Dos And Don'ts Of Dealing With Prop Money

If you've bought a large assortment of prop money, you'll have a valuable tool for however you wish to use it. Prop money, which commonly consists of bills and coins — although you may mainly be focusing on the former — definitely looks like legal currency at a quick glance. A closer inspection, however, reveals markings that identify the money to not be authentic. When it comes to dealing with prop money from a company like Motion Picture Purposes Prop Money, here are some dos and don'ts to follow.

Do: Use It in a Variety of Ways

Prop money has a long list of uses. Perhaps you're organizing a community drama production and need money to be a part of it. Or, maybe you're shooting a music video for a local artist and he or she wants to use money as a prop. Prop money can also be ideal for children who may wish to play "store" as an activity or simply want to practice counting.

Don't: Mix It With Real Currency

It's a mistake to mix your prop money in with your actual currency. Because they look similar, it can be easy to mistakenly grab some of your prop money off a table or a shelf, thinking that it's real. The last thing that you ever want to experience is carrying this money with you and mistakenly trying to spend it at a store. Make a point of always keeping your prop money in a specific container so that you can identify it.

Do: Buy Enough of It

Because of its affordability, you shouldn't skimp on buying prop money. Depending on how you may wish to use it, you can add authenticity to the usage if you have a reasonable amount of it. For example, if you're shooting a music video in which the artist is throwing it in the air, you don't want to have just a small stack. Instead, a larger amount will give the video more of an authentic look.

Don't: Fuss Over Losing Some

One of the nice things about using prop money is that you usually buy bundles of it, and they're generally quite affordable. This means that you don't have to fret about trying to pick up every last bill after a play or a video shoot. An individual bill breaks down to cost very little, so there's no point in being stressed if you get home without every single bill at the end of the day.

Share