"Polaris"

[RJDiogenes]

It's a Borg belly button ring.

[Gep Malakai]

It's some sort of inhaler, isn't it? I seem to recall seeing it in a drug ad, only it was purple there.

[Herkimer Jitty]

^ Yep. My pa has one of em, so it was instant recognition for me.

Dennis, you're gonna be outta luck if everyone's houses are full of inhalers, pepper grinders and barcode scanners :P

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Herkimer Jitty wrote:

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^ Yep. My pa has one of em, so it was instant recognition for me.

Dennis, you're gonna be outta luck if everyone's houses are full of inhalers, pepper grinders and barcode scanners :P

Which is why I just conducted this little impromptu survey - I liked the look of this thing, but had no idea how common the devices might currently be (I used one about five years ago).

Drat.

[Venardhi]

Throw a few alterations on it and it should pass mostly unrecognized. If you asked everyone on this board if they could recognize what Luke's lightsaber or any number of other 'found' props were made from, you'd probably find people who knew what they were too. Star Wars has tons of recognizable found items in there from women's razors to flash guns to pen caps, etc. etc.

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Venardhi wrote:

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Throw a few alterations on it and it should pass mostly unrecognized. If you asked everyone on this board if they could recognize what Luke's lightsaber or any number of other 'found' props were made from, you'd probably find people who knew what they were too. Star Wars has tons of recognizable found items in there from women's razors to flash guns to pen caps, etc. etc.

This is true. I guess I'm thinking, rightly or wrongly, that the design dilemma for fan films is different from that for a big Hollywood movie in that a big percentage of our audience may be afficianadoes and other low-budget filmmakers and hobbyists - many of whom become aware of us while we're creating our movies - who pay attention to and hopefully admire the details of props and costumes etc. A lot of them are the same folks or same kind of folks who know that the Jedi communicator in "The Phantom Menace" is a Lady Schick razor but they only represent a tiny fraction of one percent of the people who go to see "Star Wars."

Not many folks beyond the regulars on the Replica Props Forum will recognize a peppermill in "Star Trek."

Or maybe that's not so. I'll give it some more thought.

The image above, BTW, is the inhaler as it was altered for use as a "laser" prop in "Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda." I wanted to use a picture of it with different colors and missing the labeling that might make it more easily recognized.

[Venardhi]

When it comes to props, generally if you paint something, throw in a few leds, and 'weather' it a bit no one will question it unless they're specifically looking to recreate it or otherwise learn more about it. Some very distinctive things like the Schick razor in Phantom Menace were borderline obvious as an item just about everyone has seen regularly, even daily for some, in their normal lives and yet 99% of the audience never would have noticed it unless someone pointed it out.

[Gep Malakai]

Starship Polaris wrote:

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This is true. I guess I'm thinking, rightly or wrongly, that the design dilemma for fan films is different from that for a big Hollywood movie in that a big percentage of our audience may be afficianadoes and other low-budget filmmakers and hobbyists - many of whom become aware of us while we're creating our movies - who pay attention to and hopefully admire the details of props and costumes etc. A lot of them are the same folks or same kind of folks who know that the Jedi communicator in "The Phantom Menace" is a Lady Schick razor but they only represent a tiny fraction of one percent of the people who go to see "Star Wars."

Not many folks beyond the regulars on the Replica Props Forum will recognize a peppermill in "Star Trek."

Or maybe that's not so. I'll give it some more thought.

Sometimes, when it comes to base objects, simpler can be better. If the original item has fewer really unique features, it can be easier to disguise. I think part of the problem with the inhaler is that it's just so darn specific looking.

Compare that with, say, Wah Chang's use of a pencil case for the TOS comms: add a flipgrid and buttons, and it's unrecognizable.

I don't know what this gizmo is going to be, but I'm assuming you need small, hand sized and round, with some kind of ribbing or fillagree? Might I suggest this:

[Psion]

I grieve with thee, Dennis. How about rapid prototypers? Does anyone on your staff have access to one of these? If so, tap your talented artist friends to design props in 3D and then just print them out and paint them.

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Gep Malakai wrote:

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So what is that?

[Gep Malakai]

Starship Polaris wrote:

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So what is that?

Can anybody tell?

It's a container for Bubble Tape candy. Fairly easy to find still.

[Maurice]

One place I found great for prop and set greeblies were electronics surplus stores. I found a place in the bay area that's just chock full of old electronics and cases and switches and packing materials of all shapes and sizes. I spent $45 and walked out with two crates of goodies and a small piece of a clean room.

[RJDiogenes]

Just Superglue a Lady Schick Razor to the Inhaler and you've got a perfect... uh, whatever it is.

[Hudson_uk]

Looks like a bubble gum case to me..

[Admiral Buzzkill]

I'll have to look for the bubble gum case - cutting it apart and using some of that ridged edge would help with another prop.