The Fake Food Cookbook

Props You Can't Eat for Theatre, Film, and TV

Tamara Honesty, Karestin Harrison

• Verlag: Routledge
• Jahr: 2018
• ISBN:
  9781315450797
• Auflage: 1
• Thema: Media & Performing Arts
• Thema: Theatre

The Fake Food Cookbook: Props You Can't Eat for Theatre, Film, and TV contains step by step instructions on how to create the most realistic prop food for a theatrical production. From appetizers such as oysters on a half shell and chicken wings, entrees such as lobster and honey-glazed ham, to desserts, breakfasts, and even beverages, every meal is covered in this how-to guide. Full color images of each step and finished products illustrate each recipe, along with suggestions for keeping the budget for each project low. Safety Data Sheets and links to informative videos are hosted on a companion website.

Section 1
introduction

one
why make fake food?

The question of why create fake food instead of using real food for props is frequently asked. The answer is not cut and dry. There are several advantages to creating fake food including cost, storage, and reusability. Depending on the length of the run, creating fake food could be beneficial. If a production is scheduled to run for weeks at a regional theater or months on Broadway, creating fake food could be the most cost and time effective. It would cost far less to create the dish or dishes once then reuse them, than buy perishable items every night. By making the fake food from scratch, there is more flexibility and creativity in what the final piece looks like instead of buying them commercially manufactured. It is much easier to tweak the coloring or shape during the creation as opposed to altering a mass-produced item.

However, edible food does have several benefits in certain situations: if the show has a very short run, the actors must consume the food as part of the action on stage, or there is an extremely limited construction time for props. Limited time for build, labor, or for the entire production run may make having real food or some variation of real food more practical, especially for drinks.

On the other hand, creating fake food can be an exciting project for anyone of any skill level who has the desire to experiment and explore the possibilities. Before beginning any project, first research what the real food looks like—either buy an actual item at the grocery store or find photos on the internet. The research is essential to the creation of a prop that looks realistic in color, shape, texture, and sheen.

The recipes in this book help show how simple products found at hardware, grocery, and craft stores can be used in creating good-looking dishes for a fraction of the cost of buying commercially made fake food. Many of the products used were under $20 and were used for several of the dishes. These products are beneficial for educational, community, and smaller theaters with limited budget and supplies. Some of the more expensive products such as Smooth-On^® OOMOO^® or Smooth-Cast^® only used trial-size kits that are around $30. Often one trial-size kit was utilized to make multiple dishes. The more expensive coatings or adhesives like Rosco^® CrystalGel, Rosco^® FoamCoat, or Sculptural Art Coating’s Sculpt or Coat^® are formulated to work on a variety of materials. Although the initial cost is higher, the quality and the success balance out the initial upfront cost. The Rosco^® Scenic Paint Test Kit or Sculptural Art Coating’s Artist’s Choice™ Paint Starter Kit are available from vendors like Rosebrand^® or Production Advantage. The kits contain 1 oz. samples and cost between $70 and $85 depending on the vendor. The kits are available for Rosco^® Off Broadway™ or Rosco^® Supersaturated™ product lines. One kit will be able to create almost all of the recipes in this book.

Fake food is also more durable than real food and can be preserved for years by storing it in plastic storage bags and bins. First, the item should be completely dry. Then, place in a zippered storage bag, remove all the air from the bag, and seal the bag. Place the bag in a plastic storage bin with a tight-fitting lid. If the fake food is stored correctly, it can be saved and reused year after year. For example, for the annual production of A Christmas Carol that requires a roasted goose and other items for the feast, all of those items could be pulled from storage and perhaps only need a little bit of freshening up before they are ready for a performance. Several of the dishes do take several hours or even days to fully complete and while it may seem easier to just buy/make real food, in the long run you are saving money and the time the crew has to spend cooking food if it is purely set dressing or if the actors mime eating it.

Another example is for Stage One’s touring production of The Diary of Anne Frank from Kelly Wiegant Mangan. In the show, the characters spend one scene snapping green beans for cooking. The budget wouldn’t allow for fresh beans for each performance and the touring crew wouldn’t have enough time to get fresh green beans. They cast the green bean out of green wax. The cast wax beans had a great sound when they were snapped and the pieces could be recycled into the next batch. The crew traveled with several molds and a toaster oven. Only when they were at a venue for two days or more would they recast the beans. It was an extremely simple and cheap alternative.

If the items need to sit out for long periods on a film or photo shoot, then artificial food might be a more viable solution. Real food may spoil and attract insects. Fake food would also provide continuity throughout the day or from one day to the next.

Fake food can be repurposed from one project to another. The food created for a photo shoot could end up in a stage production. Or the same food items could be used for different stage productions. For example, breakfast food created for The Spitfire Grill could be used in other shows like the Sheryl Crow/Barry Levinson new musical Diner, William Inge’s Bus Stop, or the Sara Bareilles/Jessie Nelson musical Waitress. The roasted turkey and goose could be in several productions including Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, Kaufman and Hart’s You Can’t Take It with You, or any opera or play calling for a feast on stage. William Inge’s play Picnic calls for several different items including pies, deviled eggs, and chicken.

There are a wide variety of materials and techniques an artisan gets to experiment with when creating artificial food. A few of the materials that can be used to make fake food are foam, Play-doh^®, ribbon, wood, glue, shellacs, candle waxes, paint, and thermoplastics. Creating fake food also provides the opportunity to explore casting and mold making. Smooth-On^® has several excellent step-by-step video tutorials on casting and mold making ranging from the Basics of Mold Making to Advanced Techniques, using all the different series of products including OOMOO^®, Smooth-Cast^®, Dragon Skin^®, FOAM-iT!^®, and FlexFoam-iT!^®. Links to videos can be found on their website at www.smooth-on.com/tutorials/. Rosco^® has a blog dedicated to showcasing tutorials and articles on how customers have used their products; it can be found at www.rosco.com/spectrum/. It is a great resource because it is searchable by typing in the product name and various blog posts will appear that can give you information and ideas for how the product may work for your project.

two
tools and safety

Preparing to make fake food is a little like baking or cooking: you need to gather the necessary tools and ingredients. Most items fall within three categories: basic, intermediate, and advanced. Many recipes for projects in this book can be accomplished by using objects found in the basic tool and product section. They can be found at the grocery store or the local craft store such as Michael’s^®, Hobby Lobby^®, Walmart^®, Jo-Ann Fabrics & Craft Stores^®, or A.C. Moore Arts & Crafts^®. The intermediate section includes tools and products found at hardware stores or craft stores and a few specialty items found online. The advanced section has items available at theatrical supply vendors, specialty hardware, or woodworking stores. Specific trademarked products are cited because they are the products used in the recipes. There are many similar products by different manufacturers that may be cheaper or more expensive and perform just as well as the products listed in this chapter and in the recipes. Not all products used in all the recipes are included in this list.

Basic Tools and Products

Figure 2.1A: X-acto^® knife set

• Measuring Tools:
  • o 12" or 18" Ruler: A plastic ruler will suffice; however, a metal ruler with a cork back is preferable. The 12" or 18" metal ruler is one of the most essential tools because in addition to a measuring device, it can also ...