Video Essay Describes The Power of Props in Film

Props can be used in a variety of ways on film, and Rishi Kaneria runs through a metric ton of them in this excellent video essay. Audiences can often take props for granted, and when used properly, it almost seems inevitable that certain props play key roles in film. I had never considered writing about props from a screenwriter's POV before, but this essay puts that in perspective and showcases just how important they can be when telling a story. Check it out below:

A look at the hidden power of film props. And how filmmakers use the everyday (and not so everyday) objects in their scenes to enhance cinematic storytelling. Written, edited, & narrated by Rishi Kaneria (@rishikaneria). Music from: “Baba O Riley” by the Who “Kid-A” by Punch Brothers “Rabbit In Your Headlights” by Unkle “Where is my mind” by Vitamin String Orchestra “Magic” by Mick Smiley “Sinnerman” by Nina Simone “Intermezzo” by Pietro Mascagni “Monkey Fight Snake” by the Bombay Royale “I Hung My Head” by Johnny Cash “The Thing That Made You” by Dan Romer Iconography from "Famous Objects From Classic Movies." http://www.famousobjectsfromclassicmovies.com/ Footage from: 00:04 Boogie Nights 00:10 Sunset Boulevard 00:11 2001: A Space Odyssey 00:11 Black Swan 00:12 Close Encounters Of The Third Kind 00:13 Inception 00:20 Ghostbusters 00:26 Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi 00:29 Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope 00:30 Ed Wood 00:43 E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial 00:46 Big 00:47 Rushmore 00:48 Gattaca 00:50 Pulp Fiction 00:50 The Hundred Foot Journey 00:51 The Hundred Foot Journey 00:52 Pulp Fiction 00:53 The Breakfast Club 00:54 Terminator 2 00:55 Boogie Nights 00:55 Money Ball 00:57 Whiplash 00:58 Saving Private Ryan 01:01 2001: A Space Odyssey 01:11 2001: A Space Odyssey 01:17 American Beauty 01:23 The Usual Suspects 01:25 Jurassic Park 01:28 Forrest Gump 01:31 Lawrence Of Arabia 01:35 The Lord Of The Rings: Fellowship Of The Ring 01:38 Raiders Of The Lost Ark 01:40 The Bicycle Thief 01:42 The Maltese Falcon 01:47 Raiders Of The Lost Ark 01:50 The Dark Knight 01:53 The Dark Knight 01:59 Fight Club 02:03 Pulp Fiction 02:08 Rain Man 02:13 Mommie Dearest 02:18 Cast Away 02:24 Citizen Kane 02:31 The Red Balloon 02:36 Aliens 02:44 Blade Runner 02:58 Citizen Kane 03:03 E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial 03:06 Christmas Story 03:08 The Prestige 03:10 The Gods Must Be Crazy 03:17 Inception 03:20 The Prestige 03:23 Juno 03:25 Back To The Future Part II 03:27 Magnolia 03:30 The Red Balloon 03:34 The Sixth Sense 03:39 2001: A Space Odyssey 03:45 The Godfather 03:48 The Godfather Part II 03:49 The Godfather 03:51 The Godfather Part II 03:53 The Godfather 03:55 The Godfather 04:01 The Shining 04:11 Memento 04:19 Interstellar 04:29 Memento 04:41 Police Story 04:48 Pulp Fiction 04:56 Say Anything 04:59 The Godfather 05:05 The Shining 05:07 E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial 05:08 The Goonies 05:13 Raiders Of The Lost Ark 05:20 Batman 05:32 Pulp Fiction 05:40 Seven 05:47 Rear Window 05:53 Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Man From The South 06:01 The Untouchables 06:07 Fight Club 06:12 The Dark Knight 06:14 Back To The Future 06:17 Signs 06:20 Jurassic Park 06:24 Aliens 06:27 Jaws 06:33 It's A Wonderful Life 06:39 The Gold Rush 06:42 Office Space 06:45 Annie Hall 06:47 The Breakfast Club 06:48 The Breakfast Club 06:57 Mary Poppins 07:00 The Wizard Of Oz 07:03 E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial 07:07 The Shawshank Redemption 07:14 The Karate Kid 07:17 The Avengers 07:20 Superman: The Movie 07:22 The Manchurian Candidate 07:26 The Matrix 07:30 Jurassic Park 07:34 Saving Private Ryan 07:40 Dog Day Afternoon 07:42 The Apartment 07:44 Raiders Of The Lost Ark 07:48 The Shining 07:52 The Breakfast Club 07:54 Singin In The Rain 07:57 Mary Poppins 07:59 Taxi Driver 08:09 Scarface 08:11 Terminator 2 08:14 Dirty Harry 08:25 No Country For Old Men 08:31 Kingsman: The Secret Service 08:34 There Will Be Blood 08:37 Rear Window 08:41 Raiders Of The Lost Ark 08:43 Ghostbusters 08:44 The Shining 08:46 Titanic 08:48 Back To The Future Part II 08:50 Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom 08:54 Poltergeist 08:56 The Grand Budapest Hotel 08:58 The Lord Of The Rings: Fellowship Of The Ring 09:01 Titanic 09:03 Citizen Kane 09:07 The Usual Suspects 10:01 Risky Business “If you say in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter it absolutely must go off. If it’s not going to be fired, it shouldn’t be hanging there.” -Anton Chekhov Full transcript can be found here: http://raging-cinema.tumblr.com/post/131987929538/a-look-at-the-hidden-power-of-film-props-and-how

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