In a studio near Los Angeles, a group of filmmakers were practicing a close-up shot of an actor holding a rubber gun when they were abruptly interrupted.
“He’s pointing the gun directly at the crew – it’s exactly what happened on ‘Rust,'” exclaimed Dutch Merrick, a seasoned armorer who provides training on gun safety in the film industry.
“Who’s going to raise that and speak up if they see this situation?” he demanded.
Merrick was referring to the tragic incident that occurred in October 2021 on the New Mexico set of Alec Baldwin’s low-budget Western “Rust.” On that fateful day, Baldwin pointed a prop gun at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, believing it contained only blank bullets. Unfortunately, a live round struck Hutchins, leading to her untimely death. Baldwin is set to go on trial for involuntary manslaughter this Tuesday.
“It was a wake-up call to me,” said Virginia Brazier, one of the attendees at Merrick’s training course. Brazier, a production manager responsible for hiring film crews, including armorers and prop masters, emphasized the importance of proper vetting and recruiting to ensure safety on set.
During the course, Merrick highlighted that “Rust” was “underbudgeted,” which he believes led to a series of failures culminating in an “industrial accident.” He taught students simple ways to identify blank bullets, such as their characteristic ridged tips, and made them learn and repeat aloud the three “golden rules” of gun safety: always point the gun in a safe direction, always keep your finger off the trigger until ready to fire, and always treat a firearm as if it were loaded.
These basics are crucial for an industry still reeling from the “Rust” tragedy, said Ryan Taylor, an assistant director. “A lot of the crew members, in general, are just a bit more nervous,” he noted at the workshop. Crew members now often want to inspect props themselves and ensure that any rounds contained within prop guns are fully shown before use.
While the “Rust” tragedy prompted some calls for banning firearms from sets altogether, Hollywood has generally opted for less radical measures. Industry guidelines on firearm use were revised for the first time in 20 years last winter. Among other changes, they now specify that only an armorer can hand a weapon to an actor. On “Rust,” prosecutors said Baldwin was handed the gun by the film’s first assistant director, who later pled guilty to negligent use of a deadly weapon.
California will also require productions seeking state tax credits to hire a security advisor. This trial measure will be applied from next year through 2030.
Despite these changes, some productions have decided to forgo real firearms altogether. “Walker,” a recent reboot of the popular 1990s TV series “Walker, Texas Ranger,” and the cop show “The Rookie,” both used only “compressed air” guns or rubber weapons. Action superstar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson announced that his production company would no longer use real guns, opting instead to add the flash and bang of gunshots later using computer effects.
The extent of these changes across the industry is difficult to quantify. AFP asked a major Hollywood prop maker to confirm reports of a significant drop in gun rentals, but the company declined to comment.
“There was a severe overcorrection that didn’t need to be made in the way that it was,” said Merrick. As an armorer with three decades of experience, Merrick believes that real guns – when used safely – provide both actors and audiences with an unrivaled sense of “authentic action.” He argued that it is impossible for performers using rubber guns to accurately emulate the recoil of a gunshot. Compressed air guns – or “airsoft guns,” which do not fire metal bullets – create a “false sense of security” but could theoretically be lethal if used incorrectly, he added.
With Baldwin’s trial about to begin, Merrick fears that the mistrust of firearms on movie sets could grow further. “It’s going to have an odd effect on performers if he’s convicted,” said Leilani Barrett, an actor attending the course. “As an actor, I’m thinking about hitting my mark, memorizing my lines, doing my character, following directions. The last thing I want to really worry about is the prop that I’m using.”
Source: Agence France-Presse (AFP)
