Prop is short for "property". Anything that is touched by an actor in a script is labeled a prop - cell phone, cigarette, lighter, knife, piece of paper. Anything in a scene but not handled is considered set dec(oration). Sometimes pieces of a costume are considered props and it depends on how we divide up the items between departments. If a wedding ring is a real and expensive diamond, it's usually considered a prop because props has a safe to lock it in. If an actor makes it all the way back to their basecamp trailer with a prop (they are supposed to give it back to props on set at the end of the day) costume department has to chase it down and return the item to the props truck.

Weapons are usually a sub-division in props department and many times the guys in charge are former military. Blanks are used mostly. But even a blank can kill at close range with improper handling.

I've been seeing articles and comments all over the internet since Thursday's stupidly avoidable tragedy and there is a lot of confusion about many things. It's weird that for once, I am able to read an article and glean a huge amount of information from just a partial quote or filler text by a journalist for flow that most people don't even see as important to the story. Do you want me to break it down and give you my understanding of the whole time line of events as I've pieced them together so far? The media is, of course, spinning everything in many directions. Are you interested in posts about film crew lingo and how things work on set in general (it is a deep rabbithole subject)? I find most people's eyes start to glaze over when I talk about stuff like this in real life - how interested are you in these kinds of things?

#filmcrew