ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Decorations for a space ship, antique equipment for a science lab, and old lockers for a make-believe high school. There are all kinds of things inside a CNM-owned warehouse and the movie industry is taking notice.
“You never know what is going to rent,” said Mark Duran, CNM’s Film Resources Manager.
As Duran, who has 25-years experience in the movie industry, walks through a spacious warehouse at 1008 Coal Avenue, he walks by rooms filled with beauty salon equipment, old western decor and all the trimmings for a mad scientist’s lab.
“You’d be surprised how things like that, with authenticity, are sought after,” said Duran.
Inside this growing movie prop warehouse, the walls full of phones don’t ring, the pianos don’t play and old western stagecoaches don’t roll anymore. But to a movie set decorator, that doesn’t matter.
“Pretty much everything in the building is available to rent when a shopper or set decorator comes in to see what our inventory,” said Duran.
Most of the props in the building were once part of real CNM classrooms, like all the science and cosmetology equipment.
“A lot of this was stuff that had been purchased with a life span, everything has a time frame. Once it goes through the lifespan it became obsolete,” said Duran.
Instead of trashing it, two years ago CNM started repurposing it to help New Mexico’s growing movie industry.
“A prop house is really something that plays a critical role for that,” said Samantha Sengel, Vice President of CNM.
Sengel says renting locally saves productions money and set directors seem to enjoy their set-up, which features props neatly organized into individual rooms.
“We have the opportunity in this space to showcase what’s available and have folks be able to walk around,” said Sengel.
Sengel says they’ve already worked with more than 20 productions.
“You will likely find some of these items on the set of Better Call Saul, Longmire and Roswell,” said Sengel.
CNM says in the first year, they rented about 600 items, the next was 1,200 and they’re on track to double that this year.
For more information about Props and Film Resources, or to arrange a tour, please send an email to propsandfilm@cnm.edu or call 505-224-ITEM (4836).
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