[Konvas] OT: Muzzle Flashes

[Rick Garbutt]

An anecdotal piece of lore that I heard from a Toronto colleague.

Crew arrived to set up for a HUGE night shoot.  Lots of FX, gunfire, an
explosion or twa (as the Scots would say).  Flames, much yelling ....

Everyone's nicely into getting ready, setting up stuff, and the radios
crackle to life with the barked "Okay!  We're going HOT on FX!  Roll the
cameras!"

Panic ensues, punctuated by cries often abbreviated in Netspeak as WTF?????

The cameras aren't even all off the damn truck yet.  Shots are heard, but at
an odd distance.

IT SEEMS (the story goes) ANOTHER crew, working ONE street over, was ALSO
shooting a big shoot-em-up scene for THEIR movie, and happened to be using
the same radio frequency.

Now, whether or not this is some movie legend, there's a good point here:
If you're using bangsticks and heavy FX, it's a good idea for the Locations
guys to check that there's NOTHING for at least a mile around the set that
could POSSIBLY, in the wackiest chance in 10 million years, snooker you like
that.  Even one of the "Well!  Who'd a thunk?" kind of things.  Those are
the potentially deadly ones.

And I'd like to thank Lael for so concisely setting out an excellent
protocol that we can copy into our own Manuals Of Useful And Potentially
Life-Saving Knowledge.  And thanks for reminding everyone about our friends
in Sound, who'd like to leave with their ears intact!

Best to all,
Rick Garbutt, soc