Prop Maker Ross MacDonald talks about National Treasure: Book of Secrets and more

The Staffa Corner

Ross MacDonald is a man of many talents. His illustrations have appeared in Vanity Fair, The New York Times, The New Yorker, Newsweek, Time, and Rolling Stone. He’s written and illustrated several children’s books and a couple of adult humor books.

He’s also created props for over 100 movies and television shows, including Greyhound, Zombieland: Double Tap, John Wick, and more. Some of his memorable creations include thePawnee Charter from the series Parks and Rec and the book of secrets from National Treasure: Book of Secrets.

What I admire about MacDonald’s work is the level of detail that goes into a prop that might only be seen for a split second. It’s riveting to hear him talk about seemingly mundane things like font types and what goes into creating period pieces. I especially enjoyed listening to him share examples of how circus posters were made and what goes into recreating them.

It was surprising to learn how much communication goes into certain props. To be honest, I assumed some assistant would call someone like MacDonald and tell him, ‘We need a tobacco tin from the 1800s.’ One would be fabricated and shipped off to Hollywood. Instead, it’s much more of a collaboration process.

I was absolutely riveted to his story of the hurdles he faced creating a particular prop forBoardwalk Empire, not to mention the moral aspects of it all. The creative solution to making something authentic to the time while not compromising your integrity is an aspect I never thought about while watching some of the darker shows on television.

I sincerely appreciated talking to MacDonald. As both a historian and teacher, you can hear the passion in his voice as he talks about the past and his efforts to be as authentic as possible. It’s a work ethic that seems rare these days.

I hope you enjoy listening to him as much as I did. For more on Ross MacDonald’s work you can check him out at https://www.ross-macdonald.com