Tactical Weapons Handling for Actors and Stunt Persons

Bringing a sense of realism to a role is of paramount importance to anyone in the acting profession. Action roles, in particular, often require the actor to portray a character with skills that he or she may not actually possess. For example, an actor with no prior experience using firearms may be cast as a federal agent, police officer or a clandestine operative or other character proficient with weapons. They are handed a script and a prop weapon that they have no idea how to hold, carry or present in a realistic manner. Many high-profile actors playing roles in blockbuster action movies do not even know how to correctly hold the weapon that their character is supposed to be an expert with. With training and practice, however, even novice shooters can convincingly portray these kinds of characters.

 

In the iconic Michael Mann film “The Last of the Mohicans” one of the most compelling action scenes involves Daniel Day-Lewis running uphill loading and firing a 12 pound flintlock rifle. In all likelihood, Mr. Lewis at never fired such a weapon before playing the role of Hawkeye in the film.  However, he's able the handle that very difficult and demanding scene adroitly and expertly, something that clearly took a great deal of training and practice to achieve. More recently, Keanu Reeves playing the role of John Wick is an example of another actor who took the time to become proficient handling weapons. Although many of the shooting techniques seen in the John Wick films are highly sensationalized, Reeves clearly knows how to handle the weapons he uses in these films.

 

This program was designed specifically for the motion picture industry in conjunction with actors, producers and stunt persons. Taught by a former Senior Special Agent and Tactical Firearms Instructor assigned to the DEA/FBI Academy in Quantico, VA., this course will teach you to operate a weapon in the same manner as highly trained federal agents and tactical team members. You will learn to handle a firearm and move like a professional, bringing authenticity to action roles requiring the use of a semi-automatic pistol. In certain venues, it may also be possible to utilize our Meggitt Firearms Training Simulator, an exciting, interactive training platform generally available only to law enforcement and specialized military units. The weapons used in this class will be inert, non-firing “Red Handles” identical to those used at the DEA/FBI Academy.

 

This course is open to members of the acting community only (SAG-AFTRA, acting school students etc.). Follow up classes will be scheduled to cover the use of other weapons such as carbines, sub-machine guns and shotguns.

 

Please contact us at (212) 285-2400 or info@globalsecuritygroup.com for more information.