Back to the Past: A Look at the Lost Artform of Believable and Effective Prop-Building in Film

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Title: Back to the Past: A Look at the Lost Artform of Believable and Effective Prop-Building in Film
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Description: The purpose of this project is to demonstrate the effectiveness and art form behind prop-making, particularly in more classic film as opposed to modern film, via a combination of traditional research alongside a combination of my own personal creative interests and engineering knowledge acquired from my tenure at the California University of Pennsylvania. A large portion of this thesis utilizes the DeLorean Time Machine, more specifically the “Time Circuits” and “TFC Drive Switch,” from the 1985 film Back to the Future as a foundation for visualizing the appeal, functionality, and believability of movie props and the effect it has on its audience, notably the inspiration to build working replicas of the in-universe technology seen on screen. The main visual aid is a recreation of the “TFC Drive Switch” as it appears in Back to the Future, built and wired by me to, not only resemble the prop as seen in the modified DMC-12 sports cars, but also work and operate (in a purely aesthetic sense) as shown on camera. Further research came from analysis of the film’s production and script, personal interactions with other members of the time machine replica community, and previously published studies focused on similar ideas., Honors Thesis Advisor : Dr. Craig Fox, PhD.
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Contributor: Urban, Daniel W. (Author), California University of Pennsylvania. Honors Program.
Date: 2021-04-21
Type: Text
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Identifier: cali:2248
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