Up early to tape a promotional interview in DC for Clear and Sunny Skies with co-lead Tamieka Chavis. Writer/director Anthony Greene has promised production stills mid-week, followed shortly by a copy of today's interview.
Then it was off to learn the basics of loading and shooting a pistol. I wasn't raised in a house with guns and the first time I was confronted with a prop gun on set the director and prop person were almost as clueless as I was as to what I was supposed to do with it.
So today I learned something about the parts of a gun, how to load the clip, the weight of different guns in my hands, how to pull a gun out of a holster, stand and fire it. I can say after one lesson and time on the firing range, that most actors who fire guns on camera - particularly women - have never actually done it for real.
We started (wisely) with a BB gun while I was learning to load, hold and aim, then went out on the range, moved up to a .22 and then to a 9 mm, which I'm told is typical of what a police officer might carry. The .22 is deceiving. It can kill someone, but it feels like a toy when you shoot it. Pop, pop, pop. Not so the 9 mm. Big bang, flash from the muzzle, much more kick. A guy two lanes down from me was shooting a .45. I couldn't see it, but it sounded like a cannon going off, even with a headset on to muffle the noise. My whole body could feel the concussion. Jesus.
A 9 mm. is plenty big enough, and I didn't do too badly with it. I've been offered a chance to fire a .38 revolver and a 9 mm. machine gun on a subsequent trip to the range. Sounds like a plan. I don't think I'd ever taking up shooting as a sport, but even after one lesson I feel much more confident about handling a gun on set. Some things you just need to experience to get it right.
Firearms. On your actor profile it's listed under "Performance Skills," after diving and before Harmonica .
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| Aiming a .22 pistol on the firing range |
So today I learned something about the parts of a gun, how to load the clip, the weight of different guns in my hands, how to pull a gun out of a holster, stand and fire it. I can say after one lesson and time on the firing range, that most actors who fire guns on camera - particularly women - have never actually done it for real.
We started (wisely) with a BB gun while I was learning to load, hold and aim, then went out on the range, moved up to a .22 and then to a 9 mm, which I'm told is typical of what a police officer might carry. The .22 is deceiving. It can kill someone, but it feels like a toy when you shoot it. Pop, pop, pop. Not so the 9 mm. Big bang, flash from the muzzle, much more kick. A guy two lanes down from me was shooting a .45. I couldn't see it, but it sounded like a cannon going off, even with a headset on to muffle the noise. My whole body could feel the concussion. Jesus.
A 9 mm. is plenty big enough, and I didn't do too badly with it. I've been offered a chance to fire a .38 revolver and a 9 mm. machine gun on a subsequent trip to the range. Sounds like a plan. I don't think I'd ever taking up shooting as a sport, but even after one lesson I feel much more confident about handling a gun on set. Some things you just need to experience to get it right.
Firearms. On your actor profile it's listed under "Performance Skills," after diving and before Harmonica .
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