A Good Safety Tip

Modern Day Myth Prod. LLC

Modern Day Myth Prod. LLC

I called and asked my local film commission office about doing outdoor rehearsals for our science fiction military shoot this June. I asked what the procedure is for just rehearsing actors with prop guns that are toys and look like toys for the sake of rehearsals.

They said it is treated just like a shoot because it involves weapons even though they look like toys. Real weapons can be painted to look like toys is the reason. We need to apply for permits, get the public parks approval, and have a police officer present. Most likely, apply for set insurance too. We can do rehearsals for zero budget because nothing is being filmed and get an insurance waiver here in NYC. But, we are required to follow all of the steps for everyone's safety.
 
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O. M. G.
I am so sorry.
That is just plain ridiculous.

You have my sincerest sympathies.

I wonder if you could practice w/o the hassle if you used stuffed plushy toys.
 
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Ridiculous though it may be, the term "Better safe than sorry" comes to mind.

Who's to say the elderly women with bad eye-sight from 100 yards away, isn't going to mistake that Toy fire-arm in the hands of a convincing actor, however plastic looking, for the real thing, and get spooked.
 
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I'm giving you the facts from the authority, the local film commission office. They say it is for everyone's safety to have everything on the books even for a rehearsal, so a cop or park ranger passing by does not mistaken a toy weapon for the real thing--a real gun or knive or even a granade or rocket launcher.

They are the law and the procedure since they are also a local government office--the NYC Mayor's Office of Film and Television.

There are lots of gurilla productions that will do rehearsals like this off the books and take the chance no one will catch them. Even with permits, you can get stopped by a park ranger if the cop assigned to your production is away on a dougnut break. That happened to us a couple of years ago. We have to stop production until I had time to find my bag with the paperwork and show the ranger the permits. And, I asked him how is it he didn't know when his park administrator approved the permits. Big organizationss don't communicate from within.
 
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That makes sense to me. Not at all ridiculous.

People can get just as hurt when cameras are not rolling as when
they are so insurance seems like just as much a necessity. Passersby
could be just as alarmed (and call the police) when cameras are not
rolling as when they are so notifying the police or having them on
set seems just as important. A group of people rehearsing can still
cause property damage even without a camera there.

Just because the cameras aren’t rolling doesn’t mean the location
shouldn’t require insurance against potential lawsuits for injury or
damage.
 
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Insurance vs. budget. If the budget for the rehearsal is below $3,000, we get an insurance waiver. The police are there to supervise us because the city is taking responsibility. The insurance may be $5,000 for a small rehearsal. So, we can save big on insurance. The cops are there for everyone's safety. They check everything from props to a run through to actually watching the stunts for everyone's safety. I'm thinking ahead for the cast's safety in that with all the flying prop battleaxes and prop meat hooks on chains and prop big hook on a chain to protect the eyes of the cast. I just ordered protective eyewear that looks like cool sunglasses that will work with their costumes to protect their eyes from a slip of a foam or latex axe or a plastic hook and chain molded and painted to look real.
 
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The whole procedure/precaution is very, very necessary.

I should correct my earlier post, "Ridiculous though it may sound...". (Although the latter of my statement should have suggested it was a mistake)

I don't believe i follow your statement of your insurance. Whether you have any, or not. Having read Riks reply, I'm swayed toward you not being insured?
 
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The police make sure there is no risk by supervising the stunts and give us advice on how to do it safely. They are there in addition to our stunt coordinator and Specail Forces advisor who are also guiding the cast on how to do everything safely. They are taking into account that not every actor is at the same level of expertise with stunts. The choreography is being designed with their level of expertise taken into account.

The police work with productions in all budget ranges and are very experience with this stuff.
 
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Also, I remember from the last production, all weapons must be inventoried with the police present. No prop weapon may leave the set, not even non-firing weapons. We have to have at least a cardboard box that is sealed with the prop weapons inside before actors can walk off set. If an actor were to walk off set with a prop that looks like a real weapon, a cop passing by can either arrest them, if they are lucky, or shoot them. So, weapons management is very important with the city.
 
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Modern Day Myth Prod. LLC said:
The police make sure there is no risk by supervising the stunts and give us advice on how to do it safely..... ....The police work with productions in all budget ranges and are very experience with this stuff.
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The police advise you on stunts? Most on set officers I've seen don't. It's not something they know anything about. They're there for set security and to make sure you're not doing anything illegal and weapon checks and what not but not stunt supervision. I have seen an officer give some advice to an actor playing a cop on what he'd do in the situation... But not stunts.

If they do, and they are experienced, then cool. Again most I have worked with are on their first set, or second or third. Not a pro I'm the industry.
 
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The cops in NY are very different than the cops here in
California. The on set cops I have worked with have never advised
on safety and stunts. They are dedicated police officers but not
skilled stunt people. Like Paul’s experience, my experience is the
local cops are assigned to enforce the laws and secure the set,
property and personal working the shoot.

