Movies want to take us to an alternate reality. But to create it, the crew has to use real-life things. So, they improvise.
The subreddit r/ThatsAbookLight is dedicated to dissecting these attempts, both the fascinating and the absurd—the members of this online community are exposing everyday household and commercial items being repurposed as something entirely different for the big screen.
Whether it's a calculator used as a bomb clock or a sponge meant to represent a belt pouch, nothing gets past these folks.
#1 60s Batman's Utility Belt Pouches Were Sometimes Made From Kitchen Sponges
Image credits: Hogmaster_General
#2 Galaxy Quest: 'Scanning Tool' For Sigourney Weaver's Face Is A Vaginal Speculum
Image credits: Vocalscpunk
#3 That's A Dog
Image credits: Kichigai
#4 Karate Training System From Cobra Kai Is Lazer Tag Vest From 1986
Image credits: XPav
#5 Bomb Timer In S.W.A.T. Is Just A TI-83 Plus Calculator
Image credits: xXEndMiiXx
#6 The Book Of Boba Fett [2022], 100 Litre Water Butt Is A Background Droid In Mos Espa, Tatooine
Image credits: LadFarquaad
#7 "Locator Device" In Spy Kids [2001] Is A Painted/Modified Electronic Handheld Battleship Game
Image credits: cheeseburgertwd
#8 Sony Earbuds As Medical Equipment In X-Men Last Stand On Jean Grey/Phoenix
Image credits: BillBowermanBallsack
#9 Iron Sky (2012): Spaceship Radio Klaus Is Talking Into Is A Head Lamp
Image credits: reddit.com
#10 Was Watching Angel And I Instantly Saw Something I Recognized. Their 'Lab Thingies' Are Actually Toilet Brushes From IKEA !
Image credits: Snakehole12
#11 Andor S01e04 - Sainsbury Egg-Slicers Do Well As Sci-Fi Lights!
Image credits: Gedankenklo
#12 The Gamesphere From Drake & Josh Was A Memorex Boomball
Image credits: dinkaro
#13 The Machine In Michael's Pod In Warrior Nun Is An Upside Down Canon Printer
Image credits: sixinaboxdesign
#14 Thought This Might Be Appreciated Here
Image credits: moviedetail
#15 In The Fifth Element [1997], The ZF-1 Remote Is An Old Handheld Electronic Game Painted Black
Image credits: MattgomeryBurns
#16 Sci-Fi Diagnostic Equipment? Nah, Barcode Scanner (Star Trek: Into Darkness, 2013)
Image credits: HalDimond
#17 The Keypad In Dark Matter Is A Kitchen Scale
Image credits: Franceseye
#18 I Love When They Adapt Something Without Any Effort. A Scene From An Indian TV Show
Image credits: unclefishbits
#19 Obi-Wan Kenobi Used A Kodak Service Range Finder As A Communicator
Image credits: spectaclephoto
#20 That Thing In Mandalorian Is Definitely A Rotisserie Skewer, Or Whatever It's Called
Image credits: QuestionableGoo
#21 Loki - Tva Terminal Is A Weltron 8 Track Player
Image credits: ALudB47
#22 This Remote Device To Activate The Red Scare From "The Tick" (2001) Is A Repurposed Bumble Ball Toy
Image credits: leo_cor63
#23 In Knives Out (2009) The Frame For The Knife Display Is The Fan Guard From A Commercial Air Conditioner
Image credits: MyMomSaysIAmCool
#24 The Expanse S3e2 - A Car Topper Is Used As A Pediatric Cryo Stasis Pod
Image credits: reddit.com
#25 The Security Camera In This Mcr Music Video Is A Polaroid Sx70
Image credits: Cinephobe
#26 In The Phantom Menace, The Tool? Ornament? Hanging On Anakin's Wall Is Actually A Children's Ball Thrower
Image credits: my_life_is_trashh
#27 Tomy Dingbot As Smoke Alarm In "Aliens"
Image credits: wander17
#28 Boss Of Booklights [dynamo Dream]
Image credits: Vinnidict
#29 In The Flash Ep 713, The Eeg Scanners On Barry's Head Appear To Be Just A Bunch Of Shure Headset Mics
Image credits: SayNO2AutoCorect
#30 At The Mandalorian, Season 3, You Can See These Modern Lamps At The "The Resistor" Bar Tables. It Is Not A Lamp, But A Thanos 3-1 Bug Zapper L66 Modified
Image credits: the-rebel-agent
#31 The "Remote Mines" In Goldeneye Are The Base Of A Saitek Megagrip Joystick
Image credits: NyteMyre
#32 Dune Costume Design - Utilizing A Washing Machine Hose / Clamp
Image credits: lumpyferret
#33 This Tool In The Book Of Boba Fett Is The Same Torch I Have
Image credits: OliOrange15
#34 I'm Pretty Sure This Guy In Andor Is Carrying A Cymbal Hardcase
Image credits: RolandBrice
#35 Remember In Star Trek Vi: The Undiscovered Country When Kim Cattrall Controlled The Uss Enterprise With A Drum Machine?
