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April 20th, 2011
Getting kids involved in acting can be really fun and exciting, both for the kids and the teacher. Whether this is a class you teach in a school, or you run your own business, here are some tips to help you teach kids acting.
1. Make it fun. Choose stories children will enjoy portraying characters from. Familiar fairy tales or movies make great workshops for children to learn acting from.
2. Get the kids involved in everything. Let them help you with stage props. Kids can be pretty creative with making props, or helping you choose things that can be used as stage props. Let them help paint scenery or build sets.
3. Don’t get too technical. Try not to bombard children with too much information about acting that might confuse them, or discourage them from wanting to get involved.
4. Be an inspiration. Make acting a magical thing, and children will love it. Let them believe in the excitement of being whoever they want to be, and imagining other words.
5. Ask their parents to help them. Parents can help their children learn lines at home, and if they are willing, they can help you with the rehearsals and performances as well. Sometimes the more people involved, the better things will run. But make sure everyone knows who is in charge.
Once you have everything you need to do a performance—children who want to act, a stage and scenery, props, and costumes—invite the whole school, or all the families of the children to sit back and enjoy the show.
Tags: hiring props, organising props, prop hire company, Props
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April 11th, 2011
If your prop room is a disorganized frenzy, you’ll never be able to find the stage props you need when you need them. And if you own some props and have hired out others, you may find it hard to remember which props belong to you and which props need to be returned. Here are some tips to help you organise your stage props.
1. First, empty the room entirely. Once you have a clear, open space, you can put in some shelving or some plastic tubs that you can use to store various items in.
2. Label different areas. Make separate sections for props you own and ones you’ve hired—such as on different walls. Label individual shelves and plastic tubs with categories so that each type of prop will be easier to find.
3. Instruct everyone to put things in the right place. One of the main reasons a prop room gets disorganized is because actors tend to just drop things or stuff them in the easiest place instead of taking the time to put them in any sort of order.
4. Make sure that actors know which props belong to you and which ones are hired. This way everyone will know and nothing will be lost. If necessary, mark the ones you own somehow to distinguish them.
Once your prop room is organized, you will find it much easier to find things when you need them, and both rehearsals and performances should run more smoothly.
Tags: hiring props, organising props, Props, smaller props
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April 8th, 2011
Choosing the right stage props for your performance depends on a lot of different factors. What time period is the play set in? Are you working with detailed or minimalistic theatre sets? How much money do you have to spend? Here are some thoughts to help you choose the right stage props.
First, read the script thoroughly. This way you will know if the play itself calls for any specific props. Often certain characters need particular articles of clothing, things they keep in their pockets, or things that they will use in various scenes.
Once you know what you absolutely have to have to make the play work, start looking for these props. You can sometimes buy things from charity shops or department stores, but you could also hire some props from a company like Keeley Hire. They offer some amazingly detailed and well made props and theatre sets.
Think about the time period your play is set in as well. For instance, if your play is set in the 1930’s, you don’t want a really modern telephone as a prop. Or, if your play is modern, you probably don’t want to use an antique tea set—unless that is important to the story, or adds something important to the scene.
Try to choose basic background pieces and furniture based on what the characters would like, or what they would be able to afford.
Now that you know what you need and where to get it, you can get started setting up your scenes and rehearsing your play.
Tags: hiring props, Props, Stage Props, Theatre Sets
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April 5th, 2011
Thinking about making an amateur movie? It can be a lot of fun, and you can learn a lot. Sometimes you can even make some friends. Here are some things you will need if you plan to make a film.
1. Actors. You can hold local auditions if you want, or you can just ask your friends or family members to take part. Make sure you have a few back-ups in case someone can’t do it at the last minute.
2. Costumes. Costumes can be handmade, bought from charity shops, or even come from your own wardrobe. Use your imagination.
3. Props. Movie props can be as simple or as detailed as you want. You could cut things out of cardboard or use toys and furniture from your house. Or you could even look into prop hire for some more professional movie props. Keeley Hire is a great prop hire company.
4. A set. This could be a stage that you build, a porch or balcony, or even your front garden. Decide where you want the movie to take place well in advance so that if you need to clear the area, or get permission to film, you won’t be disappointed.
5. A script. You could write your own story completely from your imagination, or you could adapt a favourite book that you have read. Whatever you decide to do, have fun with it and make sure you give each actor some good lines.
So, now that you have everything you need, what are you waiting for? It’s time to get rolling.
Tags: film props, filmmaking, hiring props, Movie Props, prop hire company
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March 30th, 2011
In relation to entertainment, the word ‘prop’ has its origins in the period of the Renaissance. At this time, groups of actors travelled around Europe in performing troupes and all the items that they used for performing such as weapons or furniture were labelled as ‘company property’, or ‘property’ for short.
Over time, this term got shortened to ‘props’. Some years after the Renaissance but roughly 180 years before today, Keeley Hire got in to the business of buying, selling and renting props. Today they have one of the largest collections of props to be found anywhere, with over 500,000 items available to hire. Keeley Hire is a major supplier to the Film, TV and theatrical industry and have supplied items for well-known television and stage shows, as well as large Hollywood movie productions.
In recent years Keeley Hire has branched out to satisfy a more diverse market and now provides prop hire to the Themed Event Industry. Items from their huge collection have been utilised in creating themed sets for events ranging from corporate parties to new product launches. Other clients who have also benefited from using Keeley Hire’s supplies include HM Armed Forces, educational establishments and amateur theatre groups.
If you need prop hire services for an occasion, function or production then have a good look around the Keeley Hire website. It really is so easy to use that you will find exactly what you are looking for straight away.
Tags: hiring props, Prop Hire, prop hire company, Props
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March 20th, 2011
Stage props are often used by theatre actors to enhance their performances and add meaning to a scene.
