Prop Store of London on BBC1 Last Night

[Prop Store]

So last night the hobby of collecting movie props and costumes managed to get quite a substantial plug on "The One Show" one of the UK's most watched evening chat shows - nightly at 7pm BBC1. Averages around 5.4 million viewers per show...

We had a team down to film an interview a few weeks ago with both myself as a 'professional' within the hobby and Andy from a collectors perspective.

This report was generally based around alternative investments due to the current credit crunch - part of a series of weekly spots looking an alternatives to putting your money into a bank or property.

We spent some time persuading them that the hobby had a great deal more depth than just 'how much money can I make' and I think they managed to present a reasonably well rounded overview.

As to be expected we had no control over the final edit and so some of the points that I really wanted to get across were cut and other info that they've used on their web site is a little miscommunicated and taken out of context. Generally I feel that they managed to glean an understanding of the hobby and perhaps pass that onto people who have never heard of these items as collectibles.

Here's a link to the main segment:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/theoneshow/article/2008/06/dld_filmprops.shtml


Stephen

 

[Lancer]

did you guys manage to get in anything about the stupid UK ban regarding replica non firing prop weapons at all?

 

[G17RDY]

I think its great you guys got some prime screen time on TV, however i think after watching the clip of the video, i get the impression it was all about making money.
My main fear with this is, that we would start to see people buying up movie props, just to make money, and will have no interest in prop collecting. Of course great for sellers, but pretty poor for us avid collectors, as all this will do will drive prices of props up.

I would like to see a feature done by the BBC, or any other channel, documenting our hobby. Showing it for what it is, not just a way to make money. Also raising the profile of the UK ban on replica firearms, showing just how silly it all is. Perhaps we should approach the BBC and put some ideas their way!!

However, All that being said, no harm to Propstore, looks to me like the BBC just wanted to make a feature on investing. I think Propstore does a fantastic job of, on a daily basis providing us with excellent movie props. Keep up the good work boys.

PS, would love a tour of your offices / warehouse, you should charge admission and start doing tours, i'd be first in the queue.

 

[frosty]

Lets face it, it is about making money, and as much money as can be gotten, this whole side of the hobby started out with dumpster diving at the studios, people gathering props and passing them on for a small profit, its now escalated into a huge money making business, and the studios now are aware of it, and getting a piece of the pie.
As an investment, some of these things are not going to last, especially foam latex props, or masks etc, maybe twenty years, more if its looked after.
The mind boggles at some of the prices being asked for stuff these days

 

[Birdie]

I nearly fell out of my armchair when that came on last night

I actually thought it was an okay slot, at least they gave it more than the usual ten seconds, emphasized the importance of research and treated the subject without the usual 'geek' associations.

 

[zorg]

a lot of cool stuff there, i noticed that dog from labyrinth wampa restored.

i think if i had a tour in there my pokets would be filled by the time i left.

you have far too much stuff, i could help you store some of it at my house.

z

 

[niennumb1]

I can't view the article!

I get props from movies I LOVE, not to try and sell it later on hoping to make a few bucks. Sure over the years anything you get can prove to be a worth investment if you planned to retire later, but you should get stuff because you like it and not because you think it'll be worth something someday.

I did that when I was a lot younger with some toys. Action figures that were supposedly rare or getting things only because they were exclusive. In the end it was just a big money pit and was a bunch of nonsense because I didn't necessarily enjoy 100% what I bought, just knowing that it was supposedly rare and hard to find. I stopped that mentality a long time ago and found it to me much more rewarding getting the things you love and if they end up being worth a ton some day then awesome.

Of course if you're on the business side and this is what you do then my post was pretty pointless. I spoke from the hobby/fan perspective of myself.

 

[Great_Bizarro]

I had to download Real Player 10 and install it to view the vid from Firefox. Not a bad piece, too short though.

 

[Apollo]

Nice to see some recognition for ya!

As far as the money thing goes, anything that gets mainstreamed, prices always go up and with the nature of the beast, ie Props, since there are few price will always be a factor.

I remember in 1976 I had the chance to buy a Screen-used Tunic from Trek TOS but I did'nt have the 2000.00 for it! :lol

Man how times have changed!!

 

[Trilogy]

I unfortunately missed this when screened.
Thankfully due to the wonders of the internet, I've just watched the clip on-line.
Although a little short, it's great to see this hobby get some prime time.