Airsoft Retailers In North Carolina
Movie Props – Airsoft Guns in the Movies
One of the hallmarks of a big-budget Hollywood action film, aside from the requisite star power, are the guns which the stars wield onscreen. Two cases in point: it would be difficult to argue that the mini-gun carried by Arnold Schwarzenegger in ‘Terminator 2′ is any less iconic than the character’s black leather jacket or tinted sunglasses. The same can be said for the twin Heckler & Koch 9mm handguns which graced the leg holster’s of Angelina Jolie’s character of ‘Lara Croft’ in the Tomb Raider films. Croft’s side-arms are as much a part of that character as are her iconic braid and skimpy clothing, and nearly as memorable.
Such film props need to do a bit more than to simply look believable at rest, however, to sell the cinematic gags required of action directors. I doubt that these flicks would be nearly as memorable without the revolutions of Arnold’s multi-barreled, electric gatling gun or Jolie diving side-wise through space as the bolts on her H&K’s kicking. Bottom line, for today’s savvy audiences, the guns they see on the silver screen need to operate as if they were the real thing. Slides still need to travail and cylinders still need to spin. That means, rubberized prop-guns won’t cut it.
Historically, industry prop-masters working to lend authenticity to these productions have needed to walk a balancing act due to such, juggling safety with the intended realism the sub-genre demands, and unfortunately, and sometimes soberly, with varying and occasionally tragic results.
With realism such an obvious contributing factor, actual firearms are often employed in film productions (albeit outfitted with non-firing conversion kits or blank-loaded), and yet they remain still as potentially lethal as their unmodified brethren. Sadly, there are far too many historic examples of firearm prop malfunction or misuse resulting in physical harm (among others, the promising American actor Brandon Lee was accidentally shot and killed in North Carolina at the age of twenty-eight while on the set of the feature film The Crow, the result a combination of ‘use of an actual firearm as prop’ and operational ignorance of such).
In an effort to prevent such tragedies from transpiring, as well as to ‘sell the gag,’ educated prop houses have now begun to turn to the airsoft industry in an effort to supply film productions with safe, realistic props. Airsoft guns after all closely mimic the appearance of their real-world counterparts (which is why military and law-enforcement world-wide are adopting airsoft as their close quarter combat weapon training platform), yet they don’t possess the ability to fire anything more than 6mm plastic airsoft BBs, at speeds well under a lethal limit. This unto itself, as well as airsoft guns’ inherent ability to mimic the actual mechanical movements of actual firearms, combined with airsoft’s cost-effective nature, makes airsoft the ideal choice for realistic film props.
The producers of this past summer’s Warner Bros. summer flick The Losers can attest to this, as can the producers of HBO’s True Blood series and the brass behind Sony Pictures’ recently-wrapped Hostel 3, a trio of production companies who have in the last year employed the use of airsoft products secured via Southern California’s airsoft retailer Airsoft Megastore. Independent filmmakers too have utilized airsoft guns for their various productions, and given the competitively-priced nature of airsoft products, the attention to display airsoft manufacturers display in the manufacture of these products, and the relative safety of airsoft guns, it’s no wonder.
About the Author
Mike Zhang is the President and COO of Airsoft Megastore, an airsoft retailer offering electric and gas powered airsoft guns. Please visit Airsoft Megastore to shop for airsoft AEGs, full metal airsoft rifles or the right airsoft gas gun for players of any experience level.
North Atlantic Airsoft Expo 2010
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MAGPUL BACK UP SIGHTS! AIRSOFT, FRONT AND REAR SET, NEW. MBUS, BUIS US SELLER $24.99 |
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Crosman Co2 Mini Uzi Airsoft Pistol $40.00 |
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lot of 2 { FULL METAL } airsoft gun pistols + 1000 FREE BB’s SHOOTS GREAT ! NEW! $0.01 |
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AIRSOFT GUN Full size rifle sidearm Beretta Silver handgun spring PISTOL M757 $0.01 |
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NcSTAR Airsoft Metal Compact Adjustable BiPod RIS System Sniper Rifle 3 Adapters $34.99 |
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Airsoft & Paintball Landmine plans! Build a Land Mine!! $6.95 |
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Airsoft & Paintball plans Launcher, Landmine, Grenade!! $14.95 |
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King arms ultra grade metal automatic colt m4a1 airsoft rifle! $100.00 |
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850 .12G 6mm BBs bb Ammo Airsoft gun guns rifle Pistol Orange $0.90 |
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NEW AIRSOFT SPRING MAC 10 11 UZI RIFLE HAND GUN AIR PISTOL Sniper w/ 6mm BBs BB $0.01 |
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NEW LOT 4 AIRSOFT SPRING GUNS AK47 RIFLE UZI SHOTGUN BERETTA PISTOLS W/ 1000 BBs $40.99 |
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400 Bbs/min D90H, E90 AEG Auto Airsoft Electric Rifle Semi/Full Selectable $49.50 |
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NEW M 1911 A1 BLACK OPS AIRSOFT SPRING HAND GUN PISTOL Sniper Rifle w/ 6mm BB $0.01 |
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Custom upgraded urban digital camo m14 aeg airsoft rifle! $200.00 |
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NEW M4 A1 M16 TACTICAL ASSAULT SPRING AIRSOFT RIFLE SNIPER GUN 6mm BB PELLET AIR $9.95 |
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285 FPS Airsoft Pump Shotgun Pistol Grip gun w/ 6mm bbs $0.01 |
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Kwa Km4 Sr10 Airsoft Rifle $179.00 |
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JG G36C AEG Electric Airsoft Rifle WITH EXTRAS!! $50.00 |
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Airsoft m4 (custom magpul/echo1) $249.99 |
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NcStar Compact Red Dot Airsoft Pistol Laser Sight w/ Weaver Mount Black A2PRLS $25.99 |