Simulated gun fire in a high school.

[DirectCurrent]

For a musical at my high school the director wants “real” flint lock type gunfire at close range (10’). Real guns with blanks, are defiantly out. Any ideals?

New here, so any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[derekleffew]

http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/special-effects/9087-gunfire-gunshot-sound.html

 

[MPowers]

Is your director asking for the "LOOK" of flint lock? I.e. the small "poof" of smoke at the hammer just before the round fires? Then the thud/boom?

Having been weapons wrangler on a number of productions including one a few years back called "Young Washington". The show depicted Washington's early life, French Indian War, 180 rounds a night of black powder weapons fire and four 3lb cannon shots. If you go for the sound effect, the sound of a flintlock or any historical vintage black powder weapon is more of a thump or boom rather than the sharp "crack" of a modern weapon.

 

[tolienbosheit]

If you go for a sound effect from a library, or even a general recording, try editing the clip to have an exact copy of the waveform, but about 8 or so semitones lower (Make sure it does't change the tempo of the clip) with the attacks lined up (The "loud" points, parts with the large amplitude/spikes). A free-ware program like Audacity should have no trouble doing this. This will help to round out and "beef" up the sound to appeal to today's Hollywood-ized listeners by providing the low end that Hollywood adds to those gunshot effects.

Also - I recall a senior project at my college where the student went on Amazon and bought replica flintlocke made from plastic. They filled the handles with sand and repainted them with a metallic and a bit of wood-grain...we ended up using the pair of them last for Ibsen's Three Sisters actually...

 

[NHSTechCrew]

Flash powder with a hand held ingiter
Flash powder gun


-Patrick

 

[ScottT]

Flash powder with a hand held ingiter
Flash powder gun

From the above link (emphasis mine):

The performer enters the stage, hands seemingly empty, and then - POOF! Suddenly a flash is seen streaking out of his hand, erupting into a brilliant ball of fire. Shoots 10 - 15 feet. This fantastic little flame shooter is small enough to conceal in your hand, yet creates an astoundingly large effect.

Contact you AHJ before using this. This could very well kill someone.

 

[NHSTechCrew]

This flash gun is not for all. I have used it by shooting across our 50' stage and aiming far off to the right of the other actor.

**Just remember that safty is a priority**


-Patrick

 

[shiben]

This flash gun is not for all. I have used it by shooting across our 50' stage and aiming far off to the right of the other actor.

**Just remember that safty is a priority**


-Patrick

I dont know that I want anyone firing a 15' flame while im anywhere downrange at all, even if you are aiming far off. Thats a very large flame... Also, black powder weapons tend to make a lot of smoke, not tons of fire out the muzzle (well, at least during the day, from what I have seen), and a 15 foot flame would be like firing a WWII era anti-tank rifle... you would need a new effect to make the actor turn into a pink mist after getting shot.

 

[Van]

Firing any weapon that "shoots" anything out the barrel flame, whatever, while another person is standing in front of it is, in a word, stupid. There is no way to make that "safe". Especially in a high school environment. This isn't about weapons onstage it's about Pyro, anyone other than a profesional dealing with Pyro is begging to get hurt or hurt someone else.
Tell the director to get used to disapointment, you're not on Broadway, you can't aford a profesional armourer or Pyro technician, Use a sound effect and be done.

Gruff but lovable, grumpy, but correct.

 

[headcrab]

Smack a piece of 1x3 (longer is better) on a concrete slab.

 

[Goph704]

Yeah....No.

Go with the sound effect. There have been too many post on this site about high school pyro disasters.

 

[DuckJordan]

Yeah....No.

Go with the sound effect. There have been too many post on this site about high school pyro disasters.

+1 on this.. Maybe have the lights jump up 10-20 percent then drop back to original levels right after, Pyro in high school is dangerous. When we used a flash pot for Wizard of Oz two years ago, we had to have so much help from pro's who do it for a living. Not to mention the fact that we didn't have anyone near or in the line of fire of it at all.

 

[josh88]

because even blanks can kill, they've all still got something coming out of the barrel, even if it isn't a bullet. as a person standing in front of that, I wouldn't want it pointed anywhere less than 90 degrees towards me, right angle downstage/upstage or 180 the other way please, and that is assuming it is only me and the guy with the gun, not accounting for other people on stage, audience or anything that could potentially be combustible.

 

[ScottT]

From the SML:

Every year as a general reminder, or more frequently if someone new joins the troupe, Terry sets an empty soda can on a fence post and utterly destroys it - and I mean, blown to smithereens - with a single blank cartridge, while reminding everyone in attendance (which is mandatory) that human skin is a whole lot less robust than that aluminum can "skin," so be doubly sure of shooting angles and where the other actors and spectators are at, during their various gunfight sequences.

Be careful kids! If that's what professionals have to do to get the point across, think about what you would have to do in a non-professional environment.

 

[ruinexplorer]

Why most gunshot sound effects do not work for flintlocks:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4D3HfqrpVhk

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You might be able to find a good video (without the background music) that you can skim the sound effect with one of the online services. But the point is that a flintlock does not sound like a modern gun, plus there are the two sounds. Of course, you need to make sure that what you truly need is a flintlock and not a matchlock or a wheellock pistol. Those will of course sound different as well.

 

[Kryzm]

Take an 18" piece of 1x4, attach a 4" piece parallel and flush on the end.

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spring hinge a 14" piece in the gap, flush with the 18".
xxx
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Pull back on the hinged piece (red) and let it snap back into place. $10 gunshot.

 

[DuckJordan]

after listening for quite some time to the flint lock, Recording a bottle rocket (without screamer) would sound darn close...

 

[cdub260]

A question:

Does the director want the authentic sound or does he want to hear the sound he thinks a flintlock should make?