As someone who works in, writes about, and is an all-around fan of the film business, I have devoured many non-fiction books on various aspects of the industry, especially biographies. These have generally been the life and career stories of actors, directors, producers, and film editors (my own profession), but until I stumbled across a copy of They Don’t Pay Me To Say No, I had never read the story of a prop master, much less one who works primarily in Alberta and BC!
Dean Goodine didn’t end up doing props for film & TV because of family connections, stage experience, or even a passion for firearms. By his account, he fell into the craft by almost pure chance during his time as a radio student at Calgary’s Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) in the mid-1980s. Some friends in the adjoining film program were seeking extra help with set dressing for a locally-shot TV show, Hamilton’s Quest and once Dean tasted the wacky world of securing a wide diaspora of items for characters to handle, he left school in his second year and never looked back.
For the uninitiated, a prop master is in charge of ensuring that any object that the characters directly handle (guns, books, food, etc.) is secured and camera-ready. Some props can be bought (an antique store was cleaned out for Clint Eatwood’s final western Unforgiven) whereas others need to be built from scratch (any sci-fi or fantasy show). Working with a props department crew that can number anywhere from 3 to 30 people (depending on budget and scale), the prop master works to guarantee that whatever prop the director needs is picture perfect and functional by the time the cameras are ready to roll.
Dean relates the story of his 36+ year career via compulsively relatable prose with ample doses of detail and good humour. I’ve often heard film sets described as a “military circus” and Dean’s various stories fit that bill to a T including his struggles trying to secure a WWI-era German cannon for Legends of the Fall, navigating the 1993 Oscars after his set-decorator wife Janice received a nomination, encountering the Stanley Cup during the shoot for a 3D hockey film, dealing with the wildly enthusiastic Stargate fandom, and a wild helicopter ride through the BC bush for a production that for NDA-related reasons goes unnamed.
By virtue of being based in Alberta for most of his career (he now resides in Summerland, BC), one of Dean’s specialties was westerns which necessitated becoming an expert on various firearms. Given the thousands of rounds of blank ammunition fired on his sets over the years, Dean naturally stresses the paramount importance of safety and never backing down in the face of unsafe requests from directors. The book’s epilogue is dedicated to stressing the importance of mentorship, professionalism, and a dedication to safety on sets to avoid tragedies like the accidental shooting of cinematographer Halayna Hutchins in 2021.
Being a props master isn’t simply about the inanimate objects, but also about the relationships. Since they are the ones ultimately using the props, actors often consult directly with the prop master about props for their characters and directors also have to sign off on their use. While much is taken care of in prep, Dean often finds himself on the tail-end of last minute requests including a fantasy-inspired harpoon gun for Series of Unfortunate Events, and a brown-paper wrapped package for The Incredible Hulk which he had to whip up with spare parts in the wilds of Bella Coola! While Dean has much respect for committed professional industry veterans like Clint Eastwood, Barry Sonnenfeld, his prop master mentor Jimmy Chow, and legendary production designer Henry Bumstead, he has a clear disdain for cheapskate hacks who disrespect and sometimes even jeopardise the safety of their crews. The latter are left deservedly unnamed.
One curious drawback to the book is the almost complete and utter-lack of photos. Surely such a visually-oriented profession world warranty at least a smattering of captioned pictures of the various props Dean describes. I suspect that some non-disclosure-agreements and perhaps a preference for personal privacy are the reason that the only picture we get is the cover photo of Dean carrying a fake cow to some unnamed set.
Whether you’re an industry-veteran or a casual channel (or streaming?)-surfer, Dean Goodine’s superb book will prove nearly impossible to put down and really only disappoint when it ends. But given that the man is still quite active in the industry (his latest credit being Peter and Wendy for Disney+), it’s not impossible that we may be blessed with an updated version of this volume in the future. Meanwhile, rumour has it that Janice is working on a book on her own set decorating career. Fans of this book should definitely stay tuned.
8.5/10
They Don’t Pay Me To Say No is available on Amazon, Chapters-Indigo, and likely wherever else fine film books are sold.