MovieChat Forums > The Crow (1994) Discussion > The propmaster was sent home so that the...

The propmaster was sent home so that they could save money


The propmaster's assistant, Daniel Kuttner was going on his way to the ammo shop to buy dummy bullets, but then he saw the live rounds in the truck and decided to use those. If you had been in charge, what would you have done?

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From the comments section for the Rapid Fire trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ynBoxx_W_g&lc=Ugw3VlGQOjIfO3W7B0N4AaABAg.9HgvnZE9YXe9MoX35oUUy_

He (Michael Massee) was the one that pulled the trigger while shooting the scene but the the reason there was a slug lodged inside the weapons barrel was because the special effects coordinator J.B. Jones and stunt coordinator Jeff Imada didn't follow on set safety protocols while filming.

Neither one of which had any business handling any firearms in the set.

That was the responsibility of the on set weapons master who had already left the set thinking all the scenes involving firearms had been completed.

That entire production was an unsafe mess.

Brandon Lee was killed because of others malfeasance and Michael Massee got to live the rest of his life knowing he killed somebody by accident because the people who were responsible for safely handling on set safety failed to do their jobs.


https://ew.com/article/1993/04/16/brief-life-and-unnecessary-death-brandon-lee/

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Always felt so sorry for Michael Massee. What a thing to have to live with.

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I read that Michael Massee was so traumatized and guilty-ridden that had to take a year off from work after what happened to Brandon Lee. Even when he passed away in 2016, practically the first thing that the news reports noted was his direct role in Brandon Lee's death.

https://www.google.com/search?q=michael+massee+brandon+lee&sca_esv=554867176&sxsrf=AB5stBh6BOJ-8Acs9zJFaRR2xlW5_R7KSw%3A1691523231544&ei=n5jSZPvWIIKrqtsP5tGMoA8&ved=0ahUKEwi7ouGK582AAxWClWoFHeYoA_QQ4dUDCBA&uact=5&oq=michael+massee+brandon+lee&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiGm1pY2hhZWwgbWFzc2VlIGJyYW5kb24gbGVlMgsQLhiABBiaAxioAzIFEAAYgAQyBhAAGBYYHjIGEAAYFhgeMhoQLhiABBiaAxioAxiXBRjcBBjeBBjfBNgBAUiKD1C4AViIDXAAeAKQAQCYAYkCoAH0FaoBBDItMTK4AQPIAQD4AQHCAgQQABhHwgIKEAAYgAQYFBiHAsICCxAuGJoDGKgDGIAEwgIQEC4YigUYqAMYmgMYmwMYQ8ICEBAuGBQYhwIYmgMYqAMYgATCAhAQLhiaAxibAxioAxiABBgKwgIHEAAYgAQYCsICHxAuGBQYhwIYmgMYqAMYgAQYlwUY3AQY3gQY3wTYAQHCAgsQLhiABBioAxiaA8ICGhAuGIAEGKgDGJoDGJcFGNwEGN4EGN8E2AEBwgIIEAAYigUYhgPiAwQYACBBiAYBkAYIugYGCAEQARgU&sclient=gws-wiz-serp

I too can't help but feel horrible for the guy because it wasn't really his fault what happened to Brandon. The entire production of The Crow from what I gathered was a cluster-f***. It was pretty much inevitable that something catastrophic was going to happen.

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'Even when he passed away in 2016, practically the first thing that the news reports noted was his direct role in Brandon Lee's death.'

Yes, I remember it featuring prominently in every obituary I read at the time.

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Even worse, Michael Massee (Funboy) was originally not supposed to fire a gun at Brandon Lee (Eric Draven). I don't right now, have the exact details in front of me regarding what was originally scripted (I think that Eric was supposed to be stabbed), but it was apparently changed to Eric being shot by Alex Proyas, the director at the last minute.

https://filmsane.com/just-some-useless-but-fun-facts-about-the-crow/

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109506/trivia/?ref_=tttr_ql_trv_1

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I'm an experienced hand loader of pistol and rifle ammunition. I would have pulled the bullet, removed the primer, drilled holes in the side of the brass, inserted a small metal ball (it rattles) in the case then re-seated the bullet. It would obviously be a prop cartridge.

Or buy a set of snap caps and paint the front with copper colored paint. Snap caps are used for dry firing practice to prevent damage to the firing pin.

I would also check the gun prior to giving to anyone on set. Hindsight is 20/20.

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