Hollywood gun goofs
- Thread starter P&R Fan
- Start date
tompehret
Member
- Joined
- Dec 29, 2012
- Messages
- 421
- Reaction score
- 414
We all love the Magnificent Seven movie, right?. I do. Remember the scene when the 7 have returned to the village (after being "allowed" to leave)? Robert Vaughan's character pauses at the door of a casita, gathers his thoughts and bursts in to sweep the room of a few bandits, freeing the captive villagers within. Great movie, great scene. Vaughan's character carries a Colt SAA throughout the movie but uses a DA revolver in the casita-clearing scene. Can't tell the make as it's pretty dimly-lit inside, but look close and you'll see it. STILL a great scene in a great movie. My guess is Mr. Vaughan couldn't get a SAA to cycle fast enough for the scene's dramatic requirement. I've been shooting SASS in Duelist (one-hand hold) Class for a long time and I couldn't come close to it either. With a Model 10, maybe.
Wow most every pet peeve was covered!
Roger that on cotton in horses ears / dogs ears and such. If they do the scene over and over you can see the animals react before the shot!
Let's see what else, sound effects! How about using the racking sound of a pump shotgun for a semi auto rifle.
There was a comment about muzzle flash, interesting fact on that. When we shoot on film and you watch it sometimes the flash is wrong. It's because the film is taking "photos" at a certain speed, it's possible in the shoot out that the flash occurred between frames. Therefore it has to be added in post. So the flash will look odd.
On the other hand I've worked with great actors, directors that were very true to their characters and like the realism, those shows are always fun.
Clint Eastwood hated the way squibs looked on a car ( dust hits and spark hits) so I actually spent a day at a range with him, two Thompsons and bucket of 45! We shot the car for real! Then they took it, bondo'd it, painted it and squibed it. When they shot the scene the squibs blew out the bondo revealing the real bullet holes.
That was fun.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Roger that on cotton in horses ears / dogs ears and such. If they do the scene over and over you can see the animals react before the shot!
Let's see what else, sound effects! How about using the racking sound of a pump shotgun for a semi auto rifle.
There was a comment about muzzle flash, interesting fact on that. When we shoot on film and you watch it sometimes the flash is wrong. It's because the film is taking "photos" at a certain speed, it's possible in the shoot out that the flash occurred between frames. Therefore it has to be added in post. So the flash will look odd.
On the other hand I've worked with great actors, directors that were very true to their characters and like the realism, those shows are always fun.
Clint Eastwood hated the way squibs looked on a car ( dust hits and spark hits) so I actually spent a day at a range with him, two Thompsons and bucket of 45! We shot the car for real! Then they took it, bondo'd it, painted it and squibed it. When they shot the scene the squibs blew out the bondo revealing the real bullet holes.
That was fun.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Last edited:
The one that always gets me is when the good guy pulls out his little .38 snubby, fires an unaimed quick shot and hits the bad guy 50 yards away.
And people don't believe in magic bullets!
Taurus627
Member
I hear ya and since becoming a "gun geek" myself I do notice these mistakes a lot more. You all need to realize that 90% of those watching these shows probably wouldn't know a semi auto from a revolver, let alone if it's hammer fired or striker fired. Like has been stated, those involved with the production of these shows go more for dramatic as opposed to reality.
With Bones being one of my favorite shows, I find it odd that in one of the seasons, Bones was carrying a S&W 500, but it made for some great TV!
With Bones being one of my favorite shows, I find it odd that in one of the seasons, Bones was carrying a S&W 500, but it made for some great TV!
Last edited:
I watch a lot of shows on The Military Channel/History channel on the cable and of course they do a lot of reenactments of certain events.
I note with regularity they show a solder shooting 1 shot from a MI or a Mi carbine and then racking the bolt. Saw this plenty of times. Also when a .45 is fired the slide stays back and sometimes sees a hand grabbing the slide as the camera moves to something else. I also note that many times when they show crew type automatic weapons you can see the rounds in the belt are blanks, or in some close looks you can see what looks like looks like ball ammo but no primer is in the pocket!
Another crazy thing is seeing LEFT handed Springfield's, Enfield's, Mausers, and M1s. In not a photo bug but it's like the shoot is backwards. When I was in the Navy back in the 60s they set up a light duty screen in the middle of the space so people could see from both sides. If you were on the opposite side from the projector left and right directions were reversed, perhaps that is why I sometimes see left handed guns.
I note with regularity they show a solder shooting 1 shot from a MI or a Mi carbine and then racking the bolt. Saw this plenty of times. Also when a .45 is fired the slide stays back and sometimes sees a hand grabbing the slide as the camera moves to something else. I also note that many times when they show crew type automatic weapons you can see the rounds in the belt are blanks, or in some close looks you can see what looks like looks like ball ammo but no primer is in the pocket!
