In a studio near Los Angeles, a group of filmmakers practice framing a close-up of a rubber gun held by an actor, when they are suddenly interrupted.
"He's pointing the gun directly at the crew -- it's exactly what happened on 'Rust'", said Dutch Merrick, a veteran armorer who offers training on gun safety in movies.
"Who's going to raise that and speak up, if they see this situation?" he demands.
Merrick is referring to the infamous tragedy that took place in October 2021 on the New Mexico set of Alec Baldwin's low-budget Western "Rust."
That day, Baldwin pointed a prop gun in the direction of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. He believed the revolver contained only blank bullets, but a live round struck Hutchins.
Baldwin goes on trial for involuntary manslaughter this Tuesday.
"It was a wake up call to me," said Virginia Brazier, one of the group attending Merrick's training course.
She works as a production manager, responsible for hiring film crews, including armorers and prop masters.
"I want to know what questions to ask people, to make sure that I'm vetting and doing proper recruiting to make sure that we're safe on set," she told AFP.
During the course, Merrick underlines that Rust was "underbudgeted." He believes that led to a series of failures, culminating in an "industrial accident."
He teaches students simple ways to help identify blank bullets, such as their characteristic ridged tips.
And he makes attendees learn and repeat aloud the three "golden rules" of gun safety.
Always point the gun in a safe direction. Always keep your finger off the trigger until ready to fire. And always treat a firearm as if it were loaded.
These are valuable basics for an industry set on edge by the "Rust" tragedy, said Ryan Taylor, an assistant director.
"A lot of the crew members in general are just a bit more nervous," he said, at the workshop.
Crew members often now want to inspect props themselves, and want any rounds contained within prop guns to have been "fully shown" before use, said Taylor.
While the "Rust" tragedy prompted some calls for banning firearms from sets altogether, Hollywood has generally preferred less radical measures.
Industry guidelines on firearm use were revised last winter for the first time in 20 years. Among other changes, they now specify that only an armorer can hand a weapon to an actor.
On "Rust," prosecutors said Baldwin was handed the gun by the film's first assistant director, who later pled guilty to negligent use of a deadly weapon.
California will also require productions seeking state tax credits to hire a security advisor. The trial measure will be applied from next year, through 2030.
Nonetheless, some productions have decided to give up on real firearms altogether.
"Walker," a recent reboot of popular 1990s TV series "Walker, Texas Ranger," and cop show "The Rookie" both used only "compressed air" guns or rubber weapons.
Action superstar Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson announced that his production company would no longer use real guns.
Instead of shooting blank bullets on set, the flash and bang of gunshots would be added later using computer effects.
The extent of these changes felt across the industry is difficult to quantify.
A major Hollywood prop maker, asked by AFP to confirm reports of a significant drop in gun rentals, declined to comment.
"There was a severe overcorrection, that didn't need to be made in the way that it was," said Merrick.
As an armorer with three decades of experience, Merrick believes that real guns -- when used safely -- give both actors and audiences an unrivalled sense of "authentic action."
For example, he said it is impossible for performers using rubber guns to accurately emulate the recoil of a gunshot.
Compressed air guns -- or "airsoft guns," which do not fire metal bullets -- create a "false sense of security," but could theoretically be lethal if used incorrectly, he added.
Yet with Baldwin's trial about to begin, Merrick fears the mistrust of firearms on movie sets could be about to grow further.
"It's going to have an odd effect on performers if he's convicted," said Leilani Barrett, an actor attending the course.
"As an actor, I'm thinking about hitting my mark, memorizing my lines, doing my character, following directions.
"The last thing I want to really worry about is the prop that I'm using."
© 2024 AFP
12 Comments
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Hervé L'Eisa
"repeat aloud the three "golden rules" of gun safety.
Always point the gun in a safe direction (Never point towards a person unless you intend to shoot that person) . Always keep your finger off the trigger until ready to fire. And always treat a firearm as if it were loaded."
All of those are what Baldwin so recklessly ignored. Manslaughter. For being stupid AND reckless.
Shadows of the Rising Sun
Why are real guns used in the first place?!
Hawk
A couple of reasons, given in the article: "As an armorer with three decades of experience, Merrick believes that real guns -- when used safely -- give both actors and audiences an unrivalled sense of "authentic action.""
"For example, he said it is impossible for performers using rubber guns to accurately emulate the recoil of a gunshot." Also, it costs money to add "computer effects" such as bangs and flashes in post. Lots of low-budget productions may not be able to afford it.
I'm interested to see how this trial will play out. The armorer on the set was definitely negligent and was found guilty as a result. I'm not so sure about Baldwin, as in the course of performing a character who fires guns, some of the golden rules of gun safety, such as "Always point the gun in a safe direction" are necessarily broken. For instance, a shot might call for an actor to point a firearm directly into the camera. The 'turn and shoot' which features in many a James Bond opening is a good example of this. Sledge Hammer (really showing my age here) too.
MilesTeg
If Baldwin so recklessly ignored so has Keanu Reaves, Arnold, Stallone, Statham, etc, etc., none of them checked every round they fired on set. Do you seriously think Reaves checked every round he fired on the John Wick movies? LOL. He was given a gun which was supposed to have blank rounds checked by the head armorer.
All this because one head armorer was incompetent and unprofessional.
Thunderbird2
Adding flashes to muzzles in post production is no more expensive than adding filters to grade an image or matt paintings. There really is no need to use real guns...
Hawk
Sure. If you are making a five minute short for film class and don't care if your effects look cheap and unrealistic.
Hervé L'Eisa
"If Baldwin so recklessly ignored so has Keanu Reaves, Arnold, Stallone, Statham, etc, etc., none of them checked every round they fired on set. Do you seriously think Reaves checked every round he fired on the John Wick movies? LOL. He was given a gun which was supposed to have blank rounds checked by the head armorer. "
Whether those other actors used real firearms on set is a different question. None of them actually killed anyone. Perhaps because those other films were properly funded and produced, there were no such incidents.
The funding and production of "Rust", however is quite a different matter. This was Baldwin's baby. He's the captain of this ship.
stormcrow
Not so sure whether it's more Baldwin's fault or the system's fault. Of course it helps if the actor is knowledgeable about guns and weapons, but it's also the responsibility of the prop supervisor to run a tight ship and provide safe props.
GuruMick
Imagine if Hollywood starting making films that didnt feature guns and shooting.
tora
Chuck Norris is like: hold my beer.
MilesTeg
So now you're saying that he isn't guilty of mishandling the gun? Now you're saying that he's guilty because he was one of the film's producers. Yet there were multiple producers. I think there were like over five producers but only he's guilty. The head armorer was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence. She brought live ammunition to the set and lost track of them.
bass4funk
What would be better movie making stories about school dramas or life in the office, cooking shows perhaps?