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  • Is this food making you hungry?

  • Well, don't try to take a bite, because these delicious-looking foods are actually fake.

  • (How fake food is made for TV and movies)

  • TV shows and movies will try to use real foods on screen when possible, but there a number of reasons why food props might be used instead.

  • For example, if ice cream is used, they don't want it to melt between takes, or if you need a lot of food in the background of a shot.

  • Companies like Independent Studio Services and Display Fake Foods offer pre-made food props that can be ordered in bulk.

  • But oftentimes, movies need items specially made.

  • That's when they seek out a fake food artist, like Lisa Friedman.

  • For people who need something specific, that's why they reach out to me.

  • I'm an artist⏤I went to school for artand I also love to cook and bake.

  • There's not a lot of us out there that do this.

  • Brenda Chapman also makes fake foods in Oklahoma.

  • I just, kind of, figure it out.

  • So⏤I've had no formal training, didn't go to college.

  • [I] Started this just so I could be a stay-at-home mom with my kids.

  • Both women work out of studios in their homes.

  • They can recreate pretty much anything.

  • Much of their day-to-day business is in restaurant displays and food shows.

  • But prop masters will contact them if they need food items for movies.

  • In the last 20 years, I've done almost 3 million dollars' worth of... of fake-food business.

  • Brenda has had her work featured in a number of productions.

  • For "Glee", she made some ice cream for this diner scene.

  • In their diner scene, they wanted milk shakes and hot fudge sundaes and banana splits that were new, half-eaten, quarter-eaten so that they could switch them out during the... the takes.

  • She says you don't always know where your food will end up.

  • Like when some of her items popped up in "The Muppets".

  • When Miss Piggy eats my doughnuts, I didn't realize that they had bought my doughnuts.

  • [French] Mademoiselle Cochonne?

  • Can't you see I'm busy?

  • Of course.

  • And sometimes, your food doesn't even make the final cut.

  • "Thor" actuthe movie actually bought, like, 500 dollars' worth of doughnuts, and they had a building that said Donut Shop or Donut Planet.

  • They never went inside, so I didn't see my doughnuts; I was very sad.

  • Here's a creamsicle Lisa Friedman made that was featured in a scene from "Kevin (Probably) Saves the World".

  • - The coldest thing they have. - Oh, thank you.

  • I guess his eye was swollen; he got hit in it.

  • While the details may vary based on the artist, the creation process is pretty standard.

  • We stopped by Lisa Friedman's home in New York to see how she makes her fake foods.

  • After the order is submitted, typically, the customer will send her a real version of the food they want duplicated.

  • Then she will produce a mold out of the item to get the exact size and shape.

  • We try to mold it close to the color so that we're not starting with a blank white canvas.

  • Typically, fake foods are made with rubber or foam.

  • She pours the material into the mold and lets it set.

  • Foam rises like actual dough, so she needs to prevent it from spilling out.

  • It's like I'm baking a cake, right? I'm baking my bread.

  • Then she sands the excess pieces down.

  • Once the item is dry, it's painted and detailed to look like real food.

  • With my background in painting, I can color it to be as, you know, as realistic as it is.

  • You just, kind of, have to look at things a little differently, and think, "Okay, it's not made for this but it does look like this."

  • We douse a lot of styrofoams, a lot of... just... stuff from the local hardware store, you know, caulking and drywall patching and sheetrock mud.

  • To replicate granola and ground beef, Lisa uses crushed cork board.

  • Cork is, kind of, like, breaks up like granola, so we took some cork boards and we started breaking it down.

  • Sometimes, real food is used.

  • Like covering actual popcorn, cereal, or candy in resin to preserve it.

  • It's often hard to tell the finished product from the original.

  • I don't do this for the money.

  • It's, kind of, more for the accolades, when my customers write, "Oh, I love it; it came out great."

  • And while these items might make your mouth water, they're only a feast for your eyes.

Is this food making you hungry?

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