Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

To: ansel12
Did you follow these procedures in your videos?

Yes.

You forgot to mention the rule that weapons which can fire blanks (or live rounds) must be unloaded during a rehearsal. No dummy rounds, no blanks. That must be verified by the Armorer or a Weapons Handler, not by the Actor. When filming a "take" it is the job of the Armorer or Handler to load the weapon with appropriate rounds and unload it afterwards.

Actors still had (and have) the absolute right to request a weapons check before a rehearsal or a take.

Always cheat the shot by aiming to the right or left of the target character.

That item is valid in a rehearsal but may be complete nonsense in an action scene. Specifically, when the scene requires a direct shot at the camera or a closeup shot at another actor that is what the actors will do.

We dealt with that problem by exclusively using replica weapons which were incapable of firing any projectile, or even firing blanks. Flash effects were added in post-production. The "bang" was also added in post-production.

In some scenes, we used recoil weapons powered by a CO2 cartridge. Again, weapons not capable of firing any projectile. Also, no need for hearing protection since those replicas only make the "phffft!" sound that people incorrectly believe comes out of a weapon with a "silencer" mounted.

Likewise, using only replica weapons eliminates the need for blast shields.

CO2 cartridges were unloaded from recoil weapons during rehearsals.

We never used squibs. Blood effects were added in post-production.

The Weapons Master (Armorer) still had to keep track of all the replica weapons, issue them for scenes and recover them afterwards. And make sure no other unauthorized weapons were ever introduced on set.

On a few occasions where live fire was required, that action was performed by a Designated Marksman. Actors were never allowed to handle live weapons, and in fact were not present on the set during those scenes.

66 posted on 03/15/2023 5:31:43 PM PDT by flamberge (Everybody is gonna hate it when we all play by the same rules.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 62 | View Replies ]


To: flamberge

Having a loaded gun for a rehearsal was very strange, not practicing the cross draw as the armorer requested was careless.

“Check the firearm every time you take possession of it. Before each use, make sure the gun has been test-fired off stage and then ask to test fire it yourself.”

If Producer and actor Alec Baldwin had followed the basic rules of on-set gun safety during his rehearsal then he could not have killed that woman and shot the other guy.

There is every reason to believe that Baldwin was an expert with gun handling both on and off the set.


67 posted on 03/15/2023 6:03:08 PM PDT by ansel12 (NATO warrior under Reagan, and RA under Nixon, bemoaning the pro-Russians from Vietnam to Ukraine.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 66 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson