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Bad handling of guns on television


Shadowchaser
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As this is where my job and my hobby intersect I feel the need to weigh in...

firstly stupid things are done with guns all the time in reality, who hasn’t seen a shotgun taken from slip unbroken or a semi unflagged being flashed about (don’t worry mister it’s unloaded!) so although we have to suspend our disbelief it’s at least grounded in some sort of reality.

in the world of tv and film the ideal does not make for a good story, ie in this example good gun handling leads to no escalation of drama and the story dies, similarly when the good cop can’t get results from playing by the rules they have to break the rules or all maverick cop shows would be over in ten minutes after the main character realises unfortunately there’s nothing they can do.

anything you know enough about is generally wrong on telly as there just isn’t time or dramatic purpose in getting it right, I really only know more than the layman about fishing and shooting so stuff I work on has those two areas mostly covered but even then I often lose the fight with the script people - did a world war 2 thing and lost count of the times I had to pull up the actors playing soldiers for trucking around with their fingers on triggers but the director liked it as it looked like they were always ready for action.

ultimately they’re not documentaries, nobody walks away from a shoulder shot without serious disability, guns have limited ammo, a wooden fence is not suitable ballistic protection, pump actions don’t need to be racked during threats, James Bond would be an alcoholic riddled with sti’s

its only a story....

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17 minutes ago, Old farrier said:

I don’t but with the alleged crimes committed by them I doubt they would have 

therefore it shouldn’t be portrayed in the light it is 

I haven't watched emmerdale for about 10 years so can't really comment on how its portrayed; my comment was meant to be light hearted as it's only a soap. 

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3 hours ago, The Mighty Prawn said:

As this is where my job and my hobby intersect I feel the need to weigh in...

firstly stupid things are done with guns all the time in reality, who hasn’t seen a shotgun taken from slip unbroken or a semi unflagged being flashed about (don’t worry mister it’s unloaded!) so although we have to suspend our disbelief it’s at least grounded in some sort of reality.

in the world of tv and film the ideal does not make for a good story, ie in this example good gun handling leads to no escalation of drama and the story dies, similarly when the good cop can’t get results from playing by the rules they have to break the rules or all maverick cop shows would be over in ten minutes after the main character realises unfortunately there’s nothing they can do.

anything you know enough about is generally wrong on telly as there just isn’t time or dramatic purpose in getting it right, I really only know more than the layman about fishing and shooting so stuff I work on has those two areas mostly covered but even then I often lose the fight with the script people - did a world war 2 thing and lost count of the times I had to pull up the actors playing soldiers for trucking around with their fingers on triggers but the director liked it as it looked like they were always ready for action.

ultimately they’re not documentaries, nobody walks away from a shoulder shot without serious disability, guns have limited ammo, a wooden fence is not suitable ballistic protection, pump actions don’t need to be racked during threats, James Bond would be an alcoholic riddled with sti’s

its only a story....

I like the way the cops on real life US police fly on the wall programmes stand on either side of the front door of a house, guns drawn,  when knocking aggressively and shouting POLICE OPEN UP!.  The walls on most US houses are made of 1/2" shiplap and wouldn't stop a bullet fired from inside..

Edited by Vince Green
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27 minutes ago, Scully said:

Just watched Albert Finney in Skyfall turn a very nice looking hammer gun into a sawn off before blasting a hole through his own door to test it out! Burnley Dave eat your heart out! 

He’s a double of the landowner I’m on, we call him les :) 

when he shoots the bad guys tho they get thrown 2m ??? Would that happen ? I really haven’t a clue( luckily)

5 hours ago, Vince Green said:

I like the way the cops on real life US police fly on the wall programmes stand on either side of the front door of a house, guns drawn,  when knocking aggressively and shouting POLICE OPEN UP!.  The walls on most US houses are made of 1/2" shiplap and wouldn't stop a bullet fired from inside..

Or car doors . 

