A Step-by-Step Guide of how to Manage Filming Firearms Safely in Your Video Production
Whether you’re making a movie, commercial, music video, or something else entirely, incorporating firearms into your production can be done safely! However, it’s important to understand that doing so requires careful planning and effective communication from everyone involved. Earlier this year we were shooting content for a promotional video that had multiple people and firearms involved. Because of the measures taken by everyone, the content captured with multiple people firing their firearms, was a success. Having a solid plan in place going into a session and having clear communication among all those involved created a safe and fun videography session and gave us the ability to capture some very creative shots with both ground and drone video. Below we want to go over three of the biggest things that will help you achieve a safe and successful photography and/or videography session:
Establishing a Risk Level when Planning Your Productions with Firearms
What we mean by this is, not all gun related content has the same risk level. Yes, all guns need to be handled safely and you need to always follow all gun safety rules, but shooting a hunting video with one gun on set is a much lower risk then shooting a video of five people doing live fire training with rifles and handguns. Time of day movement and training level of people handling the firearms effect the risk level. When you are looking at a videographer/photographer, make sure they have experience managing a shoot with firearms - if they don’t have that experience, then don’t hire them. It’s not worth the risk. Always make sure you hire someone who has a lot of gun safety experience and has a good working knowledge of how to work within groups, so they can manage the guns and people using them on set in a way that keeps everyone safe and get’s you the shots you were hoping to capture.
Develop Safety Protocols for Everyone involved with Firearms and Practice Dry Runs
Once you know the risk and who will be handling the gun(s), it’s important to develop safety protocols around how they should use them during the shoot. Everyone involved should agree to and sign off on these protocols in advance of filming so that there is no confusion or miscommunication when it comes time to actually begin shooting. Additionally, it’s essential to have multiple dry runs of each scene prior to filming for real; we will use air-soft guns or plastic training guns, doing “dry runs” this helps everyone become comfortable with their roles and responsibilities before we add the danger of live fire. If you don’t have the ability to use training guns, we have done dry runs with empty weapons, but only with strict ammo management!
Utilize Experts Whenever Possible when Dealing with Firearms in your Production
If you personally don't have extensive experience working with firearms, then consider bringing an expert onto your team who does—particularly if you intend on shooting more challenging scenes involving multiple guns or stunts involving guns (e.g., someone firing a gun while running). This expert can provide helpful guidance about what types of precautions need to be taken in order for everyone involved to stay safe during filming. When Amy and I captured the promotion video involving multiple people and firearms, we had competition shooter and former military personal as the models that did the more complicated roles. If someone has never fired a gun, while moving, then they are not the ones to be doing complicated roles. That’s putting them and everyone else involved in unsafe situation.
In conclusion, managing video production with firearms requires careful planning and effective communication between all parties involved in order to ensure that everyone remains safe throughout filming. By taking steps such as establishing who will be handling the gun(s), developing safety protocols ahead of time, and utilizing experts whenever possible, you can create a successful video shoot, while also minimizing any potential risks associated with having firearms present on set. The key takeaway here is this – safety first! With a bit of preparation and attention paid towards safety measures, you can create stunning videos featuring firearms, without sacrificing anyone's wellbeing in the process!