Extra Fire w/ Gun Fire

> 23rd November 2003

>
Hi all,

I´ll be shooting a gun fire scene w/ pistols and revolvers and would like to have an extra fire coming out from the barrel.
Some inflammable spray?

Thanks,

Rorian Guimarães
Director-FRACTALS
www.fractals.com.br

Don't try this without the consent of a licensed firearms person, but I've done a few films where WD40 had been sprayed down the barrel right before the shoot.

You know, using full loads, opposed to half or quarters, will give you a substantial amount of flash without the use of any spray, also much safer. Do a test with a video camera or something with the full loads and you'll most likely find that it's a large enough flash.

Christopher C. Pearson
Director of Photography
Los Angeles

Would like to have an extra fire coming out from the barrel. Some inflammable spray?

Rorian Guimarães

><<<Don't try this without the consent of a licensed firearms person>>>

Amen,

Take a look at the battle seqence in U-571, where the Americans take the German Sub. You'll notice that the fire is exploding out the sides of the end of the gun barrel. This was apparently achieved by capping the end of the barrel, forcing the fire out the sides.

The cameraman of this sequence was Rex Metz ASC, who told me how they acheived this look. If you can catch up with him; he can provide better details.

Please, only have a trained profesional try this or anything else with firearms.

Best Regards,
Matthew Alcorn
Los Angeles

Christopher wrote :

>You know, using full loads, opposed to half or quarters, will give you a >substantial amount of flash

What type of gun seems to make a difference too. On a shoot with SA80's (British army standard assult rifle) the armourer would fire off an entire magazine just before the take to, "warm the barrel". This supposedly enhanced the muzzle flash. It also got on everybodies tits - ce la vie.

I seem to remember in the ASC article on Tomb Raider, Peter Menzies Jr. mentioned that they used a strobe lighting effect on/around characters during gun play to enhance the 'perceived' level of muzzle flash in the scene.

Tom Townend,
Cinematographer/London.

Hi,

>strobe lighting effect on/around characters during gun play to enhance >the 'perceived' level of muzzle flash in the scene.

I remember noticing this in Aliens as well. That is, I immediately noticed it the first time it was used in Aliens at the age of about fourteen, and instantly thought what a cheesy effect it was. Me no like. And they actually got an SA80 to work?

Phil Rhodes
Video camera/edit
London

Phil Rhodes wrote :

>I remember noticing this in Aliens as well [...] and instantly thought what >a cheesy effect it was.

I hope, for your sake Phil, that James Cameron isn't a CML lurker. Keep an eye out for 'black helicopters' just in case.

The strobe effect in Aliens (if indeed there is a strobe used) never bugged me. More tacky (and this may only be in the 'Special Edition') is the device of step printing each frame that has a muzzle flash in it. It's a very effective way of increasing the screen duration of a muzzle flash - by doubling or tripling the relevant frame - but it lends the pace of the action a disorientating arrhythmia.

> And they actually got an SA80 to work?

Hahahaha - let's just say, they had a truck full of standbys. I couldn't possibly comment on whether the guns ever jammed ;-)

Tom Townend,
Cinematographer/London.

Tom Townend wrote :

>And they actually got an SA80 to work?

>
Isn't this weapon referred to as the "civil servant"--- it doesn't work and you can't fire it.

Mark Smith

I would seriously caution those who try to enhance muzzle flash by capping the end of the barrel or through other tampering with the firearm. An AC of mine nearly got killed when the gun guy used overloaded blanks (more than a "full load"). A pistol exploded sending gun parts inches from his head.

Rick
NYC DP
www.lopezfilm.com

> And they actually got an SA80 to work?

And god help you if it works and you're left eyed!

Cheers

Geoff Boyle FBKS

Director of Photography
EU based
www.cinematography.net

Wasn't there a film actor who was fooling around with a revolver loaded with blanks and shot himself through the head with the paper wad?

>I would seriously caution those who try to enhance muzzle flash by >capping the end of the barrel or through other tampering with the >firearm. An AC of mine nearly got killed when the gun guy used >overloaded blanks (more than a "full load").

Robert Rouveroy csc
The Hague, Holland

Robert Rouveroy wrote :

>Wasn't there a filmactor who was fooling around with a revolver loaded >with blanks and shot himself through the head with the paper wad?

There was this

>
http://www.autobahn.mb.ca/~trainer/lee_article.html

But I think you're referring to an incident that happened on the set of a fairly obscure 80s tv series. Jon-Erik Hexum, star of 'Cover Up' accidentally shot himself in the head with a blank round.

Tom Townend,
Cinematographer/London.