Image credits: Sarenord
#36 Robot Jox (1989) A "Medical Injector" Used To Tranq The Hero Is Actually A Repainted Thermogrip 208 Hot Glue Gun
Image credits: TheWoodchuck
#37 Empire Strikes Back (1980) - 2-1b Medical Droid's "Mouth" Is A Shure Sm55 (The Elvis Mic) Microphone Grill
Image credits: I_Think_I_Cant
#38 In The Expanse, This Medical Device On The Table Of A Ship Medbay Is Actually A Kitchenart Spice Dispenser
Image credits: corgblam
#39 That's A Barcode Scanner From 2014. In The TV Show "The Rookie"
Image credits: SavingsTask
#40 In Deep Space 9 S02e15 “Paradise” [1994], The Penal Box Is A Standard 40”x48” Collapsible Gaylord Bin With Lid
Image credits: gigadanman
#41 At It Again. In The Mandalorian "Chapter 3: The Sin" (2019), They're Using Ice Cream Makers Now As Portable Safes
Image credits: icoulduseanother
#42 Mmmm, Fried Facehuggers - High-Tech Lab Equipment On Lv426 Is A Deep Fat Fryer (Aliens 1986)
Image credits: spinefinger
#43 Contact [1997] Uses An Eventide Dsp4000 To Translate Alien Signals
Image credits: YellowOnline
#44 Found This In An Agents Of Shield Episode. It’s The Layout For A Pioneer Dj Fx Unit
Image credits: Ilikestuffandthingz
#45 Cpt. Picard With What Looks To Be A Box Cutter
Image credits: cincyphil
#46 Jurassic Park: The Lower Lenses On The Ford Explorers Were Slurpee Lids From 7/11
Image credits: KnowOneDotNinja
#47 Wall Panels On The UK Game Show “Crystal Maze” Are Presswood Shipping Pallets Sprayed Silver
Image credits: carl0071
#48 Forbidden World - 1982: The Wall Panels On This Space Station Are Just To-Go Boxes
Image credits: rocketbosszach
#49 This Item Is A Metal Detector Used At The First Episode Of Andor Season 1. But Actually, Is A Vintage Safeway Electric Knife
Image credits: the-rebel-agent
#50 Transporter Test Cylinder Is A Sonobuoy Case
Image credits: NeilFraser
#51 [deadpool 2] I've Marked Out Which Nerf Blasters Were Used As Guns In This Post-Fight Scene
Image credits: SillyTheGamer
#52 In Star Trek Picard S02e10, A Character Needs To Hack A Device That Seems To Be Controlled By A Powered Off Korg Nanokontrol Mixing Interface
Image credits: Perrylicious
#53 Star Wars Andor Loves Their LED Up Cycles
Image credits: bonwag
#54 The Helmets In The Original Tron Movie Were The Popular Cooper Sk2000 Hockey Helmet
Image credits: arghthor
#55 In Back To The Future II [1989] Biff’s Matchbook Holder Is Made From A 1968-72 Volvo 140 Hubcap
Image credits: MattgomeryBurns
#56 Pacific Rim Had My Old Volume Knob
Image credits: xQcKx
#57 Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) John Harrison's Blood Vial Canister Is An Eyeglasses Case
Image credits: HellOfAThing
#58 In Maniac: E3, Jonah Hill Has His Brain Scanned With A Cooler Master Vortex Plus Cpu Cooler And Some Parallel Ports
Image credits: Dabnician
