People Are Sharing Images Of ‘Futuristic’ Movie Props That Are Just Regular Items, And It Destroys The Illusion Of Fantasy (30 Pics)

Moderator QueenAnneBoleynTudor explained to Bored Panda why most movies and TV shows don't build props from scratch. Like for a lot of things in life, money and time constraints are still issues.

"Movies have budgets, and those budgets are mainly for the talent, special effects, salaries, and insurance. Like any project, Hollywood has to find a way to make the project successful while either staying on budget or (even better) coming in under budget. Making items from scratch takes up time, talent, and money for something that may be used in only a few frames. Repurposing an item takes less, and can be reused for another film," they detailed.

Reusing and recycling are the name of the game when it comes to Hollywood. "Everything gets reused—props, costumes, locations, et cetera. It just makes sense to take a calculator and make it a circuit board for one film, and a communication device in another. The fact that you haven't recognized them means that the props department did their job! People watch movies to escape reality, and if you don't notice the booklight being used as a transmogrifier means that the magic of Hollywood worked."

The moderator put us at ease by sharing that, in their opinion, recognizing repurposed household items in movies and shows doesn't take the magic away from the stories. "If anything, people feel like sleuths when they see a prop and say, 'What a minute! That's a nose hair trimmer!' It adds to the fun of the experience. And most people don't even realize it. People realize that things get reused, and I think as long as it's not obvious, they don't pay too much attention."

We were also interested to know if it's possible to unsee how props are repurposed items! Is there going back to a simpler time? Unfortunately, redditor QueenAnneBoleynTudor thinks not.

"I don't think it's possible to unsee it, no. Little Easter eggs like booklights or errors, once you see them, it's burned into your brain. Remember the Starbucks cup in GoT? Or the hydro flask and water bottle from Little Women? It works that way with props. As for a 'simpler time,' that's wistful thinking I'm afraid. Hollywood has been reusing and repurposing items as long as it's been committing images to celluloid."

The redditor added that they personally tend to constantly be on the lookout for booklights because they spend time moderating the r/Thatsabooklight subreddit. "It doesn't ruin the film for me, it actually makes me pay more attention!"

The most intriguing thing about repurposed household items is that your creativity is the limit! With some brainstorming and dextrous hands (we always suggest watching some Crafty Panda videos for general DIY inspiration), you can convert a broken piece of tech into a futuristic gadget that wouldn’t look out of place in a multi-million-dollar movie project.