Props · Furniture · Set dressing
Keeping good stock out of the skip
When a film or TV production wraps, we collect the usable stock, catalogue it and get as much of it as we can back into the industry. Productions can hire or purchase, as we want to be as flexible as possible to suit each job's needs.
Every piece that comes through our doors is one that didn't end up as waste. That's how we judge whether we're doing our job.
Making film and TV more sustainable, one item at a time
The greenest prop is the one that already exists.
Every chair, rug, book or vase we get back into circulation is one that doesn't need to be made, bought or built from scratch, and one that doesn't get thrown away.
For us, reuse isn't a nice extra. It's the whole point.
- 1stBack into productionAlways first
- 2ndSold on
- 3rdDonated
- 4thRecycled
- LastThrown awayLast resort
If we can't move an item onto another production, we sell it on, donate it or recycle it. Throwing it away is the very last option.
Your sustainability report. Once most of the items from your production have been rehoused, we'll send you a sustainability document showing exactly what we've saved.
An industry where reusing props and set dressing is normal practice, not the exception
Set decorators and buyers checking what's already out there before building or buying new.
Props, furniture and set dressing moving freely between productions, picking up new stories as they go.
Skips at the end of a strike holding only the things that genuinely can't be used again.
Second Take is one part of that. We want to be the first call productions make, whether they need stock or need to clear it.
Started by people who work in film and TV
We've stood on stages at the end of a shoot watching perfectly good furniture, rugs, books and ornaments go into skips, often knowing full well that something almost identical would be bought for the next job.
Second Take came out of that frustration. We wanted somewhere for that stock to land when a production ends, so it could be put to good use in a second life instead of being binned.
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STEP 1
End-of-production clear-outs
When a production wraps, we'll come and take the stock that would otherwise be skipped, and we'll do it quickly. We work to your strike schedule, not ours, so clearing a set responsibly doesn't hold anyone up.
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STEP 2
Transport and labour, at no cost to you
We bring the transport and the crew to get everything out. We make our money at the other end, by hiring and selling the stock.
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STEP 3
Cataloguing and care
Everything we take in is sorted, checked and catalogued so it's easy to find when someone needs it. If a piece needs a bit of attention, we'll clean or repair it where it makes sense, so it's ready to go back to work.
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STEP 4
Hire and purchase
All our stock is available to hire or buy, for productions big and small. We're as flexible as we can be on visits, collections and returns, including at short notice.
That flexibility is what sets us apart. Whatever a production needs, we try to give them the option.
Our promises
We know one company can't change the industry on its own. But every production that chooses reuse makes it a little more likely the next one will too.
We'll always look for a second life in the industry for usable stock first, before anything is sold on, donated, recycled or thrown away.
We'll make reuse as easy and practical as possible for the productions we work with.
We'll repair and look after stock so it stays in use for longer.
We'll keep looking for ways to cut waste in our own work too.
Once stock is with us, it's our responsibility
When we take items from a production, we take full liability for them too, so you can clear your set knowing nothing will come back to you.
During a strike, hero props, bespoke graphics, branded items, scripts and designs can easily end up mixed in with everything else. If we find anything like that, here's what happens:
- 01We set it aside.It's separated from our general stock straight away and never offered for hire or sale.
- 02We let you know.We contact your production rep and tell them exactly what we've found.
- 03You decide what happens next.We either return it for collection or destroy it on site. Your call.
- 04We give you proof.If items are destroyed, we'll send you evidence of destruction for your records.
Your IP stays under your control the whole way through.
Always changing, across every era and genre
Our stock comes from previous productions, so it's always changing, and it covers a huge range of eras and genres. We stock furniture, smalls, textiles, graphics and much more.
We only keep things that are genuinely useful. We'd rather have a smaller collection that actually gets used than a warehouse full of things nobody wants.
Hire
Works well for a short shoot or a one-off set.
Buy
Makes more sense for a series, a returning set, or a piece you need to alter or break down.
Dressing a set or clearing one? We'd love to hear from you.
Need stock?
Get in touch to arrange a visit. Tell us about your production, the period and the look you're going for, and we'll help you find pieces to hire or buy.
Wrapping soon?
Give us a shout as early as you can before the strike. We'll talk through what you've got, what we can take and how we can fit around your schedule.
Industrial Estate, 54 Wallingford Rd
Uxbridge UB8 2RW Open in Google Maps
Thanks for giving it a second take.