IATSE Training Trust Fund

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Prop Gun Set Safety

The Prop Gun Set Safety course establishes an elevated standard for the use of firearms, airsoft, replicas, or prop guns in film, television, or theater. Through experiential practices, participants gain hands-on, firsthand experience with prop firearms in realistic film and theater scenarios. The program delves into the distinctions between real-world shooting practices and the established safety protocols of studio armorers and prop professionals. It fosters set safety awareness and provides a robust foundation for the secure handling of prop guns and other potentially volatile props in productions.

  • Basic firearms safety (identification, operation, cleaning, and secure storage of handguns and long guns)

  • Prop gun management for productions (prop gun rentals, management, set operations, safety protocols, inter-departmental collaboration, camera blocking, and implementation. Hands-on exercises for participants on how to clear, load, and unload real and simulated firearms in a production environment)

  • This program includes hands-on experiential role-playing scene studies in front of a working camera, with actual blank fire. Participants will be asked in a series of group activities to play various roles on our “working film set.”

  • We round out this safety education by closely examining the “Rust,” Brandon Lee, and other set tragedies.

  • Breaking down precisely how these events were allowed to occur, in an otherwise controlled filming environment.


Details

Language: English

Format: In-person, Virtual

Length: 8 hours

Trainer

Steve "Dutch" Merrick, IATSE Local 44

Location: Los Angeles, CA

Certifications: NRA and California Rifle and Pistol Association Certified Range Safety Officer and Instructor for Pistol, Rifle and Shotgun

With 28 years as an IATSE member, Steve “Dutch” Merrick has a rich career as a Prop Master and Armorer on numerous productions. Beginning in the mid-1990s, he transitioned from a competitive shooter to become a Gun Wrangler, eventually achieving certification as a firearms instructor and Range Safety Officer by the NRA and California Rifle and Pistol Association. Steve boasts nearly three decades as a Commercial, Film, and TV Prop Master, contributing to notable productions like SEAL Team/CBS and Euphoria/HBO, as well as feature films such as "The Island" and "S.W.A.T." A skilled filmmaker, he has received multiple awards for his short film directorial work, including "One Minute, the Shortest Film About our Longest War."

Steve’s teaching proficiency is honed by seven years as a teacher's assistant at the Esalen Institute, where he developed an empathetic style of teaching interpersonal development. His community service spans seven years on the Local Station Board, three as President, of Pacifica Radio's KPFK 90.7 FM in Los Angeles. As the founder and Chief Instructor for Prop Gun Set Safety in Burbank, CA, Steve has conducted his immersive 8-hour program over 25 times in three U.S. cities, attracting participants from across North America, including major cities like New York, Miami, Atlanta, Dallas, Seattle, Vancouver, and Toronto.

Motivated by the "Rust" film set tragedy, Steve collaborated with numerous other studio Armorers and Prop Masters to create the Prop Gun Set Safety program, addressing educational gaps for both union and nonunion film crews. Teaching Prop Gun Safety fulfills Steve’s vision of having a positive and meaningful impact on crew safety, combining his on-set experience with a strong educational background.

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