#59 In Macgruber [2010], Macgruber's Keypad Lock To His Secret Agent Stash Is The Handheld Electronic Game Lights Out Released In 1995 By Tiger Electronics
Image credits: bradferg
#60 Klingons In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine [1994] Drink Out Of Measuring Cups
Image credits: TheNearestAirlock
#61 Mind Flayer In The Mandalorian Is A C-Arm Used To Take X-Ray’s In Operating Theatres
Image credits: X-RayDRJones
#62 Matrix Resurrections - I Count This Specifically Because He's Using It Backwards
Image credits: illustratum42
#63 Stargate Sg-1 Scanners (Tricorders :p) Are Old Touchscreen Philips Remotes
Image credits: reddit.com
#64 [tv] In Battlestar Galactica [1979], These "Fruits" Are Just Balloons
Image credits: heidismiles
#65 Ghostbusters II - Zeddmores Scanner Is Made Of Kitchen Utensils Such As A Potato Masher & Strainer
Image credits: Rags2Rickius
#66 The Doctor's Lash-Up Device Seen In "Doctor Who" S6 E2 Is... Literally A Book Light
Image credits: leo_cor63
#67 This Uturistic Space Keyboard In Marvel Studios' Loki Is A Volca Keys Entry-Level Synthesizer
Image credits: reddit.com
#68 Air Coolers Are The Bomb….literally
Image credits: grtgbln
#69 2019 Episode Of Dust Had A Brain-Downloading Supercomputer. I Had To Pause To Grab Mine From A Box Downstairs
Image credits: Worried_Place_917
#70 Noticed A Few Sawed-Off And Re-Painted Nes Zappers Used As Gun Props In This Episode Of Stargate. (Season 4 Episode 10) I Think They Were Rigged To Fire Squibs Too, Which Is Cool
Image credits: The_Dude_Abides2000
#71 These “Weapon Pods” On Top Of The New Orleans Class Ships From Star Trek Are Just Repainted Highlighter Markers
Image credits: TheIrishNerfherder
#72 Scanning Data With A Stereo Microphone From Radio Shack. St:tng S3e02 "The Ensigns Of Command"
Image credits: NeilFraser
#73 In Dune (2021) Duke Leto Atreides Thopter Headset Is A Modified Frankenquest 2 Headatrap
Image credits: Work-Safe-Reddit4450
#74 Hunter Prey Using A Nerf Gun
Image credits: Soeck666
#75 Ski/Snowboarding Goggles As A VR Headset. (Ready Player One : 2018)
Image credits: reddit.com
#76 Legends Of Tomorrow "Detonator" Kind Of Device Is Obviously A Gaming Mouse
Image credits: reddit.com
#77 The Prison In Raised By Wolves Is Made From Plastic Pallets
Image credits: UtmostPants
#78 Power Rangers Turbo, Episode 43: Three Tiger R-Zone Super Screens Bolted Together As The Villains' Megazords Triple Controller
Image credits: T-SquaredProductions
#79 In The Flash S2e21 [2016], Two Steinberg Cmc Cubase Music Software Controllers (The Ones With The Colored Leds) Were Used To Open A Portal To The Speed Force. Also Later Used To Tap Information From A Mind-Controlling Gorilla
Image credits: rsv_music
#80 [stargate Sg1 S. 4 Ep. 10 "Beneath The Surface"] The Alien Gun Is Just A Nintendo Zapper Painted Red
Image credits: reddit.com
