In connection with the tragedy during the filming of the western, Rust, the film art director Keith Walters, explained to the USA Today server about the safe handling of weapons at the filming location.
First, the armourer takes the weapon out of the safe. Immediately afterwards, he examines her carefully. He then brings it to the props, who does the same and places the weapon in a protective case. After the weapon reaches the square, it is time for a third inspection in the presence of an assistant director.
However, triple control does not end security measures. During testing, only a rubber dummy is usually used. Before sharp shots, the props or armourer brings a thoroughly checked weapon and charges it with blanks (or rounds) that do not contain a bullet.
“We never charge a single round more than the actor plans to fire,” says Walters. As soon as the actor has a gun in his hand, the assistant director usually points it out by shouting “Gun’s hot”. This means that there is a loaded weapon on the field (it does not matter that there are blanks). There may also be a shout of “Gun’s cold”, which means that the weapon is unloaded on the field.
Even blind bullets can cause injuries, so even with such a loaded weapon, the actors do not aim at others. During shooting, it points slightly to the side, which can then be compensated by the camera.
If the shot requires the actor to aim his weapon towards the crew, further measures are taken. Even blind charges cause a snag, which can injure or, despite all measures, can get into the barrel of dirt. Staff members are equipped with protective elements for these cases, sometimes plexiglass with cut-outs for the camera lens is also used.
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