Alright, your flinching might not look like existential horror, but. . . (Before proceeding, please follow these safety rules. First, choose a good safe place to practice, where everyone knows you're practicing. Second, point all guns in a safe direction. Third, when in doubt STOP and find an expert to help you out. Use of the following information is done at your own risk and you accept all personal liability for it.)
Remember that game, when you were a kid where someone (generally an older sibling) would feign an attack, and if you flinched, you'd get hit twice? If you're older now, I hope that you've either (a) watched them lose their hair and/or grow fat or (b) made much more money then they have. . .
However. . .There's a lesson to be learned in all of this. . . Especially when it comes to playing with guns, for stage and screen.
Let's think about the flinch response. The whole point of the two for flinching game was for the person not to hit you. Even so, you flinched. Why? Because when you're caught by surprise or you think something bad is about to happen you tense and cover--evolution has granted us the gift of survival instincts. Eventually, even if you got used to the notion that you wouldn't get hit, you'd still tense and flinch.
Right about now, you're asking yourself what all of this has to do with guns. . . Plenty!
Let's face it, guns are loud and--particularly if you don't have much experience with them--they're kind of scary. All of this amounts to one thing, many people will flinch and look nervous when they're about to pull a trigger. Natural? Yes. Helpful? Hell no. If you happen to actually be shooting a gun, flinching is the enemy of accuracy.
Standing on stage, or--worse yet--with a camera close up flinching is also the enemy of looking like a bad ass. Whether you're watching John Wayne or Daniel Craig, they neither blink nor do they bat an eyelash while pulling the trigger. That says something about their characters, doesn't it?
On the other hand, you might be playing the part of a terrified person pulling the trigger out of desperation. . . in which case you might just want to ignore this next bit. . .
Rehearsal and more rehearsal. . .goes a long way toward getting rid of your flinch. There are a couple drills that are helpful.
First off, try out the "ball and dummy" drill. Have someone else (like your friendly stage manager / theater armorer) load your gun for you. Choose a SAFE location to practice firing. The important part is for that other person to substitute dummy rounds at random, or not load the gun without telling you and than have you pull the trigger. Chances are, the first time you pull the trigger on an unloaded gun; you'll be flinching. Equally likely, will be the embarrassed look on your face when you realize you're reacting to nothing. However, you're well on your way to curing your flinch. . . Keep doing this drill, until you train your instinctual flinch out of your muscle memory.
Second, dry firing. This may or may not be an option for you, but if it is; take advantage of it! Taking the unloaded gun, pulling the trigger, and handling it will help you out a ton. Again, choose a SAFE PLACE to do all of this. However, the more accustomed you become to the feeling of the gun in your hand and its mechanics, the less likely you'll be to let your fear/anxiety inform the way you handle the gun.
Third, be your character. . .At the end of the day, your character will tell you what kind of gunfighter you are. . . Therein lies the secret to it all. . . .If that doesn't work, check out numbers one and two above.
Excelsior!
No comments:
Post a Comment