I’ve seen just a .223 pass through steels 

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It’s generally agreed the war movies and westerns of the early 50’s are the most accurate for the effect of being shot as most men involved had seen action in the war, compare how a shot person in these films doubles up and drops to the floor and in modern films where it’s obligatory to fly backwards ten feet if hit by shotgun

ones realistic but one looks cool!

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2 hours ago, The Mighty Prawn said:

It’s generally agreed the war movies and westerns of the early 50’s are the most accurate for the effect of being shot as most men involved had seen action in the war, compare how a shot person in these films doubles up and drops to the floor and in modern films where it’s obligatory to fly backwards ten feet if hit by shotgun

ones realistic but one looks cool!

Weellll, yes and no. I’d agree that in 40’s and 50’s classic Hollywood films, no one got flipped over when shot, but getting shot back then appeared to be more of a job for the dry cleaners than a hospital. It wasn’t until Sam Peckinpahs ‘The Wild Bunch’ that getting shot took on a more realistic look, but do admit recent film makers have gone entirely over the top in some films.

Spielbergs’ films seem to have the most realistic and believable shooting scenes; the scene where an old man is executed in ‘Schindlers List’ is particularly bluntly sobering. 

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18 hours ago, Scully said:

Just watched Albert Finney in Skyfall turn a very nice looking hammer gun into a sawn off before blasting a hole through his own door to test it out! Burnley Dave eat your heart out! 

That's a name I haven't heard for a while,,,I was a member of that forum when the whole episode erupted and it still makes me laugh. Same with jeff.morpeth at about the same time when he called out a gunsmith called "Sid" ? and offered to pay for a hotel room for him in the north somewhere whilst their differences where settled round the back of a bike shed somewhere. Men were men in those days !

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7 hours ago, Scully said:

Weellll, yes and no. I’d agree that in 40’s and 50’s classic Hollywood films, no one got flipped over when shot, but getting shot back then appeared to be more of a job for the dry cleaners than a hospital. It wasn’t until Sam Peckinpahs ‘The Wild Bunch’ that getting shot took on a more realistic look, but do admit recent film makers have gone entirely over the top in some films.

Spielbergs’ films seem to have the most realistic and believable shooting scenes; the scene where an old man is executed in ‘Schindlers List’ is particularly bluntly sobering. 

I agree getting shot was a bloodless affair there, I just meant the physics whereby a shot person collapses on the spot rather than performing anti Newtonian gymnastics

other bulletproof items to add to the list, foliage and henchmen, both reliable backstops in movie world

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12 minutes ago, Blackbriar said:

I'm probably being really petty, but............

In "Star Wars", it's claimed that the Millennium Falcon "made the Kessler run in 12 parsecs".

A parsec is a measurement of distance, not time !

Not sure if that was a genuine mistake or Han Solo just bragging without actually knowing what he was talking about. Maybe the Kessel run has different routes?

Watched Ratatouille tonight. That pump action shotgun held about 30 rounds...

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2 hours ago, spandit said:

Not sure if that was a genuine mistake or Han Solo just bragging without actually knowing what he was talking about. Maybe the Kessel run has different routes?

Watched Ratatouille tonight. That pump action shotgun held about 30 rounds...

Oh god I’m such a sad case but unfortunately I have something of an answer to this, George Lucas alleges what he intended was that the reference was to distance rather than time so making the journey in that distance was the achievement like crossing the Sahara in 100 miles via a very direct but dangerous route.

im off back to my sci fi trivia hole now...

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19 hours ago, The Mighty Prawn said:

Oh god I’m such a sad case but unfortunately I have something of an answer to this, George Lucas alleges what he intended was that the reference was to distance rather than time so making the journey in that distance was the achievement like crossing the Sahara in 100 miles via a very direct but dangerous route.

im off back to my sci fi trivia hole now...

See, that kind of makes sense, even to me, as Life President of the "I don't do technical" club (even if it is still 39 light years !).

Now, I have one less thing to get annoyed about..........

Edited by Blackbriar
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