Not only do fake drugs in movies have to look accurate and be safe to ingest, they also need to act like the drugs. For example, tobacco can’t be substituted for cannabis because tobacco smoke isn’t as heavy as cannabis smoke and the difference is noticeable on camera.
The fake meth from “Breaking Bad” was made from rock candy. Additionally, different states of the drugs require different prop drugs. Fake powdered heroin can be created by combining pancake mix and cocoa powder, but melted heroin is made with brown sugar and water. To inject this fake heroin on camera, a special retractable needle is used that pushes the fake drugs into a hidden chamber in the syringe.
Most fake drugs are created from food or vitamins so that actors can safely ingest them. However, even with precautions in place, prop drugs can still be dangerous. Al Pacino suffered minor but permanent damage to his nasal passage after snorting a lot of cocaine on the set of “Scarface,” and Jonah Hill had to be hospitalized after he got bronchitis from snorting too much Vitamin D powder on the set of “The Wolf of Wall Street.”
If actors want to avoid ingesting drugs altogether, a suction rig can be constructed that sucks up fake powdered drugs through a concealed tube like they did in “Sorry to Bother You.” We talked to the owner of Barkode Props, prop master Joel Barkow, who showed us the tricks of the trade.
MORE MOVIES INSIDER VIDEOS:
9 Movie Props And Effects Made To Look Real | Movies Insider
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28y2KIaROWM
How Scarlett Johansson Gets In Shape For Marvel Movies | Movies Insider
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQxBF_Qww0U&t=91s
How Rats Are Trained For TV & Movies | Movies Insider
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSgyyOaELKs
——————————————————
#MovieProps #Movies #Insider
Insider is great journalism about what passionate people actually want to know. That’s everything from news to food, celebrity to science, politics to sports and all the rest. It’s smart. It’s fearless. It’s fun. We push the boundaries of digital storytelling. Our mission is to inform and inspire.
Subscribe to our channel and visit us at: https://www.insider.com
Insider on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/insider/
Insider on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/insider/
Insider on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thisisinsider
Insider on Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/discover/Insider/4020934530
Insider on Amazon Prime: https://www.amazon.com/v/thisisinsider
Insider on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@insider
Insider on Dailymotion: https://www.dailymotion.com/INSIDER
How Fake Drugs Are Made For Movies | Movies Insider
source