Ok, here is the current crisis I am face with my upcoming project. I have a sequence in which a firearm must be fired in a small interior setting. The firing must be onscreen. I have a decent idea of how to create the visual muzzle flash exiting the barrel of the weapon, however I am at a loss as to how to make the room "light up" when the gun is fired.
I have heard recommendations such as using a camera flashbulb to simulate the flash, though it seems to me that doing this would create a color issue (seeing as a camera would create a blue/white flash vs. the orange flash of a pistol)
So, any recommendations on how to create a convincing flash that will interact with the interior enviroment in a natural way?

An ultra simplistic method of doing this would be to simple bump up the gamma or brightness on the frame with the flash (this only needs to last as long as the flash which is usually a single frame). Since it is a small room this wouldn't look too bad. Other more complex effects might include masking off a specific area and selectively brightening that part of the frame. You could even export the frame with the flash, import it into photoshop and use the dodge tool to very accurately lighten areas of the frame. Of course, these are all post effects not production effects like you describe. I have no idea which you prefer.

These questions are all basic maths questions.

The formula is:

Is the cost hiring an armourer > or < than the value of the time it will take you to create a less realistic effect in post production.

The truth is that easiest way to get a realistic muzzle flash is to use a proper weapon, designed to do exactly that. There are no short cuts or cheats to doing this, you HAVE to hire a professional.

Personally I've yet to see a post production muzzle flash that didn't look like a cheap and nasty digital effect.

Of course it depends on what your intentions for your film are.

One of the hardest decisions for indie film makers is to decide where you can do without spending and where you can't. The idea that everyhting can be done for next to nothing in post is a fallacy.

I think this is one of the areas where a film maker who is trying to make a commercial product has to bite the bullet and do it properly. On fan film or something you're doing for fun, I guess it doesn't matter, but beyond that production values are important.

Have you looked at this (http://fxhome.com/effectslab/)? This inexpensive software has the best pro-quality muzzle flash FX I've seen for the desktop.

The truth is that easiest way to get a realistic muzzle flash is to use a proper weapon, designed to do exactly that. There are no short cuts or cheats to doing this, you HAVE to hire a professional.

Personally I've yet to see a post production muzzle flash that didn't look like a cheap and nasty digital effect.



That was my fear. I was hoping for a magical idea that would just make everything better... I might just have to bite the bullet as you said.

Have you looked at this (http://fxhome.com/effectslab/)? This inexpensive software has the best pro-quality muzzle flash FX I've seen for the desktop.
That doesn't look half bad. The only issue I have is that some of the gunshots occur off camera, down a hallway. This means I don't need to see the flame, just the flash off of the surroundings...

That doesn't look half bad. The only issue I have is that some of the gunshots occur off camera, down a hallway. This means I don't need to see the flame, just the flash off of the surroundings...You can download a demo of the software to try out. Wall flashes and off-camera flashes (reflections) are supported also.

really? I will definetly d/l the demo right now...

you can make rough correction shapes (oval, outline, whatever) with feathered edge and apply a correction to the foreground objects in the image to ramp the gamma up then down again.

The only issue I have is that some of the gunshots occur off camera, down a hallway.

Ah, that's a different matter. I've always used a high powered flashgun for that, something like a Nikon SpeedLite -- 90% of selling it is in the foley work.

Although to be fair when I was using it it was soley to show shoots fired from behind a closed door -- The light spill was under the bottom of the door.

Slam a CTO gel in front of your flashbulb or strobe light. Done. We do it all the time. Looks great.

The consensus seems to be that I can gel a camera flash to create the interactive light from the gun?
I'll do some test shoots w/ a decent flash and hopefully it'll work for me.
Thanks for the tips

one more question: will a blank gun (not a real gun firing blanks) create a flash large enough to llight the room. I am attempting to decide between a real Glock w/ full flash blanks or a blank gun with a muzzle flare added in post.

Buller?...Buller?

you could always try to find one to test fire and record that to see if it does what you need...I have no experience with practical gun effects.

I have the feeling I'm going to have to go w/ a real firearm firing blanks. It obviously will give me the most realistic effect. I am hearing, unfortunately, that real firearms won't cycle with blank rounds