sheets. Instead, get on a commercial or smaller film, where you'll learn more about what every department does. You can't learn about film from any book or any film school; the reality is you learn by fire. You learn by making mistakes—and in the film industry you're not allowed many mistakes.”

Professional Profile: Jason A. Ivey, Prop Assistant, Prop Master, Set Dresser, Art Director

Jason Ivey was living in Charlottesville, Virginia, focusing on a career in the music industry, when a friend referred him for a production assistant (PA) job working on a Herb Ritz and Bill Haden commercial for Bank One. At the time, his only qualifications were that he knew the area and was a warm body. The job changed his life. “It was the best time I ever had. It seemed like we could do the impossible.”

Quickly addicted to the idea of working in film and television, Ivey made contacts on that first gig that led to additional PA work. “You just need one person on your team: a good production manager, production coordinator, or second AD—someone who will hire you.” With growing experience and contacts, he relocated to Washington, D.C., and continued to PA, but set his sights on working in the art department.

He worked on commercials, television programs, and whatever project he could network himself on set for, steadily moving into props assistant and set dressing. Eventually, a friend sponsored him for union membership.

Ivey's first big feature was Random Hearts, serving as key swing in set dressing. Over time, his career has gravitated toward props assistant, prop master, and art direction. His résumé has grown to include work on features such as Election, Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, Hollow Man, The Replacements, Rules of Engagement, Hannibal, Along Came a Spider, and Gods and Generals, and television series including The Agency, America's Most Wanted, The District, and The West Wing, and numerous commercials.