Gun Sounds in Movies

[Mauser]

I hate the sound in Heat when Robert De Niro checks his chamber in the elevator. There is like a crappy video game sound to it.

[Phoenixent]

Originally Posted by Excalibur

Movies made by Micheal Mann always have good gun sounds and they sound more realistic and not much changed in post production

I worked with Micheal Mann and he is a gun enthusiast so he wants both the weapons and sounds correct.

Just to let you know all sounds are added in post production. The recording of the sounds a weapon makes is done after a show is filmed. Normally done on a private range for a couple of days firing the weapons used on the film live with about 15 mics on the range to record the sound from different angles. The sounds of bullet impacts and ricochets is done on the last day with a suppressed weapon shoot different type of targets from wood doors to side of beef to a car. Very cool deal if you can do it but is one of the most demanding days we work on.

[S&Wshooter]

I wish that someone would make a movie in which the gun sounds aren't dubbed, but are actually part of that scene's recorded audio

[Clutch]

Originally Posted by S&Wshooter

I wish that someone would make a movie in which the gun sounds aren't dubbed, but are actually part of that scene's recorded audio

I think that's the reason why there is such a thing as sound editing.

[Excalibur]

The gun sounds in the movie Miami Vice didn't sound like post edits.

[S&Wshooter]

They don't dub gunfire on American Rifleman/ Shooting USA and it sounds cooler than dubbed gunfire

[MT2008]

Originally Posted by Excalibur

The gun sounds in the movie Miami Vice didn't sound like post edits.

They were. Didn't you recognize the stock sound library gunfire in the final shootout? One of the automatic weapons in that scene (can't remember which) made a sound effect that I know I've heard in countless other movies.

Originally Posted by S&Wshooter

I wish that someone would make a movie in which the gun sounds aren't dubbed, but are actually part of that scene's recorded audio

That's very difficult to do. Think about the process Steve described. Can you imagine how difficult it would be to get microphones in enough places at the shooting location to capture the gunfire adequately? Chances are, it wouldn't come out right, and they'd have to re-dub it later, and then it would be a wasted effort.

The exception might be a city street with lots of tall buildings where the sound can reverberate easily, as in "Heat".

[Excalibur]

Ok. I'm saying the final shootout in Miami Vice didn't sound quite like other generic shootouts.