Prop Making Materials: Wood, Polystyrene, Metal and More
Working with a set construction team to create props means that we can turn our hand to almost any material, technique and finish.
Working with Wood
Wood is one of the most versatile and reliable materials in our prop-making toolkit. We can use it for a vast range of projects including intricate period furniture to large-scale structures. Wood allows for precision, strength, and character, especially when used in combination with traditional joinery or turning techniques.
Take for example our work on the critically acclaimed Paramount+ series A Gentleman in Moscow.
Bentwood Chairs – A Gentleman in Moscow
We recreated a suite of Otto Wagner-style bentwood armchairs for A Gentleman in Moscow, designed to reflect the 1920s setting of the Metropole Hotel, Manchester.
The wood components were steam formed off-site, to a specific period design. Each chair was then assembled with brass detailing and painted and polished in-house. Durable enough for filming and historically accurate, these chairs combined shaping, joinery and metalwork in one elegant build.
Creating matching sets like these demonstrates our ability to build multiples to spec, a key strength in high-end production design.
Matching sets of bentwood chairs for A Gentleman in Moscow.
Cabinet Table – This England
We constructed a replica of the Downing Street cabinet room table for This England, working from detailed reference to match scale and form.
Always covered with the familiar green baize, the tabletop was unseen and so made of MDF, whereas the pedestal legs were a feature and seen throughout and were duly created in the Totom workshop. A robust underlying framework was necessary for such a long table. Totom’s cabinet making experience was deployed, coupled with the scenic painter’s rich mahogany finish.
The Art Department asked Totom to make the charming pencil holders which are traditionally set down the middle of table. A wonderful detail which were authentically handmade and polished by us.
Recreated Cabinet Room table, built to scale with period features and handmade detailing
Carving with Polystyrene
Polystyrene ranks very highly with prop making specialists like us because it’s fantastically versatile, easy to carve, densely strong and extremely light weight. It’s particularly effective when emulating natural surfaces like rock, bark, or tree trunks.
Totom collaborates with a handful of talented poly carvers who are based in our workshop. Almost any shape or surface can be formed by hand using simple but effective tools, including:
- Hot-wire cutters
- Serrated saws
- Knives
- Rasps
- Sandpaper
This hands-on technique makes polystyrene an ideal choice for naturalistic forms and sculptural pieces, as shown in the examples below.
Full scale tree – Red Riding Hood
One of Totom’s largest prop builds to date, the Red Riding Hood tree began with a concept sketch from Production Designer Brian Sykes. The completed structure combined scenery and bespoke prop carving.
Polystyrene blocks were fixed around a strong timber framework, forming the branches and roots. Sections of poly could be glued and wired around the wooden former. The tree would stand alone, with this strong internal structure, the roots and branches being polystyrene and weighing very little.
The poly carver could work into the blocks, sculpting the shapes and creating a variety of organic textures. Scenic painters added depth and colour with multiple layers of paint, and the final surface was dressed with moss to complete the natural woodland effect.
Brian Sykes Quote “The director wanted the WOLF’S LAIR to be magical and it certainly was. Totom did a beautiful job, delivering it at a restricted cost. David Walliams personally complimented the construction and art department, to me on set one day.”
Large-scale carved tree prop for Red Riding Hood, created from polystyrene blocks.
Aztec archway – Cleaner
For Cleaner, to produce this intricately sculpted Aztec entranceway, Totom chose polystyrene as their preferred material. The scale and detailing could be handled most efficiently by working with blocks of polystyrene and a skilled poly carver. It was finished with a coat of resin for durability and then brushed in gold paint, with gold leaf highlights that gave it richness and presence on set.
The huge sculpture was placed in the centre of the Gala Room set of ‘Cleaner’, presenting the head of an Aztec god, encircled by motifs from the ancient world. This dramatic structure reinforced the Production Designer’s theme of wealth and power, shining out against the rich darkness of the drapery.
Intricate polystyrene sculpture for Cleaner, finished with resin and gold detailing.
Building with Metal
At Totom, we use metalwork when structural integrity is key – whether for large outdoor builds, detailed decorative features, or elements that need to carry weight or withstand pressure.
Our team works across techniques including welding, plasma cutting, shaping and finishing, often combining metal with wood, acrylics or scenic elements to suit the brief. The result may look ornamental or industrial, but the precision behind it is the same.
Here’s some insights into how we’ve used metal in prop making:
Balustrade – This England
The staircase balustrade for This England was a faithful recreation of the one inside 10 Downing Street’s iconic Great Staircase. We worked from photographic and architectural references to replicate the distinctive scrolling design, capturing its elegance while ensuring it met safety standards for use on set.
Faithful replica of the 10 Downing Street staircase balustrade, built for This England.
Buckingham Palace Gates – Scoop
Recreating the grandeur of the Buckingham Palace gates for Scoop involved a pairing of both metalwork and woodwork to produce an exact replica of the real gates. Where the gates were used in a practical way during the action, metal was used, the remainder being CNC cut from wood. The paint finish of black and gold married the two materials. While they looked heavy and ornamental, they were designed to transport easily and assemble quickly, and avoided the cost of fabricating the entire structure in solid metal.
Installed on location, the gates served as a recognisable visual anchor for exterior scenes.
In our workshop, metal is more than structural, it’s part of the design language. With the right tools and experience, it becomes a material that’s both practical and expressive.
Metal and wood replica of the Buckingham Palace gates, designed for fast installation.
Next in the series, we’ll explore how CNC and 3D printing support fast, precise and repeatable prop builds.
In the meantime, get in touch if you’d like to discuss your next brief.
email us at info@totom.co.uk,
or call on 01494 437 456
by Totom