Thursdaysa国际传媒檚 shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins by a prop revolver during filming for the Alec Baldwin Western sa国际传媒淩ustsa国际传媒� has the screen industry pondering the future of guns on sets.
Toronto producer Martin Katz of Prospero Pictures says the tragedy near Santa Fe, N.M., raises the question of whether the industry should start using more non-functioning firearms.
Summerland, B.C.-based motion picture and TV property master Dean Goodine predicts the industry will step up gun safety measures, like it did when Brandon Lee was killed by a bullet left in a prop gun on the set of sa国际传媒淭he Crowsa国际传媒� in 1993.
Court records say Baldwin pulled the trigger on the revolver that also wounded director Joel Souza during a rehearsal in Santa Fe after an assistant director told him it was sa国际传媒渃oldsa国际传媒� sa国际传媒� an industry term for a gun that cansa国际传媒檛 fire.
Experts say theysa国际传媒檙e baffled by what Baldwin has called a sa国际传媒渢ragic accident,sa国际传媒� since sets typically have strict and sufficient protocols in place for handling prop firearms, which should never go off near people or be pointed directly at anyone on set.
Katz wonders if the industry should use more realistic replicas, like 3D-printed models, and avoid showing them in extreme close-ups so audiences cansa国际传媒檛 tell the difference.
sa国际传媒淪o much of what we use in practical effects is not what it appears to be. When we make it snow, itsa国际传媒檚 not actually snow, itsa国际传媒檚 soap flakes or some product that was created to look like snow. Why, when we use guns on set, do we actually use real guns?sa国际传媒� says Katz, whose credits include the films sa国际传媒淐osmopolissa国际传媒� and sa国际传媒淎killasa国际传媒檚 Escape.sa国际传媒�
sa国际传媒淢aybe this is the time towards saying: sa国际传媒榃e donsa国际传媒檛 need to shoot movies with actual real guns. We can shoot them with models.sa国际传媒檚a国际传媒�
As Goodine describes it, prop guns are often real weapons that could fire a live round but instead are often loaded with sa国际传媒渂lankssa国际传媒� sa国际传媒� cartridges with gun powder and other material to ignite a flame and sound but no projectile bullet.
On-set guns can also include electric revolvers and CO2-powered versions, similar to pellet guns.
Usually a professional weapons expert called an sa国际传媒渁rmourersa国际传媒� will be on set to test and take care of the gun and closely monitor the actor handling it, say experts.
Only the armourer or trained prop master or qualified crew member, along with the actor, are allowed to touch the firearm, says Goodine. The actor isnsa国际传媒檛 given the firearm until the very last minute before filming, when everyone gets out of the line of fire, and never handles it during rehearsal.
Toronto producer Don Carmody says in most major jurisdictions in Canada, police officers supervise use of blanks or pyrotechnics on set. Camera crews are also often protected by a sheet of Plexiglas if a blank is fired.
sa国际传媒淕enerally the safety protocols on a set, certainly anywhere in Canada, are really strenuously observed, right down to the (emergency task force) officers on the stage,sa国际传媒� says Carmody, whose credits include sa国际传媒淭he Boondock Saintssa国际传媒� and sa国际传媒淩esident Evilsa国际传媒� film franchises.
But problems have happened on home soil.
Carmody says on the set of the 1991 Chuck Norris film sa国际传媒淭he Hitmansa国际传媒� he produced in Vancouver, a barrel constrictor came loose on an automatic weapon using blanks and hit a stuntman. The wetsuit he was wearing as a safety measure wasnsa国际传媒檛 big enough and the barrel constrictor flew into a gap in the clothing, hitting his liver, but he survived.
Goodine says the Lee tragedy saw the industry increase the amount of armourers on sets sa国际传媒渢enfold.sa国际传媒�
He predicts the sa国际传媒淩ustsa国际传媒� killing will see more companies sa国际传媒渕ove away from firing blanks entirely.sa国际传媒�
sa国际传媒淩ight now, probably every script in Hollywood is getting a hard look to see what they can write instead of guns,sa国际传媒� says Goodine, whose credits include sa国际传媒淟egends of the Fall,sa国际传媒� sa国际传媒淧asschendaelesa国际传媒� and sa国际传媒淚nception.sa国际传媒�
sa国际传媒淚f you have a police show and somebody pulls out their Glock and theysa国际传媒檙e going to fire it, theysa国际传媒檙e going to CGI the muzzle flash. Yousa国际传媒檙e going to see a lot more CO2.sa国际传媒�
The sa国际传媒渕uzzle flashsa国际传媒� is the light and impact of the gun.
READ MORE:
Experts say in most cases, the muzzle flash and gun smoke could be easily replaced by sound and CGI, which is often preferable to an actual gun going off.
Goodine says in the past five years, gun scenes have been written out of a lot of the family projects hesa国际传媒檚 worked on.
But hesa国际传媒檚 also noticed prep periods being condensed and decisions being made at the last-minute, which pose a safety hazard for any gun scenes.
He advises film students not to race to be department heads, so they have the experience and confidence to tell a director not to do something thatsa国际传媒檚 unsafe.
sa国际传媒淭he speed the industry has grown in the last eight years because of new media has put so many people in positions they shouldnsa国际传媒檛 be in, and Isa国际传媒檓 not hard on the people that have taken those positions,sa国际传媒� says Goodine.
sa国际传媒淚 have had so many conversations in the last seven or eight years with people who are in management of these shows that have no clue what we do. It is astonishing to me. I had an accountant tell me on a big show that props is an afterthought in the budget. Well, after (Thursday), itsa国际传媒檚 not an afterthought anymore.sa国际传媒�
Victoria Ahearn, The Canadian Press
Like us on and follow us on .
