What do you use for a gun?

[The Gopher]

Short of buying a blank firing gun, blanks, and permits, is there any way to simulate a gun/gunshot? Sound isn't as important, I can always add sound effects later, but I want the visuals to look good. Specifically the fire coming out of the barrel. Has anyone here found another option?
If not, how hard is it to use blanks (legally) and how dangerous are they?
I intend to shoot a scene of a gun going off, there wouldn't be any actors near it. :idea:

 

[MarkG]

We haven't used blanks in a long time. It can be hard to convince actors to pretend they're firing a gun that does nothing, but it's easy these days to put gunshot effects into video in post. If you're shooting film, on the other hand, it's probably easier to get blank-firing guns if you're planning to get a film print at the end.

how dangerous are they

A few actors have been killed doing stupid things with blank-firing guns: they're not especially dangerous, but have to be treated with respect.

 

[DerekEastham]

Best advice for good looks is to find the best props you can...
there are lots of companies out there who make "replica" weaponry that doesn't fire... but looks great...

HOWEVER, if you want the gun to have a proper kick-back action, including the mechanical process that takes place on the barrell of the weapon, your best bet are the blank firing guns...

Best advice I can give you for keeping your cast & crew safe around blank-firing weapons would be to use mis-direction. Use shots that include the person getting shot and the gun only when you're not actually going to shoot the gun... use shots that only show one or the other combined with special & visual FX work and add a sound effect in post to tie it together.

Good luck & let us know what you come up with.

 

[DannyG]

What about a long range shot where the camera is well behind the shooter and the target is far in the distance in front of the shooter. Would it be safe to that kind of situation where the blank firing weapon is pointed at the actor?

 

[ruthie]

i would definately stay away from the blank firing gun unless you have some good insureance. But, for our last film, we actually found a pellet gun thats a replica of a serious handgun. We didnt load it with any pellets of course but it worked Great! Ill post the link to the film when we finish post audio next week!

 

[Sureshot]

Totally. Especially on the eve of the airsoft revolution, airsoft guns are the way to go. They look near to or almost exactly like the weapon they portray and are usually heavy enough to make it easy to work with (as far as acting is concerned). As far as flashes are concerned, check out Combustion's particle effects (found on discreets website) or try After Effects. Cheap and easy to do. Good luck!

Sureshot 8)

 

[MarkG]

Would it be safe to that kind of situation where the blank firing weapon is pointed at the actor?

Probably, but I'd still try to find an angle where the gun doesn't have to be pointed at the actor, to avoid 'Crow' problems. I forget what happened there, but didn't an object get stuck in the barrel so it shot the actor when the gun fired, or something like that?

One way to fake up gunshots if you are using blank-firing guns is to put the shooter a few feet to one side of the target, and then shoot from the side with a big zoom. That squashes the perspective so that when they fire they'll look like they're pointing at the actor when in fact they're pointing the gun well away from them.

 

[ibassplayer205]

I havent started my first short yet, but I already know what Im doing about the fire arms involved. Like someone said before AIRSOFT. They are 1:1 replicas of just about any gun ever made. http://www.shortyusa.com/
they are awesome, they have 3 virsions of every gun, spring action, battery powerd and gas powered. the gas ones look, feel, and mimic the real ones pretty well. hope this helps

 

[bobzta]

Guns and stuff

Guns and stuff

Ive done a few gunshots using internet mp3s for the sound, and theyre kind of ok? Its fun when you put your mind to figuring out the methods etc. Once I zoomed in on the gun and blew cigarette smoke over the gun (from out of shot) as I faked a recoil, and it looked ok, another time I took some frames into Animation shop (PSP8) and painted in a gun flash, that kind of worked because it only showed for a split second. Ive been buying those chrome plated gun lighters and BB guns, machine pistols and hitman BB guns, but still I need to make a proper gas ignition flash thing (built into the silencer) I figure it will work by running a plastic gas line from a butane can down my sleeve, into the barrel (or on thye side away from the camera?) and up to the flint (on a gun lighter), Ill have to get someone else to hold down the gas jet on the can so that a good amount of gas starts spraying around the flint, then just pull the trigger, and hopefully the flint wil create a small burst of flame?

