Film and theater weapon

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Sword from Conan the Barbarian
Replica of a HK MP5K made of polyurethane with additional elements made of metal from the film matrix

A film and theater weapon (also a stage weapon ) is a prop that represents a weapon and is used in theater , film or television . This mainly means cutting and stabbing weapons and firearms .

Cutting and stabbing weapons

Cutting and stabbing weapons, which are used in scenic fencing , are generally blunt, but they do pose a danger. In some scenes, blades made of softer materials such as rubber or light aluminum alloys are used. These less dangerous variants are used in combat scenes, whereas the more realistic weapons are used in close-ups .

Firearms

When it comes to the firearms used, a distinction is made between purely apparent weapons (dummies), which look deceptively similar to real weapons but do not carry out a shot simulation, and film weapons, which can more or less imitate the sharp shot. The first category includes training weapons made of rubber or synthetic resin , decorative weapons made of simple metal casting or toy weapons . Depending on the design, some parts can be designed to be movable, which increases the degree of realism. Realistically painted, these give off a photogenic image. The weight can differ significantly from the original weapon. Since too light a weight is reflected in unrealistic movements of the actor, these dummies are additionally weighted down with weights. Rubber guns are often used when depicting melee or stunts because metal guns are tough and can cause injury . Furthermore, firearms rendered unusable belong to the category of apparent weapons.

In order to represent a shot realistically, various effects such as muzzle flash , shot bang, powder smoke, recoil , movement of the bolt and the ejection of cartridge cases must be simulated. You do n't need all of these effects for every setting . B. Muzzle flash barely noticeable in bright daylight. Muzzle flash is sometimes added as a visual effect in post production . Basically, the following options are available:

  • Airsoft guns ; they are a fairly cheap and safe way to simulate a firearm. The airsoft guns fire small round balls using spring pressure, gas or electromechanical. Depending on the design, they can simulate the movement of the slide, some the recoil and a few the ejection of cartridge cases, but no muzzle flash. As a rule, gas airsoft guns are preferred because electric airsoft guns make unrealistic noises from the electric motor . For safety reasons, the possibility of firing the usual plastic ammunition is prevented by technical changes.
  • Model weapons ; externally they are based on the originals, but cannot fire either sharp or ordinary blank cartridges . Instead, they use special cartridges that act like stronger ignition platelets . The model guns were used more often in film and television productions in the 1970s and 1980s, but became increasingly rare. They have some drawbacks; they are expensive, fragile, prone to jamming and high maintenance.
  • Alarm weapons ; these work in principle like sharp firearms, but they are designed to only use blank cartridges. The gas outlet can be via the muzzle, which creates a realistic muzzle flash, but also to the side or upwards. For the representation of shots from close up, weapons with a gas outlet on the side are definitely advantageous, as the dangerous jet of fire does not exit the muzzle.
  • Salute weapons; These are converted sharp firearms, including war weapons , which can only be used with blank cartridges due to the conversion. Many weapons of war are automatic firearms and have to be converted anyway if they are to be realistically shot with blank cartridges. If these sharp weapons use blank cartridges, then a maneuver cartridge device is screwed onto the barrel to ensure the necessary gas pressure. Since this looks unrealistic with film guns, these guns are modified so that the function of the maneuver cartridge device is shifted to the barrel.

Ultimately, it is also possible to use a live firearm with blank cartridges. However, this is generally not recommended.

The use of weapons usually makes it necessary for an authorized person to be present at the location ( set ) to monitor the use and handling of the weapons.

Blank cartridges can also be dangerous. On the one hand, they are loud, which makes hearing protection necessary for those involved. On the other hand, a blank cartridge generates a hot jet of fire and strong pressure at the gas outlet. Failure to comply with the safety regulations can lead to serious accidents. Among other things, the death of Jon-Erik Hexum became known : the actor playfully held a gun with blank cartridges to his temple and pulled the trigger.

Another known tragic accident is that of Brandon Lee . In this case, a sharp revolver with blank cartridges was used. However, a real bullet was already stuck in the barrel , undetected . The blank drove this bullet out of the barrel and it hit Lee.

