Preparing Props

    In my movie opening, I'll be filming with 4 key props: the journal, the feather pen, the noose, and the earring. I have to figure out how to arrange and make these props realistic and accurate by their wear and look.

Prop #1: Lily's Journal

    In the 19th century, journals were hardly seen wrapped in paper but instead in materials like leather or wool. This was because most people carried their journals with them to many places, and their covers had to be durable and long-lasting since they weren't just sitting pretty on a shelf for eternity. I would also like for Lily's journal to have a kind of strap to close it shut for her to be able to tuck her feather pen into. Since she actually needs to write in the journal and it can't just be a prop to look at on the outside, I'd have to actually purchase one. I don't have much of a budget, though, so the next best choice is to find something cheap and inaccurate but film from angles where it looks fitting for Lily. Also, the wool journals I've looked into have ranged $10-$30, while the leather ones ranged $20-$50, so there's clearly a better option here.

Prop #2: Her Quill Pen

    It would be way too complicated for me to obtain and learn how to write with an actual quill and its ink in time for the filming, but after a bit of research, I found that today's ballpoint pen idea was actually patented in 1888, which is in the time frame of my story and would allow me to use it. To break it down, the way quill pens work is that one would take a feather (usually goose), hollow out the middle with a long needle, and sharpen the end into a point to be able to store ink up there and write smoothly. At the time of its invention, this pen was revolutionary because the previous solutions either smudged too easily or took eons to dry. However, quill pens had the pitfall of not being exactly portable because of the ink they had to be dipped in. How to fix it? Keep the ink permanently in the pen. For its nostalgia and the feeling it adds to my scene, I'll use a quill that is simply a disguised ballpoint pen. These are very easy to obtain, and I shouldn't have a problem with the budget since they're popular and overall cheap.

Prop #3: Rose's Noose

    This is the easiest part of the props. While it has the most impact in the opening, the hangman's knot is a simple tie of rope hung around a tree that I could easily make. The above pictures display modern nooses, but in the 19th century, the knots were much simpler. Nowadays, when tying a noose, one must tie the rope around itself 13 times for the 13 colonies when used in protest and then perform an elaborate twist at the bottom. In the Regency Era, they didn't have knowledge of this yet, and a simple double knot would do even if they were protesting. When used in my film opening, I'm planning on making it very short and cutting off the middle to show that somebody was cut out of it. I have rope in my garage, so this prop is simple and free!

Prop #4: Rose's Earring

    The earring in the grass is a clue that it belonged to a woman, and it lying directly beneath the noose is a clue that it belonged to whoever hung themselves there. The earring shot isn't very complicated, and I don't need to purchase or research it since the scene is something of my own imagination. I'll be using one of mine or my mom's earrings and ensuring the sun shines on it at just the right angle so it sparkles and Lily notices it. I'm likely going to edit the shine to exaggerate it and make it more noticeable.

Final Note:

It's more than likely I already have rope in my garage and I definitely already own a fitting earring, so all I have to purchase is Lily's journal and pen. I'm going to the mall later today and will hopefully find these props. See you tomorrow, Cambridge!

Fabric Snap Closure Lined Journal Gray - Gartner Studios: Lay-Flat Ruled Notebook, 120 Pages, Flexible Cover, Teen & Adult. (2020). Target.com. https://www.target.com/p/fabric-snap-closure-lined-journal-gray-gartner-studios/-/A-54158639#lnk=sametab

Konig, D. T. (2020, January 16). The Deliberate Knot - Common Reader. Common Reader. https://commonreader.wustl.edu/c/the-deliberate-knot/

Leavey, T. C. (2020). 19th Century (1800s) paper and journals. Ushist.com. https://www.ushist.com/props/writing-equipment_paper-journals.shtml

Quill – Facts and History of Quill Pen. (2024). Historyofpencils.com. https://www.historyofpencils.com/writing-instruments-history/history-of-quill-pens/

Redirect Notice. (2025). Google.com. https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FTraveler-Vintage-Handmade-Notebook-Himalayas%2Fdp%2FB01MTJ24JR&psig=AOvVaw36cnAAYg4BhU_sulRBvzvp&ust=1740417028357000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBQQjRxqFwoTCPDSruqk2osDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE

Wilson, A. (2023, March 16). The History of Pens. Executive Pens Direct. https://www.executivepensdirect.com/en-us/blogs/help-advice/the-history-of-pens