Remember the uproar several years ago, when a takeaway coffee cup accidentally appeared in an episode of the iconic TV series Game of Thrones? Deemed ‘cupgate’ by the show’s fans, it led to an outpouring of criticism… as well as some hilarious memes about Daenerys Targaryen’s secret caffeine habit.
The solution here was simple: just get the cup out of shot when filming a scene that’s supposed to take place in an undoubtedly café-less universe! It can get much more complicated when a cup of coffee is actually crucial for the scene though—which is why, in reality, there’s probably far less coffee in your favourite show than you might think. Ready to draw Hollywood’s coffee curtain back? We’re here to spill the beans about what some of those legendary TV characters may have really been sipping on this whole time!
Lights, Camera… Coffee?
In a world where CGI can generate anything from dinosaurs to dragons, making a character sip realistically on a cup of coffee shouldn’t be a problem at all… right? Well, not quite. Each time coffee’s involved in the scene, there’s a decision to be made—and it’s rarely in favour of whipping out real coffee beans to brew a proper cuppa. A few different reasons are behind this, each as valid as the next:
Continuity. In TV and film, continuity refers to the principle of keeping everything consistent from one shot to the next. It ensures that the final result looks absolutely seamless—even if, in reality, it took dozens of different takes. When it comes to continuity, any beverage is a logistical nightmare, and a mug full of coffee is definitely no exception. You can’t have the mug get haphazardly emptier or fuller as the scene plays out; nor can you expect the hapless actor to keep sipping real coffee for hours without getting some serious, continuity-busting jitters!
Costume safety. Real coffee is a real hazard on set: wardrobe pieces are often expensive, and even if they’re not, a single accidental spill can come at a serious price regardless—by requiring some re-shooting, for example.
Actor comfort. The risk of accidental burns is one thing, but there’s also the inconvenience of frequent bathroom breaks, as well as the dubious pleasures of over-caffeination.
Price. Sure, Hollywood movies boast some impressive budgets… yet spending them wisely is still important. Did you know that based on recent research, buying a daily takeaway coffee can quickly stack up to hundreds of pounds a year? Over time, relying on commercial coffee runs instead of brewing on set—perhaps with reliable DeLonghi coffee machines in the breakroom—adds up fast. We shudder to think of the cost of a daily latte habit in central London, let alone Los Angeles…
From Empty Cups to Fixed Foam Inserts
So, if it’s not coffee that the friends in Friends or the frenemies in Gossip Girl are sipping, what is it that’s actually sloshing around in their cups? More often than not, the answer’s simple: nothing!
Any prop master will tell you that sloshing’s really a part of the problem. No movie or TV set is complete without a large, powerful microphone—which is great when it comes to capturing the dialogue, yet not necessarily so if you consider the numerous different types of background noise it can pick up. After all, you want to hear the characters, not their takeaway coffees! As long as the non-existent contents of the cup aren’t a problem, the easiest and quickest solution is to simply leave it empty.
A more committed prop master may want to give the cup some weight: it makes the prop more realistic, plus keeps the actors from absent-mindedly waving their pretend cups around. Something as simple as a little bag filled with rice, sand, or even coffee beans works great.
If the partially filled cup may end up coming into the view of the camera, a coffee-coloured gel or a foam insert makes for a clever solution. Finally, in a pinch, prop masters might take advantage of any dark-coloured liquid, then refill the cup constantly in between takes. They must get the volume of fake coffee right on every single refill though: no film crew wants to have another cupgate on their hands!
Leave Hollow Cups to Hollywood
That’s movie magic for you—and, as you can see, it has little to do with the magic of brewing a delicious cuppa. Perhaps the two don’t really need to mix though? Leave it for the actors to fake the drama: us coffee lovers know that a perfect, freshly extracted crema is the one thing that even Hollywood will never be able to fabricate.
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