He is not the only one to make comments along those lines - several actors who have been in movies like Saving Private Ryan, Windtalkers, etc. have said they've never heard "cold gun" used on set and have always had the gun demonstrated as safe for them and/or been part of checks themselves.
Alec Baldwin fatally shoots woman with prop gun on movie set
- Thread starter NVP
- Start date
He is not the only one to make comments along those lines - several actors who have been in movies like Saving Private Ryan, Windtalkers, etc. have said they've never heard "cold gun" used on set and have always had the gun demonstrated as safe for them and/or been part of checks themselves.
That would be a good point if Clooney had said they fire all the rounds loaded into prop guns at their feet every time. But he didn't. He was talking specifically about revolvers (and probably mid to late 19th century American revolvers since that's what's usually meant by "a six gun") and obviously he wasn't talking about firing at his feet (who would do that other than to deliberately wound themself?). How many revolvers were used in Saving Private Ryan? Probably some, but revolvers weren't a main weapon in WW2.
"a six gun" would probably be in a "Wild West" setting so the ground usually won't be concrete or steel. It probably wouldn't be an issue most of the time. If it was, you'd use some other safe target.
Angilion, don't take my jibe "at their feet" so literal - what I'm getting at is this:
- it makes no sense to discharge prop weapons (revolvers or any other hand gun) EVERY TIME before filming, because they were loaded specifically to be fired in front of the camera, if every actor in a 'wild west' movie was to fire all the blanks every time before filming they might as well not load them at all.
- granted, I never worked on the set where ammunition or guns were used but in my limited experience I also never heard of a hand over technique involving firing weapons (loaded with blanks or otherwise) AT THE GROUND. I'm sure Yanks also use clearing barrels for that purpose?
On a side note - where would Clooney use a revolver? Cohen brothers movie?
And that changes what while handling fire arms?
Also... "stated to you", "do your eyes work"... spoon me sideways, the level of discourse... whatever happened to this forum, it's bad... let me just give you one Clint Eastwood glance and pout and I'm out... That's enough of that.
I think the point being made is that "dummy bullets" are not the same as "blank bullets" as dummies are unable to be fired because they are emptied of all propellant material (i.e. no "gunpowder" for example), so while they look like real bullets they are infact completely safe and therefore pulling the trigger on a firearm loaded with "dummy bullets" might be a quick way to ensure that those "dummy bullets" are infact dummies as nothing would happen each time you pull the trigger.
However, with "blanks" which ARE designed to be fired to create a gunshot look/sound, your point about it being ridiculous is absolutely correct, which is why they don't/wouldn't do that.
So it seems like a simple miscommunication issue between "non-firing dummies" vs "fireable blanks".
Well, you know, not all of us have as many armchair google degrees or will ever reach the dizzy heights of the industry and firearm knowledge some posters here clearly possessed since that fatal day in October... You have to forgive my "utter ignorance", I don't work directly on set. Like you do. (ohyou.gif)
ianh said:
So Clooney was talking about prop masters demonstrating safety of six shots filled with dummies by "firing" them at the ground? How do we know that, I didn't get that bit from the article?
How do we know Clooney was talking about dummies? Is it in that Independent article we are discussing?
Well Dis86, I might have been wrong about you... abrasive demeanour or not, in just one sentence you provided me with more information than the entire Independent article...
So every time they get the gun with dummies they test it by squeezing the trigger with fire arm pointing at the ground... Shake up in procedures is definitely in order...
thanks...I was also thinking that firing EVERY round at the ground seemed pointless as you'd just be in some endless loop!
Heh remember when earlier in the thread you were arguing that checking the chamber was empty was a safety check?
Pot and kettle
It is a safety check...
Yeah for your cadet rifle....
For any firearm that is potentially loaded with ammunition.
Really so an uzi, a mac 10 a ww2 BAR?
These are safe if they don't have a round in the chamber?
This would be the pot and kettle part on ignorance
You can most definitely inspect the chamber on those weapons. How do you think they eject the casing?