Another crazy thing is seeing LEFT handed Springfield's, Enfield's, Mausers, and M1s. In not a photo bug but it's like the shoot is backwards. When I was in the Navy back in the 60s they set up a light duty screen in the middle of the space so people could see from both sides. If you were on the opposite side from the projector left and right directions were reversed, perhaps that is why I sometimes see left handed guns.
There is a story about that! Suffice it to say it was hard on Emily, she hated that pistol, it was heavy and a bear to shoot.
It's gone now! I changed it to a Hk P7M8, very easy to trigger press and the slide release is part of the squeeze cocking, very very easy.
Alpo
Member
I really liked the Halloween show, where she is Wonder Woman. Hot pants and a bustier. Then suddenly she has that 500 in her hand. Booth does a double-take.
"Where did you have THAT?"
She just look at him. "What?"
Then later - "Booth - my gun's too big".
"Where did you have THAT?"
She just look at him. "What?"
Then later - "Booth - my gun's too big".
Alpo
Member
But where do they come up with them STUPID story ideas?
She is applying for a license to carry - in Washington DC.
The FBI is processing her application to carry - in Washington DC.
Booth marks her application DENIED because she had been arrested. Not convicted - just arrested.
She asks, "If you were going to DENY it, why did you let me fill out the form?"
He says, "It's every American's Constitutional Right to apply for a license to carry a gun".
Really? That's not what my copy says.
She is applying for a license to carry - in Washington DC.
The FBI is processing her application to carry - in Washington DC.
Booth marks her application DENIED because she had been arrested. Not convicted - just arrested.
She asks, "If you were going to DENY it, why did you let me fill out the form?"
He says, "It's every American's Constitutional Right to apply for a license to carry a gun".
Really? That's not what my copy says.
I always liked that particular Bones show. Booth didn't want her to have a gun so she went out and bought the 500 mag 0n her own. When she got knocked *** over tea kettle she then realized that her gun was too big.
Do you ever get to work with David Boreanaz on his incredibly atrocious gun handling?
Right after Rookie Blue came out I got a chance to correspond with 2 of the producers (David Wellington and Illiana Frank). They both willingly admitted that they had little if any experience with handguns and that they didn't always listen to their tech advisers because it sometimes made for a good story.
One of the things that I pointed out to them was that they kept having people walking around with decocked 1911s and Browning High Powers, the reason I'm convinced it was really them I was talking to is they promised to correct it in season 2 and they did. One of the producers also promised me he was going to put a CZ75B in a scene and told me beforehand that he did it.
Anyway they said that a lot of rules had been added for safety after Brandon Lee was killed. They said the standard procedure was, the armorer (they called him a gun wrangler) drew the weapon from storage and took it to the actor that was going to use in the scene if the gun was going to be aimed at anyone they also inspected the gun and insured that it was unloaded and as a safety precaution the gun was dry fired (which is were all the uncocked SAOs came in) and no one hade ever thought to cock them again.
Anyway they guy was willing to learn but he was making a TV show for entertainment not a documentary and he fudged a few things like "Cop Killer Bullets" but even on that he made it clear in the story that they weren't readily available to the public.
One of the things that I pointed out to them was that they kept having people walking around with decocked 1911s and Browning High Powers, the reason I'm convinced it was really them I was talking to is they promised to correct it in season 2 and they did. One of the producers also promised me he was going to put a CZ75B in a scene and told me beforehand that he did it.
Anyway they said that a lot of rules had been added for safety after Brandon Lee was killed. They said the standard procedure was, the armorer (they called him a gun wrangler) drew the weapon from storage and took it to the actor that was going to use in the scene if the gun was going to be aimed at anyone they also inspected the gun and insured that it was unloaded and as a safety precaution the gun was dry fired (which is were all the uncocked SAOs came in) and no one hade ever thought to cock them again.
Anyway they guy was willing to learn but he was making a TV show for entertainment not a documentary and he fudged a few things like "Cop Killer Bullets" but even on that he made it clear in the story that they weren't readily available to the public.
David R
Member
Watching Cops. They find an AK 47 with an empty 20 round magazine. The cop says its a 20 round Full Empty magazine. I even repeated it to be sure.
David
Sent from my C811 4G using Tapatalk
David
Sent from my C811 4G using Tapatalk
You're kidding right?
Relax, It's entertainment.......Arik
Member
It's entertainment fellas. There is also no music playing in real life
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
littleriver1
US Veteran
How about in Unforgiven when Eastwoods shotgun misfired? I thought that was cool. You never see that. Then he tosses it and hits the guy. Guns are one thing but when they throw a knife I just shake my head. All the way in to the handle.
franzas
Member
I like in Scary Movie 3, when the guy racks the shovel.
