When watching a film at the cinema it's very easy to become accustomed to the casual use of guns. Gunfire seems almost mandatory in some genres of film.
This idea would bring some of the shock factor back to the audience. When a character on the screen fires a gun in the general direction of the audience, a real gun mounted at the right position behind the screen would fire through the screen at the audience. The gun would be set up so that the bullets would hit targets located in non-occupied parts of the auditorium, but the sound of gunfire passing over the audience's heads should add a certain frisson of danger to the cinematic experience.
Certain technical considerations need to be taken care of - e.g.: in addition to the soundtrack for the film there would need to be a gunfire-track, to synchronise the guns with the screen action.
To be honest, I don't think I'd go to a cinema which had this installed, but it might appeal to some people - and I almost never go to the cinema anyway.

Now showing:
"The Matrix"
"Saving Private Ryan"
-- hippo, Feb 26 2003

To make sure no-one misbehaves http://www.halfbake...ea/Theater_20sniper
[thumbwax, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 05 2004]

T2 3-D: Battle Across Time http://www.insideun...ersal.php?page_id=8
A brief description. [Shadow Phoenix, Nov 14 2007]

T2 3-D: Script http://www.scifiscr...om/scripts/t23d.txt
[jutta, Nov 14 2007]

play the 1912 Overture with real cannon fire as a finale

or even the 1812 Overture <squirms> thanks hippo.
-- po, Feb 26 2003


Why aim at empty seats with live ammunition when you could aim at filled seats and fire (hard and sticky, sugared) popcorn at them?

"Cinema with popcorn gunfire"
patent pending.
-- Jinbish, Feb 26 2003


hipop, funny that you mention I saw "Saving Private Ryan". The first time I saw it in the theater, the combination of excellent effects, sound quality in the theater and sheer volume was very convincing. I found myself almost wanting to duck at times during the first 25 minutes.
-- waugsqueke, Feb 26 2003


"Is that seat next to you spare?"

"Er, yes, but..."

<bang>
-- st3f, Feb 26 2003


Why stop at guns? For me, it's explosions that make an action movie exciting. I loved Armageddon. I say just blow up the place. Can't beat that for thrills.
-- roby, Feb 26 2003


((( [po] - psst! you mean 1812, I think )))
-- hippo, Feb 26 2003


I guess this wouldn't work for balletic slow motion gun battles in films such as John Woo's Hong Kong shoot-em-up's. Oh well. Plus vote from me!
-- snarfyguy, Feb 26 2003


Off topic: Lots of people bring their own food into movie theaters. Some friends of mine snuck a sushi dinner into "Saving Private Ryan." They did not enjoy their food..
-- snarfyguy, Feb 26 2003


Around the time of Shakespeare, plays had real cannons, loaded with blanks, for sound effects. A performance of (IIRC) Henry VIII was rather unfortunately interrupted when a piece of burning wadding from the cannon touched off the thatched roof. As the Globe Theater at that time did not have a sprinkler system installed (unlike the Globe of today) it rather quickly burned to the ground. Because the thatching was less volatile than polyurethane foam, however, and because of the theater's multiple exits, it was successfully evacuated without any recorded loss of life (unlike The Station nightclub in Warwick, RI, where a pyrotechnic ignited a wall covered with packing foam).
-- supercat, Apr 07 2003


I just can't find something wrong with this idea.
-- CaptainWes, May 02 2004


Due to obvious safety concerns, this idea is not likely to become baked EXCEPT in terms of 3-D movies. All sorts of things will be (safely) heading toward the audience, when those are perfected! (and things like slow-motion bullets will be easy, too)
-- Vernon, May 03 2004


Make sure every 4th round is a tracer.
-- bristolz, May 03 2004


Why not let people bring their own guns and get some of that "Rocky Horror Picture Show" style audience participation fun?
-- Cube, Jan 24 2006


A version of "Terminator 2" has real actors moving on the stage in time to a specially-modified movie. They use actual weapons with blank rounds, are perfectly choreographed are the end result is, according to my friends, nothing short of incredible.
-- Shadow Phoenix, Nov 12 2007


Any link to that madcap idea available?
-- normzone, Nov 13 2007


I sometimes like to watch films where there isn't any gunfire at all. Is there something wrong with me?
-- theNakedApiarist, Nov 13 2007


[normzone], got it! Actually, it's called "T2 3-D: Battle Across Time", and had a production price tag of $60 million! My friends that saw it were blown away (figuratively) and reccomend it. Check out these photos and description [link].
-- Shadow Phoenix, Nov 14 2007


I've seen a "live orchestra for movies" idea here and now this. Kinda leads to the next logical step of total live performance of the audio of a movie, from music to foley to having actors and actresses voice the lines while the entire movie soundtrack is turned off.

Although I wouldn't be sure what to watch, the screen or the actors, musicians and foley guys.

It would probably be pretty distracting from the movie plot though.
-- doctorremulac3, Nov 14 2007



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