Types
There are four distinct types of props used in the theatre. A ‘hand prop’ is small and so can be held by an actor. A ‘dress prop’ adds to a character’s costume without being worn. A ‘rehearsal prop’ is used in place of any real prop that is so delicate or valuable it can only be used for actual performances. ‘Set properties’ are functional items used by actors on the set, such as tables and chairs.
Role
Stage props can have many functions within a theatre performance. Aside from being obvious visual aids, they can also help to convey a story’s subtext and give the audience deeper perception of a character and their motives. For example, a man whose wife has died may carry a keepsake of hers with him at all times. Even though the audience are not informed of this sad event, the infatuation of the keepsake can allude to his great loss.
Significance
The inclusion of props in a theatre production can be invaluable. Not only can they make an audience believe more in the performance they are watching, they can also be used to help convey meaning. For example, if no props are used for the first hour of a performance and a box then suddenly appears, the audience can safely assume that the box will be significant to the story in some way later on.
Tags: hiring props, importance of props, prop hire company, Stage Props
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March 11th, 2011
Any individual in a creative profession knows that the richness of a piece lies in the details. This is why, in the performance industry, it is not simply the quality of the script and the skill of the actors that will sell a production to the audience, but also the almost-invisible details in the screen or theatre sets being used. These innocuous background items add texture and depth to the picture you are presenting to your audience, whether live or otherwise, contributing to the realism that most productions aim to create.
Whether they will remain static or be used in an interactive capacity by the actors, the props in place should look as realistic as possible, helping to immerse the actors in whatever world their characters inhabit and to act as indicators of time and place for members of the audience. When trying to dress movie or theatre sets to create these important effects, it can help to have the knowledge of an experienced hire company at your disposal.
Keeley Hire has been in existence since the 1830s and has a collection of more than 500, 000 items available for hire. We have lent our expertise and our fantastic props to huge movies such as Braveheart, Gladiator, Sweeney Todd, Harry Potter and Stardust, as well as to successful series such as Lark Rise to Candleford and Bleak House. So for the details which give productions distinct and believable appearances as seen in these big-name projects, browse our site and see if we have what you need in our enormous catalogue.
Tags: hiring props, Prop Hire, Props, Stage Props
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February 20th, 2011
Staging school plays can be difficult. Many students consider drama classes to be a bit of fun and a chance to relax in between the serious business of maths and English rather than a chance to learn new skills, but drama teachers know they have a lot to offer students in terms of confidence and personal development as well as helping them find the ability to act in a play.
Traditionally, school plays used hand-painted sets or hand-me-downs from previous productions. The quality might not be great and often very little attention was paid to props beyond finding something that looked vaguely right or was at least recognisable as the thing it was supposed to represent.
However, allowing below par sets and props only reinforces the view that drama isn’t a serious subject and that the school play isn’t worth too much care or attention. If, on the other hand, the set is outstanding, students immediately recognise that there is the possibility to stage a really impressive production. It is worth considering prop hire for that reason alone.
Prop hire helps encourage actors to really get into their roles and give the finest performance they can. If props, sets, and costumes are good, they’ll recognise the need to put on a really good show rather than just having a bit of fun until it’s time to go to Chemistry or French and get back to work. It’s a way of showing students that you are serious and that they should be too.
Tags: hiring props, Prop Hire, Props, Stage Props
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February 5th, 2011
As one of the UK’s leading prop hire companies, a big part of our business is matching the right customer with the right prop. Sometimes it’s not easy – we have half a million stage props on offer, kept in a warehouse space that has more than 50000 square feet of storage area when they aren’t in use somewhere around the world. That’s almost two standard football pitches of floor space filled to bursting with stuffed boar’s heads, suits of armour, boats, movable lamp posts, barrels, thrones, coffins, parasols, and the odd fake horse or two.
There are certainly more stage props in our prop hire warehouse than we could ever list online so if you can’t find the right piece of kit, do feel free to ask. We do, however, list several thousand items on this website so the chances are that whatever you need, it’ll be here somewhere.
There are a few different ways to search. First of all, you can try looking for the exact item by entering it into the search box- say ‘snow shoes’ or ‘crown’ for example. We know that you won’t always have an exact list, so it’s also possible to search by theme too. Military, Roman, Medieval, Western, and Pirates are just some of the classifications you can browse on the Props page.
If you’re really having trouble or you need a lot of different stage props, we can make an appointment for you to come and visit the warehouse. There, one of our staff will help you find the right items.
Tags: hiring props, Props, Stage Props, theatre props
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January 17th, 2011
The right props can make or break a historical production or photo shoot. In a genre like sci-fi, the audience is living in a world where anything is possible, meaning their suspense of disbelief is arguably a little more lenient than in the case of historical portrayals.
Of course, some periods in history are a little easier to accommodate (check out our “Skins & Furs” section) whilst others require a delicate accuracy and perceptive visuals aimed at fully winning over the audience’s belief. The abstract nature of theatre sets means a little more leeway is generally given (nobody expects TOTAL visual representation). However, productions such as Les Miserables are of note due to their stunning depiction and historical precision through versatile (and downright magnificent) theatre sets.
We’ve catered for a massive range of historically focussed film, theatre, photography and TV productions including Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Larkrise to Candleford, Band of Brothers, Gladiator and Shakespeare in Love. Perhaps the best advice we can give you is to have a clear outline of what props you’re after, but don’t be afraid to let your needs evolve – you never know what you might spot on a visit to our warehouse.
A lot of our clients are like revisiting old friends, so don’t worry about chopping and changing your mind about which props are best for you – we’re used to it. When it comes to prop details and historical accuracy, we understand just how important it is to get things just right.
Tags: hiring props, Prop Hire, Stage Props, theatre, Theatrical Props
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