Posted to the StageCraft Mailing list...
Please, please do not have an actor point a blank gun at their head and fire. You can kill someone this way.
Guns shooting blanks can be very dangerous, even at normal distances. They vent, of course, and unless the barrel is plugged, they vent largely through the barrel, and can send great amounts of stray powder, wadding, etc. out that way. If the gun has not been well cleaned and/or there is any kind of blockage or small object in the barrel, a blank shot can send a lethal discharge. Even in an incredibly clean gun, the material vented can cause powder burns and discoloration - of course, this is exaggerated at close range.
Even plugged barrel "stage" weapons are not entirely safe. They still vent - typically through the sides and back of the gun, and there is still some material ejected. And, of course, the noise is a big factor to consider.
In Les Miserables there are some live gunshots from the house. Two, from a presumed sniper shooting at Enjolras. Valjean shoots back from onstage with his rifle, ostensibly killing the sniper and saving Enjolras's life, which prompts Enjolras to grant custody of the prisoner (Javert) to Valjean.
Later, once the set has revolved and the audience POV (point of view) is ostensibly the same as the French Army's POV, little Gavroche climbs over the barricade to retrieve ammunition from dead bodies for the rebels. While he does, he is shot at, ostensibly by French troops, and killed with the third gunshot.
The shots come from FOH to reinforce that "you are there" feeling, I guess. Why do I [a FOH (front of house) electirican] do it? Because it made more sense than having some prop guy sneak out from backstage to a convenient perch FOH.
I fire 5 shots with full load .38 blanks in an open barrel (well, pinned, but not blocked) pistol for the show every night. I also wear double muff headsets, keep my arm extended and the shot as far away as possible, and cover my closer ear with my free hand (in addition to the headset) for every shot. (Which is fairly ridiculous looking, I'm sure). I never aim directly at the stage, actors, or audience. And I can tell you, a significant amount of material is vented with each shot, and it carries a fair distance. The actor onstage shoots back at me with a .44 cal rifle, and he is instructed not to aim directly at me, the audience, or the other actors on stage - he aims high. His gun typically vents a great deal. When he fires a subsquent shot straight up, we've had damage to gels and lenses in instruments 36 feet above his head.
Anyone using weapons firing blanks on stage should be very very careful, make sure that the actors using the weapons are familiar and comfortable and knowledgable about them, and get qualified instruction from the local police, gun shops, or a certified stage combat instructor whenever they can.
June Abernathy (JEAber@aol.com)
FOH Electrician on Les Miserables (third company)
© 2000 by June Abernathy
E-mail questions and comments to Larry Wild at wildl@northern.edu.
Updated: March 20 , 2000
© 2000 by Larry Wild,
Northern State University, Aberdeen, SD