Cash is a music video staple: a fan of notes in a hand, a table of stacks, money thrown in the air. Searches like "best prop money for music videos" and "fake money for music video" come from artists, directors and small crews who need cash that looks right on camera and does not cause trouble afterwards. This guide explains what prop money for music videos should look like, how much to order, and how to shoot it safely in Australia.
It is general production advice, not legal advice. Every PROPPS note is a non-legal tender reproduction made for film, television, theatre, photography and training, and it carries specimen markings.
What makes prop money work in a music video
Music videos are shot fast, often handheld, often with colour grading. That changes what matters:
- Colour that survives grading. Strong, distinct denominations ($100 green, $50 yellow-gold) hold up when the colourist pushes saturation.
- Matte paper. Gloss throws highlights under LED panels and phone lights. Matte archival paper reads cleanly.
- Straps and stacks. A strapped stack reads as a sum of money at any distance, so you need fewer notes for the same look.
- Durability. Throwing, fanning and rain-of-cash shots damage notes quickly. Order more than you think.
For judging quality before you buy, read how to judge high quality prop money on camera and how cinematographers light prop money.
How much to order
Count by shot type, then add a margin.
| Shot | What to order |
|---|---|
| Fan of notes in a hand | A bundle of one denomination from the New Notes range |
| Table or bed covered in cash | Strapped stacks from the bulk money stack pack |
| Money thrown in the air | Loose notes, plus about 50% extra for damage |
| Close-up of a single note | A hero note such as the $100 prop note |
| Social clip and stills | The photography prop currency set |
Our guide to how much prop money you need for a scene walks through the counting method, and prop cash for heist and bank scenes covers large volumes.
Shooting money safely and lawfully
The law cares about intent and presentation, not the camera. The Commonwealth Crimes (Currency) Act 1981 targets making or possessing items that look like Australian currency without a lawful basis, and the Reserve Bank publishes guidance on reproducing banknotes. In practice, a few habits keep a video clean:
- Keep the notes marked. Never remove or hide the specimen markings.
- Never spend the notes. Not as a joke, not as a test.
- Do not frame it as real cash in captions. A giveaway-style post with prop money invites complaints from platforms and police.
- Keep the invoice. Show it with the notes if you are asked on location.
- Control the notes on set. One person counts them out and in.
Content creators should also read prop money for content creators before publishing.
Shooting tips for artists and small crews
Light for the paper, not the print. Keep the key light off-axis so the notes do not flare. A single soft source from the side shows texture and avoids glare.
Dress the notes. Fresh notes look like a bank vault. For a street or party look, age them slightly. The art department weathering guide shows how.
Mix denominations. A stack of all $100 notes can look staged. Mix $50 and $20 notes in the background and keep the hero denomination in the foreground. See the best denominations for film and TV.
Test before the day. Shoot a few frames of the notes under your lights. Twenty minutes saves a reshoot.
Budget and ordering for a video shoot
A small music video usually needs one bulk stack plus a few hero notes. Larger productions with several set-ups can ask about wholesale tiers of 10% to 30% off, explained in the wholesale pricing guide. Orders start at $300 AUD, delivery is free from $500 AUD and cryptocurrency payments receive a 10% discount. Parcels ship from Eltham, Melbourne by Australia Post Express with a signature on delivery. Read the shipping policy for times and the refund policy for the 3 to 8 business day refund window.
Order before you need the notes in hand. A late parcel is the most common reason a shoot day starts without cash. Our guide to ordering props for filming gives a week-by-week schedule that works for a music video too.
Common mistakes in music video cash scenes
Planning the shoot day around the cash
Cash scenes eat time. Notes need to be counted out, arranged, restacked and counted back in, and every retake means resetting the pile. Build that into the schedule. A table set-up with a few strapped stacks takes about 15 minutes to dress. A bed covered in notes takes much longer, because each layer has to look natural from the camera angle. If you have a short location window, dress the cash set-up first and rehearse the performance after.
Keep one person responsible for the notes. On a small music video that is usually the producer or the art director. They count the notes out in the morning, count them in at lunch and again at wrap. A discrepancy of a few notes is normal after throw shots, but a missing stack should be found before anyone leaves the location.
Lighting and lens choices that flatter cash
A shallow depth of field makes a pile of notes look bigger, because the foreground stack stays sharp and the background melts into colour. A longer lens compresses the stacks so they look taller. For handheld fans of notes, a wide lens close to the hand exaggerates the fan and makes the notes look more plentiful. Use a soft source slightly above the notes to bring out texture without glare.
If you are shooting on a phone, watch autofocus. A fan of notes confuses it, and the focus can hunt between the notes and the background. Lock focus on the front note before the take. Our guide to lighting prop money for camera goes deeper into the lighting side.
Location and public-place rules
Shooting cash in a public place raises questions from members of the public and sometimes the police. Tell the venue, and keep the supplier invoice and the specimen markings on hand. Do not shoot scenes that show prop notes being handed to strangers who are not part of the crew. Do not film in or near a bank, an ATM or a shop counter without the owner's permission. If a council permit is needed for the location, check it covers what you plan to do, and read the local guidance for film permits in your city.
Avoid leaving notes visible in a parked car or an unattended bag on location. It is a safety habit as much as a legal one, because loose cash attracts attention even when it is a prop.
After the shoot: storing, reusing and disposing
Count the notes back in and store them flat in the original bags. Notes that have been thrown, rained on or stepped on are best kept for background work. Notes you do not plan to reuse should be destroyed securely, not left at the location or put in a public bin. Keep the unused notes with the supplier invoice, because the next shoot will probably want the same look. If you plan to reorder, our wholesale page lists tiers that reward repeat orders.
Quick reference for music video cash
Pick one hero denomination, buy strapped stacks for volume, order 50% extra for throw shots, test the notes under your lights and keep the invoice with the notes. If you follow those five steps, cash scenes run smoothly and the video looks the part.
- Ordering exactly the number of notes the shot shows, with no margin for throws and retakes.
- Using glossy novelty notes that glare under LED lights.
- Shooting a close-up with a note whose printing is blurred.
- Leaving the specimen marking out of frame in every shot, then posting stills that imply real cash.
- Collecting the notes from a prop house on the morning of the shoot instead of ordering ahead.