I cannot imagine a police officer supervising the stunts. Even
with the stunt coordinators. Are all NY cops skilled in stunt
safety in addition to their job as officers of the law? Or do they
assign only skilled stunt safety officers to a film shoot?
 
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jesus

Modern Day Myth Prod. LLC said:
Also, I remember from the last production, all weapons must be inventoried with the police present. No prop weapon may leave the set, not even non-firing weapons. We have to have at least a cardboard box that is sealed with the prop weapons inside before actors can walk off set. If an actor were to walk off set with a prop that looks like a real weapon, a cop passing by can either arrest them, if they are lucky, or shoot them. So, weapons management is very important with the city.
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Never in all my years have I heard that the police officers are required (or even requested) to check the weapons. Not even on the Harrison Ford movie AIR FORCE ONE when they shot here. Usually an off duty police officer is hired (in uniform) for security or any kind of road blocking, etc. Never are they involved with the weapons on set, at least in my experience.

On real shoots, this is the job of the "Weapons Master" or Prop Department or physical special effects unit. It is someone's job to "check the weapons" immediately before an actor is to do a take, showing them the weapon and the chamber, then immediately after a take the weapons are taken out of the actor's hands.

Some of the formal (sometimes union) job titles are:
Weapons Master
Weapons Specialist
Weapons Coordinator

The weapons master, sometimes credited as the armorer, weapons specialist, weapons handler, weapons wrangler, or weapons coordinator, is a film crew specialist that works with the property master, director, actors and script supervisor. The weapons master is specifically responsible for maintaining control of any weapon props (including but not limited to firearms, knives, swords, bows, and staff weapons). The weapons master is present whenever a scene with a weapon is to be shot. They present the actor with the weapon just prior to the scene, and they take control of the weapon when the scene is done. It is the primary function of the weapons master to ensure that the weapons under their control do not cause harm to the cast, crew or production property. Secondary functions include ensuring that the weapons can achieve the director's goals in terms of appearance and function, and that they meet the continuity requirements for the production. While some weapons masters work exclusively in film production, others are specialists outside of the media profession who are called in because of their familiarity, licensing and qualifications with the weapons in question. Some weapons masters (particularly in lower-budget productions) are also responsible for training the actors. Prior to the 1980s, weapons were frequently the responsibility of the property master or his assistant, but since then, it has becoming increasingly common in the industry for the property master to a hire a dedicated weapons master in order to reduce the burden on himself. However, it is still common for the property master to double as the weapons master, as a cost-saving measure, on productions where NFA-regulated firearms (such as machine guns or sawed-off shotguns) are not being used.
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Are you sure you didn't hire a police officer to BE the Weapons Master?


The police cannot arrest someone for holding a prop gun. If you have real weapons on set that have not been modified for movie production, then you deserve to be shot for stupidity.


Modern Day Myth Prod. LLC said:
They have training.

Remember, NYC is giving the insurance waiver. If something goes wrong, the finger points at NYC. So, the on set cops are given the proper training.
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The police officers are NOT given training on film sets, film stunts, or even film weapons. This is complete lunacy and a fabrication of imagination.
 
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Modern Day Myth Prod. LLC said:
They have training.

Remember, NYC is giving the insurance waiver. If something goes wrong, the finger points at NYC. So, the on set cops are given the proper training.
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i think you have a deep misunderstanding of what the cops assigned to
a location do. Cops on set are not trained in movie stunt work or prop
weapons. They are not trained stunt safety people. They are police officers.
Most are off duty officers moonlighting to get some overtime, many are
retired officers picking up some extra cash.

I have a license to store, transport and handle automatic weapons. The
cops assigned to any set I'm working may check my license, but they are
not the safety person on set - I am. No police officer has the federal license
I am required to have. They can enforce the laws of the city and state, but
they have no authority over the transport or use of weapons on a set. In
many cases there isn't even an officer on a set or location. If an actor were
to walk off a set carrying a prop weapon the person in trouble would be me.
And California has much stricter laws than NY does. I know, I have worked
in both places and am licensed by the Federal government specifically in
the handling of prop weapons for the movie industry.
 
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I know what I see. They look at the permits and ask to see every weapon listed on the permit.

They have the actors put all the weapon props in a box before they can leave the set and the box has to be sealed until we are all back on set.

They will also ask to inspect props before stunts begin to make sure they are safe for actors. They are part of the TCS devision. That's a special unit for work on set where stunts and weapons are listed on the permits.

The city requires licenses for using automatic weapons. And, a license for pyrotechs. Since I don't have those licenses, I will greenscreen scenes to use stock footage for explosions and other effects in post.
 
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MDM, none of the above says that they are stunt advisors...

All the best with your shoot.

By the way can't you just do all your rehearsals inside - gym, warehouse or somewhere?
 
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