Web links

Commons : Movie weapons  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Federal Office for Economics and Export Control : Film weapons / theater weapons
  2. ↑ Hans Peter Doll , Günter Erlen: Theater , Belser-Verlag , 1985, ISBN 9783763090327 , p. 168 [1]
  3. ↑ Nick Evangelista : The Encyclopedia of the Sword , Greenwood Publishing Group, 1995, ISBN 0-313-27896-2 , pp. 2-4 [2]
  4. ^ Andrew Lane: Movie Stunts & Special Effects: A Comprehensive Guide to Planning and Execution , Bloomsbury Publishing , 2014, ISBN 9781623562748 , p. 273 [3]
  5. ↑ Kevin Inouye: The Theatrical Firearms Handbook Verlag CRC Press , 2014, ISBN 9781317859819 , pp. 112 - 115 [4]
  6. ^ Stu Maschwitz: The DV Rebel's Guide: An All-Digital Approach to Making Killer Action Movies on the Cheap , Verlag Pearson Education , 2006, ISBN 9780132705196 , p. 285 [5]
  7. ^ Andrew Lane: Movie Stunts & Special Effects: A Comprehensive Guide to Planning and Execution , Bloomsbury Publishing , 2014, ISBN 9781623562748 , p. 250 [6]
  8. ↑ Kevin Inouye: The Theatrical Firearms Handbook Verlag CRC Press , 2014, ISBN 9781317859819 , pp. 116–117 [7]
  9. ↑ Kevin Inouye: The Theatrical Firearms Handbook Verlag CRC Press , 2014, ISBN 9781317859819 , p. 117 [8]
  10. ^ Stu Maschwitz: The DV Rebel's Guide: An All-Digital Approach to Making Killer Action Movies on the Cheap , Verlag Pearson Education , 2006, ISBN 9780132705196 , p. 291 [9]
  11. ↑ Kevin Inouye: The Theatrical Firearms Handbook Verlag CRC Press , 2014, ISBN 9781317859819 , pp. 117 - 118 [10]
  12. ↑ Kevin Inouye: The Theatrical Firearms Handbook Verlag CRC Press , 2014, ISBN 9781317859819 , pp. 120 - 122 [11]
  13. ↑ Kevin Inouye: The Theatrical Firearms Handbook Verlag CRC Press , 2014, ISBN 9781317859819 , p. 131 [12]
  14. ↑ Kevin Inouye: The Theatrical Firearms Handbook Verlag CRC Press , 2014, ISBN 9781317859819 , pp. 251-254 [13]
  15. ^ Gunther Dietrich Gade: Basic knowledge of weapons law , W. Kohlhammer Verlag , 2008, ISBN 9783170204973 , p. 9 [14]
  16. ↑ Josh Becker, Bruce Campbell: The Complete Guide to Low-Budget Feature Filmmaking , Publishing Wildside Press LLC, 2006, ISBN 9780809556908 , p. 170 [15]
  17. ↑ Josh Becker, Bruce Campbell: The Complete Guide to Low-Budget Feature Filmmaking , Wildside Press LLC, 2006, ISBN 9780809556908 , p. 169 [16]
  18. ↑ Rickey Bird: Cheap Movie Tricks: How To Shoot A Short Film For Under $ 2,000 , Mango Media Inc., 2017 ISBN 9781633535442 , p. 102 [17]
  19. ^ Andrew Lane: Movie Stunts & Special Effects: A Comprehensive Guide to Planning and Execution , Bloomsbury Publishing , 2014, ISBN 9781623562748 , pp. 248–249 [18]
  20. ^ Stu Maschwitz: The DV Rebel's Guide: An All-Digital Approach to Making Killer Action Movies on the Cheap , Verlag Pearson Education , 2006, ISBN 9780132705196 , p. 284 [19]
  21. ↑ Josh Becker, Bruce Campbell: The Complete Guide to Low-Budget Feature Filmmaking , Publishing Wildside Press LLC, 2006, ISBN 9780809556908 , p. 170 [20]
  22. ^ Matthew Polly: Bruce Lee: A Life , Verlag Simon and Schuster , 2018, ISBN 9781501187643 , pp. 393–394 [21]