Blanks vs Digital Effects

[MoviePropMaster2008]

Originally Posted by Sergei Titov

Why do so many TV shows and movies always have their cast holding real guns, yet the flash is digital the noise is green and there is no recoil? Isn't it easier and more realistic to fire blanks during a shoot out? Zero Dark thirty is the first movie or TV show that I've seen where the gun noises sounded REMOTELY real!

1) Usually when the cast is holding real guns they use blanks, either that or what is the point of having a real gun on set? If the gun is real, you still need a legal handler.

2) "The noise is green"??? What does that mean?

3)"...there is no recoil?" Well there is very little recoil when blanks are fired on live guns anyway. And absolutely no recoil at all when the actors are 'mime firing' airsoft replica guns. Usually actors trying to fake recoil with CGI gun flashed look bad.

4)re: Zero Dark thirty, the sound of a gun fight is NEVER recorded live and set to the film without massive audio mixing. Chances are you are listening to complex sound mixed recordings. Sound Editors always foley their gun battles. None of that sound is captured 'in camera'.

Hopes this helps.