Milquetoast Process: Behind the Scenes Satori 3, & A CASE FOR AN ARMORER...

In the spirit of the previous post on movie blood, this post will deal with the pleasure/chore of working with firearms and charged squibs. Fortunately I've also had the luxury of having skilled personnel to keep us safe, and consult with us to make sure no one looks like a nincompoop.

Chris McGillivray, testing a revolver during the shoot from Mouth Breather

WHAT AN ARMORER DOES

Mainly, they handle the not-getting-anyone-killed part. Typically on set an armorer, or weapons master, works with the prop master to maintain control over any weapons related props. The main goal is to ensure the safety of everyone present on set. The last thing prior to rolling camera is handing the talent a weapon, and the first thing after calling "cut" is securing that weapon. Preventing accidents, no matter how little the chance, is the most important thing on set.

GUNS

We had a skilled weapons expert, K.R. Olson on as our armorer for both Mouth Breather and Satori. Our working relationship didn't begin as an armorer on set, but rather as a consultant prior to filming. On both shorts we needed weapons that were era specific (1970's and 2070's). We settled on two revolvers (more on that in a minute), and a Tavor bullpup.

Live fire (blanks) on set of Mouth Breather. KRO just out of frame (shadow at right)

Something many people don't know (formerly myself included) is that you can't just go out a buy a box of blanks, and pop them in a gun. Some weapons require modification to accommodate them. Fortunately on Mouth Breather we were using revolvers, which can have blanks loaded and function normally. Still, you can't waltz into Walmart and buy a box of blanks. That's where someone like KRO can be a huge help.

SQUIBS

The real thing just looks better. It's tangible and physical. The actors react the right way. It doesn't take hours of compositing in post-production. It's simple. But it's still a tiny explosive.

KRO was a big help with squibs as well. On Mouth Breather we only used the charges to make bits of dirt and tree bark fly around, but for Satori we wanted the effect to be a shot to the leg. We took all the necessary precautions in both cases.

TROUBLESHOOTING

As with everything in film, there are snags. Sometimes an actor may need assistance using a weapon, or pointers on how to look more professional (Tosin Morohunfola had never fired a gun prior to Mouth Breather for example).

Or sometimes shit don't work. And it's good to have a guy.

A dud charged squib test; KRO seconds later "Well... I don't like that." — A dud charged squib test; KRO seconds later "Well... I don't like *that*."

All in all I guess that's the point here: It's good to have a guy. I've found it important to surround myself with people I can trust, and especially so when there's dangerous tools involved.

KRO, a good guy to have: