Danger of 'prop' gun

[thommyboy]

BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) - Tragedy nearly struck a group of Florida actors when authorities say a loaded gun was accidentally used during a dress rehearsal.

It was the final practice run by a seniors theater group for their production of John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men." One actor picked up a pistol he had borrowed from another cast member and fired it at the head of fellow actor Fred Kellerman.

The bullet only grazed Kellerman's ear. The 81-year-old was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Just two hours after the shooting, the play went on as scheduled with another actor performing Kellerman's part.

Kellerman plans to be back at rehearsal Friday for a musical the group is putting on.

No charges have been filed, but the shooting is still under investigation.

[Smurphy]

Woh Woh who in the hell uses a real gun as a prop even if the dam thing isn't loaded? I sure as hell would not be back to work with them after that.

[WestlakeTech]

I don't see how people can have those problems. Safety isn't rocket science.

A good general rule: if it actually fires, don't use it. You can get fake guns (that couldn't shoot a nerf dart) that look just like real ones. As for the sound effect, I'd put the safety of my crew, performers, and the audience above making sure the sound is realistic. I don't care what your director says, the risk isn't worth it. If indeed it was an "accident" ('cause who the heck puts bullets into a prop gun?...), investigators will likely name "stupidity" as the cause of this unfortunate circumstance.

[gafftaper]

There are a lot of people out there who just don't stop and think about basics. They haven't had good theater training they are making it up as they go along. So they come across ideas like using real guns and flying people without professional help and they think, that's no problem I can do it myself. It's sad but true. We need to educate as much as possible to hopefully prevent the next generation from doing this kind of stupid stuff.

[chadillac802]

It always scares me when people are using prop firearms in a live production. Even with blanks- there are still projectiles. You should never have to "fire" anything to make a gun sound effect.

[bobgaggle]

i dont know. what with cinema creating effects that seem more and more real as the years go on, theatre has fallen behind. I guess live rounds could be used as a method of making the performance more believable. Honestly, having someone get shot and then turning their back to the audience and popping a blood capsule isn't good enough anymore. The audience needs to see the real grit that theatre tries to capture...

[chadillac802]

Originally Posted by bobgaggle

i dont know. what with cinema creating effects that seem more and more real as the years go on, theatre has fallen behind. I guess live rounds could be used as a method of making the performance more believable. Honestly, having someone get shot and then turning their back to the audience and popping a blood capsule isn't good enough anymore. The audience needs to see the real grit that theatre tries to capture...

Hmm, I seem to remember somebody telling me that it is our job to make "magic" in the theater. Yes, its hard to compete with the special fx of the movies. We don't have years of computer rendered post production to make it look realistic. Remember- when using any kind of live round, you are not only putting the actors at risk, but the audience and the people backstage as well.
A starter's pistol, is about as close as I ever got to a "live round" on stage. (It was fired by a prop runner backstage in a safe direction).

[lieperjp]

Originally Posted by bobgaggle

i dont know. what with cinema creating effects that seem more and more real as the years go on, theatre has fallen behind. I guess live rounds could be used as a method of making the performance more believable. Honestly, having someone get shot and then turning their back to the audience and popping a blood capsule isn't good enough anymore. The audience needs to see the real grit that theatre tries to capture...

I really hope this is sarcasm...

So, we can't compete with the movies so we will actually shoot the performers. Sick. This, of course, is assuming by "Live Round" you mean actual bullets.

[ReiRei]

Didn't Brandon Lee die because someone wasn't taking proper care of their prop gun?

And I don't even care about competing with movies, live theatre is not cinema and was never meant to be. It isn't worth risking someone's life.

[bobgaggle]

of course it was sarcasm