Dennis Parrish has brought movies to life for nearly 50 years. From movies such as "Gangs of New York" to "The Aviator," Parrish's job as a prop master has been invaluable when creating these authentic and vivid stories. On Sept. 26, he proved to be an important asset to Johnny Carson School students as well.
"Dennis is one of the top prop people in the business," Research Assistant Professor of Film Sandy Veneziano said. "I knew right off the bat that he would be a great source for the students to learn mainly about props and about what a prop master does as well as to learn about cooperation and collaboration which is a key in film making."
Veneziano was able to first meet Parrish while working as artistic director for the film "Nebraska." Parrish's daughter, Hope, who has also visited the Carson School, takes after her father and was prop master for the movie. When Dennis and his wife came to visit Hope, Veneziano knew he would be good for her students because of his extensive resume and his approachable demeanor.
"He's down to earth," Veneziano said. "I try to bring in people who don't have giant egos so that they can talk to the students and so the students can feel comfortable asking questions."
Scenic design graduate student Michaela Stein, who also had the chance to speak with his daughter Hope when she visited two years ago, appreciated and was enlightened from interacting with the Parrish family.
"It's inspiring to talk to a family who has made [prop mastery] their business." Stein said. "Hearing them talk about how they view the entertainment industry and how they're having fun as opposed to the business side is reassuring."
Freshman acting major Hunter Mruz found Parrish's visit particularly helpful. As someone who is fresh to the college acting scene, his visit widened his scope of how theatre is a collaborative art.
"It was great to listen to him," Mruz said. "Now I understand what a prop master does on set, and so if I ever get to work in film it's going to help me recognize their job so we can hopefully work better together."
As someone who brings life to sets, Parrish walked away from the master class leaving students with the impression that Hollywood isn't as emotionless as it would seem.
"He still puts an emphasis on how [making movies] is about the people," Stein said. "He just exudes passion about everything he does. He never spoke ill of [the industry]. After hearing him talk about that, it makes you think 'Yeah, I'm ready. Let's do this."
--Emily Kuklinski, Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film