Friday, October 22, 2021
Here’s How a Prop Gun Using Blanks Can Still Fire a Fatal Shot
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The Wrap
Here’s How a Prop Gun Using Blanks Can Still Fire a Fatal Shot
Ross A. Lincoln
Fri, October 22, 2021, 1:22 AM·5 min read
A horrific tragedy occurred Thursday on the New Mexico set of the upcoming western, “Rust,” when the film’s cinematographer, 42-year-old Halyna Hutchins, was killed, and director Joel Souza gravely injured in an accidental shooting. A prop gun, filled with blanks, malfunctioned when it was fired by star Alec Baldwin, an event that is still under investigation by local law enforcement.
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I was reading reports of this last night during our tornado break on crew, and whew, I was at a loss for words. This is one of those unspeakable, horrific events that no one ever thinks will happen to them, and I truly send love to everyone who was affected by what happened. This speaks to the immense responsibility props people have on sets, especially when working with weapons. It is their responsibility to ensure that everyone is trained as necessary, and that props are prepared and tested in such a way that can ensure safety. But even so, I do not think anyone would ever expect a freak accident like this to happen during their career, and my hope is that this WAS indeed a freak accident and the fault is not placed on any one person. Someone having to hold the pain of accidentally ending a life is something I could not imagine.
This is a good, more detailed breakdown than I’ve seen of how blanks actually work, the differences between blank rounds and standard projectile rounds, and different ways that blanks can go wrong. The fact is, there’s no way to make a gun safe. It’s been designed, modified, and iterated upon for two hundred years with a single purpose in mind, which is to kill whatever you point it at. We can make them safe-*er*, but it will always be a weapon, and we should think carefully about when we actually need one in the performing arts. 9 times out of 10 (probably a lot more frequently than that) a less realistic prop will do, especially in film when there is the benefit of post production editing that can so realistically simulate a gunshot with zero chance of hurting someone. These tragedies are preventable. It’s time to stop making excuses and prevent them.
Reading about the logistics behind the tragic incident on Thursday night that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust was both very informative and unsettling. Prior to reading this article, I did not know that in a lot of cases film production actually chooses to use a real gun in filming for the reason of verisimilitude. I would have thought that safety would be more prioritized and fake or replica firearms would be more commonly used instead. The breakdown of the usage and functions of a blank was also important in explaining how such an incident could happen; there are so many potential hazards that could result in serious injury and death that most people wouldn’t consider or know about. For example, the article includes a video of a scene from El Camino that shows how firing a blank in close proximity of clothing could cause it to catch fire. The primary difference between a blank and a normal bullet is the absence of a projectile, but the danger in both is still very present. I did read another article yesterday where it was rumored that there had been a single live round in the gun used to kill Hutchins, which if true is another concerning demonstration of lack of safety regulations.
The death of Halyna Hutchins and injury of Joel Souza are tragic and a huge warning to everyone in the industry. I wasn’t aware of the danger of prop guns until this incident and reading this article explained why even prop armour can be of huge danger. This says to us that even a modified version of a weapon can still be harmful in many unpredictable ways. And this brings us to the argument whether prop weapons should still be used if there’s always the possibility. Obviously whoever was in charge of handling that gun is accountable, but should we stop using prop guns even when there’s a slightest chance of injuring someone? I think the balance between safety and verisimilitude is one that’s hard to find, and until there’s a way to reach equilibrium between the two, props should continue to be handled as if they are real, functional weapons.
When I first saw a headline about this incident I didn't even know what to think. It is crazy to think that a special effect that has been used so much and so often would lead to a tragic accident like this. This article in particular is super interesting. I found it cool to learn about the actual mechanics and physics behind how a blank works. I have always known how much damage a blank could do. The blast wave it produces can absolutely kill someone no doubt. I am still curious if they will find out that this was the cause of death. I am also curious about the validity of their possibly being one actual round in the gun at the time of the incident. I assume this is all speculation seeing that the investigation is still in progress and details like this will most likely not be shared until it is completed.
Honestly effects have become so good that loading blanks into actual firearms makes no sense. For the shot of course you would want to capture the recoil on film. So that leads us back to "Let's use an actual firearm".
Cool, I get it.
