Realistic weaponry is a such a major part of the films we watch today that it’s easy to forget that gun skills may not come naturally to the actor picking up an AK-47. That’s where Terrence Bramble and Christophe Maratier come in.
When tabloid! came across the pair on the set of Beware The Night in Liwa Oasis on Friday night, they were sorting through an intimidating pile of M16 and AK-47 assault rifles.
Bramble, a military expert with 25 years’ experience in conflict zones from Colombia to Iraq, was on hand to instruct the actors playing US Marines in how to move around in a realistic fashion. “It’s important it looks credible,” said Bramble, who left warfare behind three years ago to open a floristry business. “The actors are very responsive, although none have any military training. The director wants a fast flow,” of movement, he says, “although in reality, they might move a lot slower”.
Frenchman Maratier is one of cinema’s most respected weapons specialists, having just come off a Luc Besson film starring “Bob De Niro and Mr Tommy Lee Jones”, he tells me with a twinkle of excitement in his eyes; and like Bramble, he’s charming and funny, not what I had expected from people who handle deadly force on a daily basis.
And while it’s all movie magic, the guns used are real, modified so they cannot shot real bullets, but still dangerous. “The M16 is a regular issue weapon for the US army, I supply the weapons and take care of the safety of the crew, because blanks firing can be dangerous. The most important thing is to be safe, so we have trained the actors, also we protect the camera crew with goggles and shields for the camera.”
He gestures to the pile of Kalashnikovs, also known as AK-47s. “On the other side, we have the insurgents with AK 47s in different sizes — so they don’t look like an army.” For stunts, such as one where insurgents are blown into the air by grenades, they use rubber guns to prevent injury.
“The guns came into the country with a special license and as soon as they have done the job, they go back through the UAE army and customs and back to France.”
Asked which actor required the least training with guns, one name immediate came out.
“Bob De Niro is the top of the pops, I’ve done three movies with him, and he is a huge actor and very interesting to work with because he really goes deep into things. Everything needs to have a meaning.”
