Fake diplomas in movies and TV shows: How realistic are they?

Education

If you go and check movies where they talk about the career of a character, a lot of those diplomas and degrees are fake.

That’s why it’s incredibly important to figure out how those diplomas are made. Some people think they are real diplomas but they are not. They are props, made in order to highlight something very distinctive and different. But for the most part, such diplomas are designed from the ground up to look realistic, even if they are not real.

Why do movies and TV shows use fake degrees?

It’s easy to see why, there’s quite a lot of risk that comes from bringing a real diploma on the set. It could get damaged, destroyed, a lot of bad things can happen. But when you bring a fake diploma, there are no risks. You can destroy it, damage it, you can have 20 copies out there and you replace the damaged one with yet another piece. That’s why it makes sense to use fake degrees.

Plus, fake diplomas are a great way to drive the story forward. They can be used as a plot point, since you learn that one of the characters lies about their story and knowledge, and at that point, the diploma is heavily important. And then we have diplomas as a way of establishing credibility towards the main character, which is a super important aspect that you have to think about.

Not only that, but you can use the fake diploma as the means to add realism to the setting and just push it to the next level. That’s exciting, and it truly helps enhance the experience in more ways than you might expect. At the end of the day, movies and TVs share fictional stories, but they need to be embedded in reality. A fake diploma helps add that dose of realism, and it’s certainly the type of thing that everyone should check out. 

How are fake diplomas made for TVs and movies?

When you create a fake diploma for the big/small screen, you always want to think about the legal aspects. Yes, it’s still a fake diploma, so the way it’s handled, made and disposed of needs to tackle specific laws. Otherwise, the studio can be in hot waters from a legal standpoint. That’s why there is a very specific procedure when it comes to how you make a fake degree for the entertainment world.

• You will need to avoid any copyright or trademark issues, that helps a lot, so you should never use any real seals and logos from existing universities. Unless, of course, you contact that university and you get their consent that it’s possible to use those, in order to add more realism.
• A lot of the time, these seals will be imaginary, since the design team and art department will just do a custom graphic design. Usually, shots will not include fake diplomas up close, so you still need to make them realistic, but not every single detail has to match.
• Other times, you do need to have layered realism. That means decorative borders, specific text, signatures from deans, embossed seals, those will need to be added, and it truly is a unique approach towards integrating some excellent and rather creative ideas into the mix. 
• Of course, the fake diplomas also need to be camera-ready. The thing here is that you will have to use heavy cardstock and just maintain a high level of authenticity. It will always provide you with value and excellence, and it will help push the limits in more ways than expected. 

Where can you see fake diplomas in the movie and TV world?

To be honest, these can pop up in pretty much any type of media. But there are times when they are more prevalent when compared to others. For the most part, you will encounter these in legal shows, sitcoms, medical dramas and so on. The TV world is where you spend a lot of time with characters, so it makes sense for them to have fake diplomas. There are also movies where having a fake degree helps, like Catch Me if You Can. The idea is to have a story about fake credentials, fake identities, and then a fake degree will slip right into the mix, which is always an interesting aspect.

Are these fake degrees realistic or not?

Naturally, you want them to look as realistic as you can. However, most of the time there won’t be very close shots onto the fake degree, because there’s no need to. Unless, of course, it’s a plot point and we really need to see that the degree is fake, it seems too real, or something is wrong with it.

So for the most part, fake degrees used in TV or movies seem very realistic from a distance. Even from close inspection, they are generic. Someone with a keen eye that knows specifics related to degrees will be able to spot the fake right away. But for the most part, these are used for backgrounds and props. You will sometimes have close-ups, in those cases you will have very smart engineering and visuals to ensure that it all looks as realistic as it can possibly be. However, it’s still a fake, and a legal fake at that.

Why are movies and TV shows avoiding real diplomas?

It’s easy to see why, there are ethical boundaries, if you state that a character studied in a certain place, that would lead to an endorsement, and obviously it brings legal challenges. Plus, a real diploma brings legal risks, since not being authorized to use a logo or a seal from a real university will put you in legal hot waters. Plus, it’s a work of fiction, so, realistically, you just want to create your own world, and that would include fictional universities.

When you see diplomas used on screen, that highlights success, aspiration, or sometimes even deception. These are great points to have in any fictional story. That’s why you will find a lot of these shows use the fake diploma in a very specific way. The TV show Suits is a prime example, the main premise is about a person that studied at Harvard, but he never went there. And even if they falsify the diploma, there are still legal consequences that he needs to deal with.

Due to many shows being shot in 4k, you really need to have very realistic, visually perfect fake degrees. That’s why these props need to be close to identical to the real deal. It’s a challenge for sure, but it certainly brings a sense of immersion when you are dealing with these things. 

A fake diploma is a realistic prop

We understand how difficult it can be to create fake diplomas for movies and TV, but the truth is that sometimes, these are necessary. You always have to figure out ways to make the experience stand out, and sometimes, adding these props will help you do that. It’s certainly a more interesting and innovative approach, and one that will help push the narrative in creative ways.

All in all, movies and TV shows always need to add some dose of realism, and that’s why they will try to use fake diplomas. In the end, it helps push the narrative, but it can also add a very realistic prop to bring more believability to the show/movie!