Community Chat

[MorningLover]

I posted this in TV/Movies. Decided to post it here too.

What is a prop gun?

Blanks are used in the film industry to imitate live ammunition. The reason they are so convincing is that blanks are essentially modified real bullets.

While the term "bullet" is commonly used to describe what is loaded into weapons, more properly it is a cartridge that is loaded: a self-contained ammunition package made up of a casing holding an explosive powder that when fired, blasts out a projectile, or bullet.

Blanks differ because although they use explosive they don't use a projectile.

A prop gun could mean a range of items, from non-functioning weapons to cap guns.

But it can also mean a real weapon, or one adapted for firing blanks.

Together they add authenticity to productions - fire a blank using a prop gun and you'll get a loud bang, a recoil and what's known as a muzzle flash, the visible light created by the combustion of the powder..

~ source BBC news

Alec Baldwin: What are prop guns and why are they dangerous?

[Laura14]

It's being reported by the union now that there was a live round in the chamber which is on the crew and not the actor. 

This is a tragic terrible accident reminiscent of the Brandon Lee incident if the report is true.  

[Isobel Archer]

So why would there be a live round in the gun?  Was this intended to murder someone?

[qbetzforreal]

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@JaneMarple wrote:

What an awful tragedy! I don't care for Mr Baldwin either but I'm not going to blame his politics, child-rearing or his anger issues on this accident! Some of you are speculating and creating scenarios because of politics, what a shame!.

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Yes, the responsible party for the cause of the accident is the movies' prop master.

[Laura14]

@Isobel Archer  I think that's a reach.

More likely realism on camera. Firing a real weapon with the actual spark and recoil is cheaper to capture and print on film than adding in all those realistic effects after the fact in editing. 

My guess is that is going to change after this and the editing and sound people just got more work and paychecks.  

[golding76]

There are multiple layers of tragedy in this accident.  Sadly, the ramifications of this catastrophe, I believe, will fan out like the concentric circles that appear after a stone has been tossed into a body of water.  

To me, it is as though the devil appeared on the set yesterday.

[beckyb1012]

I have not heard the circumstances that lead up to his pulling the trigger or why was he pointing a gun at her anyway, blanks or not? 

At least with the actor Jon-Erik Hexum  from the television program "The Cover Up"  he was playing Russian Roulette with his prop gun when he accidentally killed himself in 1984  So what is the story for this taking place?

[bikerbabe]

Some of these comments are just disgustingly nasty. Why am I not surprised?

[Sooner]

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@Laura14 wrote:

It's being reported by the union now that there was a live round in the chamber which is on the crew and not the actor. 

This is a tragic terrible accident reminiscent of the Brandon Lee incident if the report is true.  

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@Laura14 I would think it would be on the actor.  Didn't that person check the gun before firing it?  Isn't that upon someone who fires a gun to know what's in it?  

To me it's no different than saying "I didn't know it was loaded."  Which doesn't hold a lot of water when you aim and shoot someone. . .

[Laura14]

@Sooner Everyone on a set crew is unionized and actors cannot touch or be involved in anything that a union member is responsible for. 

Props are the sole responsibilty of that union and crew and, you can not have an actor (most of whom are not trained in props and the mechanics of props) held responsible for someone else's expertise or lack thereof.