Prop money. Apparently, it’s a business within show business. Phony money for film. When you think about it, it makes sense. Fake money doesn’t walk away from a set. Or does it?
In the 2001 movie Rush Hour 2, Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan find themselves being showered with dollars in one of the final scenes, as well as the box office. Money rains down upon the duo and a cast of extras in the epic action. So it’s no surprise that shortly after the Vegas shoot was wrapped, several of the bills hit the strip. And even though the notes were clearly fake and intentionally marked so by several measures, (In God We Trust was changed to In Dog We Trust, for example) a large number actually wound up in circulation. The Feds were not amused. They accused the prop maker, Independent Studio Services, of counterfeiting, and ordered a cease and desist on their prop printing operation.
This brings to mind a couple of perplexing things to consider.
What’s a director to do when Walt’s stack of cash needs to look really real in Breaking Bad? And how the heck did fake bills emblazoned with In Dog We Trust get past cashiers? IN VEGAS?
At ARCA, we make technology that helps prevent such incidents created by counterfeit notes. To learn more, please take a look at our own little movie below.