 

[MrBonquista]

for the sound effects i usually have to resort to using counter strike gun sound effects, some are pretty fake but some actually sound... not bad. i suggest if u have no other sound, then use computer game sound clips or whatever else u have as a backup.

 

[pepper]

We didn’t have a lot of $$ for the first movie so we used “Spring” airsoft pistols and rifles.
http://community.webshots.com/album/119413757YQDuLY/1
I did some painting and aging, We had a shot ware a pistol needed to have some “blowback” action on it.. Well alls we had were spring powered single action weapons. So we just digitally cut and pasted the slide in one shot. It gave the appearance of the pistol being fired

I’ll look for that shot on my pc and post asap. ok found im
http://community.webshots.com/photo/119413757/2010293700039649308YkmrAi

http://community.webshots.com/photo/119413757/2292210600039649308fZYtIy

http://community.webshots.com/photo/119413757/2441695550039649308oEwPky
pep

 

[Kevin_Zanit]

Even when needing the weapon to be pointed at an actor, you never actually aim at him. Most weapons handlers train the actors/ stuntmen to aim just to the left or right of their "target".

With a hand-gun, you have to use pretty near "full-load" blanks that can properly cycle the weapon.

For rifles, you can use 1/4 or 1/2 loads with a "restrictor" to cycle the gun.

If you don't have any experience with guns, I would not even think about going near real ones on a film set. If you can get a proper gun handler, then they can be an option.

As was said, they are dangerous. Older blanks had wading that would come out of the gun with enough power to kill at close ranges. Newer blanks are crimped on the end, but there is still a chance of a piece of metal breaking off and coming out.

Some places carry guns with cemented barrels that can still fire blanks. Try and look for another option short of the real thing.


Kevin Zanit

 

[Traceless Nik]

get an old school cap gun and get a drill and drill through the barell and fire it so the flash and smoke should be propelled down the barell. just dont stand your "target" to close

 

[markcheng]

if you're on the east coast, these guys:

http://www.weaponspecialists.com/

they're the best. real and replicas. plus they are pioneering "non-guns." this government classification takes replicas, magician's flash powder, and an electric trigger mechanism so there is absolutely no way someone could get hurt a la Brandon Lee. Since there's no firing pin or barrel or shell or anything, the prop is not considered a gun so you don't need a licensed gun wrangler on set...

mc

 

[hardyc3]

I have recently been working on some war type dramas. What I did for the gun shots is I used real bullets but pulled off the tops and emptied out the gun powder, you get a fairly loud crack and a little kick, smoke comes out the barrel. At the very least it's no where near as dangerous as a blank, (although I still wouldn't aim a gun at anyone) and it helps the actors act.

One trick I tried for a movie you can see at theproject.tv (A Death in the Family). I cut between two shots one at an angle behind the shooter so we could see who he was shooting, then a quick shot of and angle just showing the gun and the shooter shooting my modified blank, then a cut back to the sholder shot with the shootee falling to the ground. If that makes sense.
I liked the results, but some friends said it was weird looking because my second angle of just the gun wasn't a big enough change from the original position. It would have looked cooler if I had gone from behind the shooter to a shot from infront and then return to the back.

Anyway, just another idea, good luck,
Hardy

 

[Dr. Hannibal Lecter]

I have sevral airsoft guns and rifles and machine guns if you don't want to buy them on line I will rent mine out.

 

[markcheng]

where do you live?

 

[wetworx]

blank firing guns and squibs are the way to go. they are cheep and safe if used properly. i highly recomend ekol & voltran guns and pyrogen squibs