I know, its unrealistic because 2 shells come out.
I know, its unrealistic because 2 shells come out.
policerevolvercollector
Member
I saw an interview with Jimmy Cagney once in which he talked about the lack of special effects in the very early gangster films. There is a scene that he mentioned in "Public Enemy" (1931) where a rival mob shoots at Cagney & his brother. Just as they duck around a corner, the shooter sprays lead at them hitting a stone wall. Cagney said that they cut,got them out of the way, & a "marksman" shot the wall with a real machine gun!!
Public Enemy (1931) - James Cagney - YouTube
Public Enemy (1931) - James Cagney - YouTube
Last edited:
Yep. Always racking slides on pistols, fingers on the trigger, pumping a shotgun, SMGs, rifles, pull the hammer back on pistols or revolvers, etc. In the name of action, not reality.
Movie Firearms Database
A friend posted a link on another forum that may be appropriate here, the Internet Movie Firearms Database.
Pretty cool, though it really looked to me like Nick Fury was using an M&P40 in "The Avengers" during the firefight aboard the flying "carrier", rather than the M&P9 the database reports... But hey, what's a millimeter or so?..
A friend posted a link on another forum that may be appropriate here, the Internet Movie Firearms Database.
Pretty cool, though it really looked to me like Nick Fury was using an M&P40 in "The Avengers" during the firefight aboard the flying "carrier", rather than the M&P9 the database reports... But hey, what's a millimeter or so?..
bgrone
Member
Gun goofs
I drive my wife crazy also with my commentary on TV shows.
A recent example was on Blue Bloods , Jamie and a female officer were undercover in a jewelry store when an upset customer grabbed the store guard's gun, a 4506 , the slide mounted decocker is down . I tell Jamie in a loud voice "jump him its on safe!" but he can't hear me.
Jim in Iowa
I drive my wife crazy also with my commentary on TV shows.
A recent example was on Blue Bloods , Jamie and a female officer were undercover in a jewelry store when an upset customer grabbed the store guard's gun, a 4506 , the slide mounted decocker is down . I tell Jamie in a loud voice "jump him its on safe!" but he can't hear me.
Jim in Iowa
GF
Member
Back in the 70's there was a very realistic private detective program called Barnaby Jones!
You know your in for high drama when an 80 yr old Buddy Ebsen (uncle Jed Clampett) played a detective with Lee Meriwether as his co-star.
In one episode ol' Jed ... I mean Barnaby, drew his Colt cobra and chest shot the bad guy on the SECOND story of the parking garage.
Barnaby was in the parking lot below & Bad guy was runnin'
One shot.
From the hip.
Didn't even halfta' aim.
GF
You know your in for high drama when an 80 yr old Buddy Ebsen (uncle Jed Clampett) played a detective with Lee Meriwether as his co-star.
In one episode ol' Jed ... I mean Barnaby, drew his Colt cobra and chest shot the bad guy on the SECOND story of the parking garage.
Barnaby was in the parking lot below & Bad guy was runnin'
One shot.
From the hip.
Didn't even halfta' aim.
GF
Alpo
Member
Well, you 'member, 'fore he lost all his money in the dot-com crash, Ol' Jed used to sit at the front door of his Beverly Hills mansion and shoot flies gatherin' on a sorghum smear, down on the front wall. That was a quarter mile off, which was really too easy for him, so he and Jethro took ricochet-shots - bouncing them off the side wall.
Yeeeeaaaaaahhhhh, ol' Jed was a tolerable good shot.
Yeeeeaaaaaahhhhh, ol' Jed was a tolerable good shot.
GF
Member
^^^^^^^^^^^^
Remember when they lit matches by shootin' them with flintlocks down by the cement pond!?!
GF
Remember when they lit matches by shootin' them with flintlocks down by the cement pond!?!
GF
Mcwsky09
Member
How about the richochette sound effects no matter what material the projectile allegedly hit? Kinda like squealing tires even on dirt in some shows.
Very common is the sound of a gun being cocked/racked anytime it is drawn and again as it is thrust forward for emphasis.
What about all the shootouts where both sides exchange multiple rounds from a distance but the moment they are face to face they stop shooting? If the goal was to shoot the other person why is that suddenly not the objective when you are face to face? At least the bad guy just would shoot, no?
Or when a character cannot hit their target with multiple rounds but then can shoot out a lock or hinge while running.
Very common is the sound of a gun being cocked/racked anytime it is drawn and again as it is thrust forward for emphasis.
What about all the shootouts where both sides exchange multiple rounds from a distance but the moment they are face to face they stop shooting? If the goal was to shoot the other person why is that suddenly not the objective when you are face to face? At least the bad guy just would shoot, no?
Or when a character cannot hit their target with multiple rounds but then can shoot out a lock or hinge while running.