But if that's the case then there needs to be strict standards for the prop firearms. The fact of the matter is that the thing we are using as a prop is designed to fire a projectile and kill. So we need to at least follow the basic tenets of firearms training.
It is always loaded.
Do not aim it at something you don't want to destroy (Do we really ever need to aim it at someone when effects and angles can make up that difference?)
Know what is on the other side of the what you are aiming at.
In addition, I am of the opinion that a props firearm should never be loaded with live ammunition. It should be fully broken down and cleaned/checked for blockages by a gunsmith on standby after every single shot (even if it is just a blank).
Just because it is a prop, that doesn't mean we shouldn't treat it with the gravest of care. This story makes my blood boil. This never should have happened and someone is dead due to complete negligence. This is unacceptable.
I already commented on an article about this tragedy, but this article explains the mechanics of a prop weapon much better. I was definitely aware of the existence of blank rounds, but what I did not know until reading this article is that blanks still contain an equal amount of gunpowder as a standard round. This makes even blank round more dangerous than I ever thought. If that amount of gunpowder is enough to propel a bullet over 1,800 miles per hour in a fraction of a fraction of a second, it can clearly cause damage to another person if they are too close. That being said, as I mentioned in the previous comment about this tragedy, I read somewhere that an actual bullet was found in the fatal wound of the cinematographer or in the wound of the director. Now, I cannot confirm the validity of this statement, but if this is the case, the amount of negligence on the part of the props coordinator and the gun master on set is astounding. I can’t imagine that it is too hard to check the chamber and the magazine or revolver of the gun for a live projectile round, especially if it will be used in close quarters and it will be pointed at someone. This potential negligence cost one, nearly two people their lives.
I had already known that blank rounds could still be dangerous, but I didn't exactly know the mechanics of them and especially the fact that they are basically a real round minus the actual bullet. I think the article makes a very good point at the end - the person who was handed the prop and pulled the trigger is not at fault, for they were assured it was a regular, properly functioning prop weapon, and it was not. But the misinformation surrounding blank rounds is incredibly dangerous for anybody without proper training handling these weapons, and that's why an expert should always be present on set. Whether or not there was one is up in the air (due to replacement of union workers with non-union I'm going to assume no), but one thing going wrong can result in a deadly accident, and it seems as though a lot of things went wrong unfortunately.
While I see where this article is coming from I still think that this situation does not make any sense. How did this even happen, and who is responsible? The industry has so many rules and regulations for this kind of stuff, right down to the types of knots we use for certain things. How can this be even a simple oversight? Live bullets were put into the gun, someone had to acquire those bullets, put it in the gun, turn off the safety, and give it to someone. The chain of command in these situations are too great, and it still makes no sense as to how these tragedies happened. Why are functional weapons even allowed on set in the first place? With all the technologies we have now, a gun effect cannot be so difficult to aquire, why is there even a need for a real gun in this setting?
I found this article very interesting as it helped break down the difference between a blank and a real bullet. I feel like the differences often get mixed up, and this as seen with the recent events can lead to death. I feel so bad for what happened to Halyna Hutchins, word cant describe the anger I feel for such an awful and easily avoidable tragedy to occur. Low budget films must stop cutting corners especially in the props and firearms department to prevent things like this from happening. Too often are ill trained and ill-equipped props departments thrown together for a film shoot and expected to preform their jobs safely. Recently I read that people within the crew where using the gun in question for target practice. If this is true, such a mix up is not only irresponsible but absolutely disgusting. There should never be real bullets on set or anywhere near a prop gun. I understand the need for using real gun to add a level of realism to the film, but there should never ever be any reasoning for having real bullets on set. I genuinely cant comprehend why anyone would think that having real bullets on set is a good idea that couldn’t end in tragedy
This article is defiantly needed for context surrounding the death of Halyna Hutchins. What really struck me was the accidental death of Jon-Erik Hexum in 1984. This story seems to be a major story relating to firearms safety backstage for entertainment that I had never heard about. Even the incident with Brandon Lee where a projectile was stuck in the barrel before the blank pushed it out. It baffles me that in this day and age we are pointing real guns at other people and expecting to be able to make that completely safe. Surely there is a way to mimic a real gun in terms of weight and recoil without the risk of death. It all just seems too close to pointing a real loaded gun at coworkers, its astonishing these incidents are not more frequent.
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