Filming of Rusf, the film directed by Joel Souza, last Thursday was stained with blood when actor Alec Baldwin accidentally murdered the director of photography, Halyna Hutchins, with a prop gun. This is not the first time that a similar event has occurred in Hollywood recordings, which leads us to wonder what prop weapons used in cinema are like and why they are dangerous.
What are the prop guns like?
The pistols used in film recordings are often real weapons. Their difference from conventional ones is that they use modified bullets.
The cartridges that are loaded into real revolvers are made up of a casing that contains explosive powder that, when it goes off, launches a projectile or bullet. Meanwhile, the blank bullets do not contain the projectile.
That is why the shots in the cinema maintain the sound, the flash and the abrupt movement or blow on the side facing the discharge.
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How can they be used safely?
According to film director Mike Tristano, there are basic safety measures on a recording set. For example, “you never point a gun at someone, even if it is not a real firearm.”
For his part, actor Steve Hall indicates that the shots where the characters shoot at the camera are made only with special protection. “If you are in the line of fire you must have a face mask and glasses, be behind a Perspex screen (resistant acrylic) and minimize the number of people next to the camera ”, he mentioned to the BBC.
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On the other hand, other professionals, such as filmmaker Craig Zobel, are of the idea that the use of blanks should be abolished. “There is no reason to have guns loaded with salvoes or anything on set anymore. It should be completely banned, ”Zobel wrote on Twitter.
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