What’s Prop Money?

Prop money’s just fake cash made for movies, TV, music videos, photoshoots—pretty much anything on camera where you need money that looks real, but isn’t. Up close, it’s got markings or design tweaks you can spot if you look, so nobody can use it as actual currency. The point is to make something that looks like real money in a shot, without breaking the law or risking actual cash on set.

Why Do Productions Even Bother?

Real money on set? Almost never happens. Prop money’s just easier all around:

Safety—No one wants a set full of cash. That’s just asking for trouble.
Cost—Some scenes need huge stacks, sometimes a million dollars or more. Who’s fronting that?
Convenience—Directors can rip, burn, toss, or scatter prop bills without freaking out.
Legality—You can’t just copy or mess with real bills for a film. That’s illegal.
So, prop money exists to keep things safe, legal, and convincing.

Different Kinds of Prop Money

You get a few options, depending on what the shot needs:

Full-Print Prop Money: Looks real on both sides. Perfect for close-ups or when actors actually handle the cash. Always marked with stuff like “For Motion Picture Use Only.”
Partial-Print or One-Sided Bills: Only one side looks real. Useful for background piles or shots where nobody’s looking too close. Cheaper to make.
Filler Stacks: Only the top bill looks good—the rest are just blank sheets. Ideal for stuffing safes or bags to make it look like a lot of cash.
Each type balances how real it looks, how much it costs, and how safe it is legally.

How’s Prop Money Made?

A few companies specialize in this. They use high-contrast printing so the cash pops on camera, and sometimes they’ll make the bills look worn or brand new, depending on the scene. They tweak the size, colors, and add disclaimers so they’re not breaking any laws. The paper even feels right, but it’s not quite the same as real money. The best vendors stick to strict rules to avoid any counterfeiting problems.

Is Prop Money Legal?

Yep—as long as you follow the rules. Legal prop money has to:

Be a different size than real bills
Look noticeably different in color or detail
Show disclaimers like:
“FOR MOTION PICTURE USE ONLY”
“COPY MONEY”
“NOT LEGAL TENDER”
Never, ever use it as real money. Trying to spend prop bills is a federal crime, even if you didn’t make them yourself.

When Do People Use Prop Money?

Anytime real money would be risky or a hassle. You see it in:

Action scenes
Bank heists
Drug deals (on screen, of course)
Music videos
Comedies and spoofs
Product shots
Social media
Magic tricks
Training for law enforcement or banks
Basically, any setup where using actual cash is just asking for trouble.

Why Not Just Use Real Money?

It’s not worth it. Real cash can get stolen, needs security and insurance, might get blown up or wrecked during a stunt, takes forever to track and count, and brings a whole mess of legal headaches. Prop money just makes life easier.

Where Do You Get Prop Money?

Go with pros. Some of the top vendors:

PropMoney.com
Prop Movie Money
Dependable Expendables
Strobe Props
NewRuleFX
They make safe, legal, camera-ready cash in all sorts of styles and denominations.

Tips for Shooting with Prop Money

Use the full-print stuff for close-ups.
Stick to filler stacks or one-sided bills for background shots.
Add a bit of motion blur if you want to hide small details.
For music videos, age the bills just a little—they’ll look more convincing.
And always keep prop money locked up when you’re not shooting. You don’t want it getting mixed up with the real thing.