IMFDB talk:Blog Post/MoviePropMaster2008: IMFDB's Own Armorer

Great work MT, MPM is getting the credit he deserves. I wish he'd at least give us his first name, most of us at least reveal those on their pages. -GM

Yeah, but there aren't that many armorers working in Hollywood. If he did, it might be a bit too easy to narrow down who he is. Whereas there are a lot of civvies in the U.S. named Matt and John.

Good point. -GM

Don't know if you are an admin on this site but I see enough references to you and your work to assume you have some sort of connection to them. The reason I am contacting you is that the recent add on to this site "Catch Me Now" is a word for word rip off of the article of the same on Wikipedia. I thought someone should inform someone to avoid plagarism like this. Charon68

Guns in films

Hello, On your page http://www.imfdb.org/index.php/MoviePropMaster2008:_IMFDB%27s_Own_Armorer it states most guns used in movies are real and have been modified to fire blanks. I supply guns to the motion picture industry in Canada, and can state this is not so.

Consider the facts, the cost of a modified real gun is very expensive (more so than buying the real gun as it still has to be modified.) Second, the amount of guns used in the industry or any one screen shot. Third the quality of actor handling the gun Fourth the use of the weapon.

80% of guns seen on screen are rubber or resin cast weapons or Airsoft type guns. If a gun does not need to fire, then it is manditory to use a non firing weapon (can not be accidentaly loaded) for insurance purposes.

Real guns, blank firing or not are very dangerous. To have extras running around with a weapon that may be loaded with a blank is not heard of.

If an actor has to run with lets say an M16, then he may trip or fall. The actors guild insists A) the gun be soft or sponge rubber to prevent actor injury, and B) prevent damage to the weapon.

Actors are hit with weapons, these are high quility extra soft rubber weapons.

Also any extra with a weapon drawn or in the shot will have an Airsoft style, resin, or rubber gun.

One to one training is manditory for any person discharging a blank, real, or replica blank weapon. This alone would be time prohibitive. Each shot that has a discharged weapon, there must be a gun handler (plus security, and ETF (emergency task force or law enforcement officers)).

If a gun has to be tossed or can possibly get dammaged, then for sure it is rubber or resin.

My company collection is over 6000 pieces ranging from blank firing, resin, rubber, and soft sponge rubber. I have worked on ACTRA productions in Canada, as well as movies made in Mexico, Jamaica, and the USA (as an apprentice). Any Live firing weapons are leased through a larger company. My company stays very busy shooting 10 to 20 films per year in the Greater Toronto Area.

82% of all Canadian films are shot in the GTA.

Just some industry insight. I can not speak for Hollywood as I have never worked there, but I have worked in LA and NY, and I know in the last 5 years NY has become more restictive and requires special permits be held for both handlers and each actor using live firing amunition (blank or otherwise). In fact it is harder to shoot a seen in NY city than anywhere in Canada, and we have tough laws to abide by.