$50,000 Prop Money

A bundle of cash is a powerful emotional trigger.  In fact, human brain scans have shown that the idea of money stimulates the same primal pleasure centers as food, sex and cocaine.  So what does this tell you?  That if you’re going to use prop money in your film or photograph, you must make it look as real as possible for maximum impact.  Here is an abridged how-to guide to making a top-notch bundle of prop money:

1. By a package of manilla-colored paper at your local Staples office supply store.  Have employees in the Copy Center cut it into 6 1/4″ by 2 5/8″ slips.  This will run you $40-$45 altogether.
2. Get a stack of 100 one-dollar bills.
3. Compress the stack of real bills, then create five stacks of the paper slips that are the same thickness as the real deal.  NOTE: It is the thickness of the stacks you want to match, not the unit count.
4. Take each stack of slips, spread them out, and wrinkle them up some.  Don’t go nuts, just get each bill a little rumpled, then re-stack the slips.
5. Sand the sides of each stack with some light grit sandpaper.  This will give them the same ratty edges as circulated currency.
6. Lightly airbrush the sides of the stacks with a solution of: one part black acrylic paint, one part olive green acrylic paint, and eighteen parts water or thinner.  Compare the color to your stack of real bills and airbrush to match.
7. Now you need two real $100 bills for the top and bottom of your $50k bundle.  I can’t recommend that you scan and print the bills, because that’s illegal.  But if you were to scan and print, you’d probably want to give each bill face a once-over with your airbrush solution just to add some age and organic color.
8. Buy a bundle of $10,000 cash straps at Staples.com.
9. Strap all five stacks of your prop money with a face bill on the top of your top stack and on the bottom of your bottom stack.
10. Cut apart a couple of vinyl sheet protectors into flat, single sheets of plastic.
11. Use the sheets, along with some clear packing tape, to wrap the five stacks together into a $50,000 bundle.

You’ll love not only the realistic look of your prop money, but also the hefty weight.  I actually made a $100k bundle and gave it to a friend at his birthday dinner.  People passed it around the table like the golden phone at the meeting of the five families in The Godfather.  You’ll blow people’s minds.  Enjoy!