Want to be in pictures? Then come get your props

SUFFOLK

From the folks who brought you "The FBI Files," "Ghost Stories," "The New Detectives" and more comes quite possibly your only chance to bid on and own a morgue freezer (holds two bodies, never turned on).

Already got one? Then how about 124 pairs of camouflage pants in assorted sizes?

No? Then you have to have the large dinosaur leg, 18 diving wetsuits, 10 breakaway glasses or 385 pairs of men's shoes in sizes 7-1/2 to 13 - all part of a two-day auction to be held for surplus props, wardrobe and audiovisual equipment at New Dominion Pictures.

The studio is not going out of business, David O'Donnell, vice president of development, is quick to say. But it is moving away from re-enactment shows that required lots of wardrobe and set changes to reality TV and documentaries, and O'Donnell wouldn't rule out a change of location, either.

The studio sits on 40 acres near Sentara Obici Hospital, complete with five street scenes, a commercial jet cockpit and a non flying helicopter painted as a medical transport on one side and a military craft on the other. The helicopter is for sale, too.

"We've got dead bodies in various states," O'Donnell said, reaching into a storage bin and pulling out a charred leg. "There's some legs and feet in here. There's a good skeleton. Kinda gross, huh?"

New Dominion Pictures, since founder Tom Naughton took a buyout from the company in the spring, is adapting to the marketplace, becoming "leaner and more responsive," O'Donnell said. With the change in programming comes less need for extensive wardrobe and set decoration.

"After 15 years, you just need to get rid of stuff," he said. That includes five director's chairs and 12 coffee makers, in addition to office furniture, computers and post-production equipment.

The auction will be held Oct. 10-11. Bidders can come in person or participate online via www.auctionnetwork.com. The sale will be handled by Atlantic Asset Management Group Inc., which has listed 1,255 lots, including 17 bins of fabric and sewing supplies, an FBI chest-bomb prop, four stainless-steel organ buckets and a gynecological table.

"We did a lot of forensic shows and also a lot of hospital shows," O'Donnell said. "We did 500 hours of re-enactment programming. You had to set up the room differently every single time."

Hence, the wide variety of vases, artwork, teapots, furniture, knickknacks and chairs for sale. There are racks and racks of military and police uniforms. Shelves full of shoes. Bins of socks and hard hats.

"There's some cool alien stuff over here," O'Donnell said, pointing out rubbery heads and arms. Prison outfits are for sale, along with one wolf costume. Fog machines, cameras, phone booth props - all available.

O'Donnell hopes to draw interest from theater groups, school drama departments and fans of New Dominion's TV shows.

"Somebody's going to have a blast with this stuff," he said.

Diane Tennant, (757) 446-2478, diane.tennant@pilotonline.com