Big budget movies could not get made without the inventory of the Prop Shops. What would we do if we had to buy furniture for every movie set? We’d end up with a garage full of unique furniture destined for the Thrift Store.
Enter the Prop Shops. Thankfully, there is a multitude of them in and around Vancouver. Some specialize in certain genres, such as Phoenix 1. They are based in North Vancouver and offer services designed to provide film and television productions with current police, military and emergency services inventory.
Another provider to consider is Thomas FX. Established since 1968, they distribute a unique mix of expendable supplies, pyrotechnics, artificial snow, custom breakaway glass, set dec, special effects, and makeup effects.
Vancouver Prop and Costume offers over 40,000 sq ft. of merchandise with a vast majority in yard, street and outdoor items, from household furniture and decorative smalls to medical and lab equipment.
Propology, located in Burnaby, specializes in industrial & professional electronic devices as well as stocking fictitious items intended to portray novel or futuristic devices.
Last but not least is Can Am Boutiques — the only props warehouse I’ve had the pleasure of touring. In business for 38 years, it is the Disneyland of props. I was thoroughly impressed by the amount of inventory and sets available to a budding filmmaker. Sets for every genre. Science fiction, murder mystery, horror and nostalgic are just a few.
Combined, the prop shops in Vancouver have been responsible for movies and television series such as Flash, Arctic Air, Continuum, Once Upon A Time, Wayward Pines, TomorrowLand, iZombie, and The Dark Knight as well as 400 other productions.
Impressive.