Blank Firing in High school theatre
- Thread starterhslighting
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MPowers
Well-Known Member
The Weapon you pictured is what is known as a "Wad Cutter". Note the conical spike pointing at the cylinder that lines up with the barrel and firing pin. Any wadding used to pack and seal the powder load is propelled into the spike and split into less dangerous pieces. NOT Safe, just less dangerous than a weapon with an open barrel. The burning powder and even small wad parts are still dangerous at close range. Now the danger zone is to the sides of the gun instead of in line with the barrel. Just like any other stage weapon, a starter pistol can be very dangerous in the wrong hands or completely safe in the right ones. I cannot judge your situation, you will have to do that for your self. Err on the side of caution. Don't take short cuts. Never get casual with the use, care and handling of weapons.
A starter pistol is designed and built to produce a loud retort from a minimal load. It is not intended to look like a real weapon in any sense of the word. A prop weapon for stage use, firing or not, is intended to look and feel and appear like the real McCoy. A starter pistol is far too small, has a half cylinder with a huge space between the cylinder and the frame holding the barrel. Many starter type pistols are designed to accept only a short crimped .22 or 6mm blank and don't even have a wad cutter, only the flat solid rear of the barrel frame. A wad cutter is usually very visible and makes it obvious that the weapon is a "prop".
A blank firing prop gun can be exactly the same or more realistic depending on how it is used or whether it is used in films or live stage. Because films "can" be shot in such a way that the shooter and victim can be on different stages on different days, their needs can possibly be very different. When the scene is filmed in single action takes, then they have many of the same problems as a stage weapon. Film also often use technology not available to most live stage productions such as butane "blanks" which use a small spark ignited burst of gas to simulate the muzzle flash without any real projectile or danger. The sound of the "gun shot is then added in post.
For live stage, there are many ways of making a prop firing weapon. The most common and least expensive way is to re-manufacture a real gun. Barrels can be plugged or drilled, chambers can be altered to accept only blank rounds, etc. Revolvers are the most common as they are the easiest and least expensive to make and use. Semi-auto like a M1911 or more recent Sig or Glock are more difficult especially if they need to fire more than one shot. The reason is that semi auto action uses either the recoil or the blow-back to actuate the stripping and re chambering of a new round. Blanks that can provide the needed force or gases are loud, expensive and have heavy wadding which, at short range, is just as deadly as a bullet.
A revolver designed for stage use, to 'look" real has the barrel blocked completely for "standard" models. The wad cutter is set slightly into the forward housing and the space between the cylinder and frame is reduced as much as possible to eliminate the large gap in front of the cylinder. The cylinders are step bored so a real round cannot be inserted far enough in the chamber for the cylinder to close.
A second type of blank firing weapon, called a flame front or muzzle flash weapon, used ONLY in professional productions with qualified gun wranglers, has a reduced diameter barrel and a stepped cylinder but the barrel is not blocked completely. With this weapon the flame front or muzzle flash exits from the front of the barrel in the direction the weapon is pointed. Because at short range a blank is as deadly as a live round, there have been deaths recorded, many from an actor Jokingly shooting their self in the head, thinking a blank is "safe".
The last solution is to use a real weapon, unaltered, with blank ammo. This method is unacceptable for more reasons than I can possibly list here. This method has resulted in deaths and injuries in film and stage use over the years. In today's world, any effect that a real gun can produce can be done with properly designed and manufactured, purpose built, non lethal products or CGI. If you can't afford the product needed to produce the effect the way you want it, change the way you achieve the dramatic effect. It can all still be done. Yes, the TV reality show "Top Shots" uses the real thing. That would be one of the very few acceptable uses of live fire on a production.
How to make a blank weapon "Look" like the real thing? Well, for example, in a production a number of years ago, the "fatal" shot was fired on an arena stage in a dimly lit scene, the direction of the muzzle flash was very obvious. The solution: we used a weapon with a top port exit. A hole drilled into the top of the barrel, at about 45 degrees forward. There was a piano wire X across the exit end of the hole to sorta act as a wad cutter. As the actor fired "The Shot" he tipped the gun slightly forward so the flash seemed to be pointed level and at the victim. He was also blocked to be in line with the main aisle so the flash was not actually aimed at any audience member. His actual aim point of the barrel was at the stage floor about 10' in front of him, the flash was aimed about 5' above head height at the rear of the main aisle. It can be done! I was the gun wrangler in that production and we went through an intensive rehearsal sequence to insure the safety of the actors and patrons. As a USMC vet, I have considerable weapons experience and often worked professionally as a gun wrangler in the Late 60's & 70's. I did some custom, one off, manufacturing of stage weapons during that period including the weapon mentioned above.
(teaser) The shooter in the above example was Hayden Rorke, anyone know who that was without a Google search? 5 brownie points to the first right answer.
The major point here is the gag (directors vision), the weapon, the experience level of the crew/weapons wrangler, the crew staffing (weapons wrangle cannot be helping a costume change SL when the weapon exits SR) must all be balanced and matched to the situation. Weapons blocking, firing toward the Patrons, line up with an aisle, line up toward a back wall above the orchestra and below the first balcony. Aim at a side wall like the side light port. Aim toward an actor??? NEVER! Place the actor just to the side of the aisle at which you are aiming. Need the muzzle flash to be obviously toward the "victim"? Block the actor to move toward the victim as they speak and make a small lunge or arm thrust just as the weapon fires and aim the actual flame front toward, but not actually "at" the victim.
Hope this helps a bit.
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Best known as Col. Bellows from I Dream of Jeannie! loved that show
damjamkato
Member
Thank you so much, this is exactly what I wanted to know. Just an update, I convinced my director to call a professional fight choreographer friend of his, who's going to come in and take a look.
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