Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1544153
2 PROP CULTURE I SPRING 2026 LETTER FROM THE EDITORS W e welcome you to the sixth issue of Prop Culture. As we step into our second year, we are just as excited and proud as when we released our very first issue, and even more so as we reflect on how much we have grown, not only in readership, but in contributors and the loyal readers who have embraced this magazine as their own. What began as a publication primarily for Property Masters and Property Assistants has expanded to include line producers, production designers, costume designers, production coordinators, actors, and even a production sustainability advisor, a reflection of how deeply the craft connects every corner of a set. We are also grateful for the film fans who pick up Prop Culture simply to gain an inside look at the work of the Property Department and a deeper appreciation for the objects that shape the stories they love. To our new readers joining us for the first time, we are glad you are here. This milestone means more to us than any page count or subscription number. It reflects a growing community of professionals that believes the work of the Property Department deserves a spotlight, and every contributor, interview, and reader email reminds us why we started in the first place. Thank you for trusting us with your work and for letting us tell your stories. With this spring issue, we lead with Brad Elliott's feature, "Building Culture Through Props," drawn from his experience as Property Master on Avatar: Fire and Ash. Working under James Cameron's exacting standards, Brad and his team approached every object as an expression of culture rather than simple set dressing. Each tribe's tools, weapons, instruments, and everyday items were designed through research, testing, and practical builds so that materials, technology, and color reflected independently evolved histories. Brad's article shows how authenticity, performance, and world-building intersect, and how a Property Department can define not just how a world looks, but how it lives and breathes. Lauren Shell joins us with "We Shall Be Monsters," an in-depth look at the design and creation of the props for Frankenstein and the extraordinary work of Property Master Christopher Geggie and his team. Drawing on conversations with the department, Lauren traces the build from antique sourcing and painstaking reproductions to fully practical hero pieces used on set. It is a vivid portrait of Guillermo del Toro's commitment to tangible filmmaking and of a Property Department whose craftsmanship, testing, and attention to detail helped ground this Gothic world in reality and gave the story its weight, texture, and heart. We also spotlight Susannah McCarthy and her thoughtful feature, "Details Matter: Props as Character Architecture," drawn from her work as Property Master on Task. Working closely with showrunner Brad Ingelsby and the cast, her article follows the careful research, consultation, and collaboration behind these decisions, showing how picture cars, accessories, hero props, and even animals are selected and built to feel authentic and story-driven. It is a precise and deeply human look at the craft, and a reminder that when props are right, they simply make the world feel true. Alongside these features, our regular columns return. "Dear Theresa and Scott" continues to tackle the questions that follow us from stage to stage and set to set. "Scene Stealers" celebrates those unforgettable objects that quietly take center frame. "The Prop Culture Club" keeps our community connected and curious. And of course, Frodis is back with another cartoon that once again hits close to home. Here is to spring, to another year of stories, and to the craft that keeps the background alive and the foreground believable. Thank you for reading. Thank you for subscribing. And thank you for doing what you do. Sincerely, Scott A. Buckwald, PMG and Theresa Corvino, PMG President Vice President Secretary Treasurer Parliamentarian Marketing Director Directors Global Ambassadors Committee Chairs Prop Culture Editors JEFFREY JOHNSON LAUREN SHELL COLIN BACH HEIDI KOLETO EMILY FERRY THERESA CORVINO MARY ARTHURS KURT BRUUN CHRIS CALL GUILLAUME DELOUCHE OLIVIA DOM BRAD ELLIOTT CHRIS HANSEN HUNTER NELSON HOPE PARRISH MIKEY TRUDEL KURT BRUUN BRITISH COLUMBIA, ALBERTA, MANITOBA, SASKATCHEWAN MARY ARTHURS ONTARIO REGION BRAD ELLIOTT AWARDS THERESA CORVINO AWARDS LAUREN SHELL AWARDS, HISTORICAL MELISSA McSORLEY EDUCATION & DIVERSITY IRA McALILEY EDUCATION & DIVERSITY CHRIS CALL EDUCATION & DIVERSITY POLA SHREIBER EDUCATION & DIVERSITY MIKEY TRUDEL MEMBERSHIP THERESA CORVINO SCOTT BUCKWALD T H E O F F I C I A L P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E P R O P E R T Y M A S T E R S G U I L D Prop Culture is published quarterly by the Property Masters Guild. 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