“Before each shot, we check the weapon.
Frédéric Cauvy is a cinema gunsmith.
With his team, he provides film crews with nearly 2,000 firearms from all eras.
At the heart of its business: security.
"We travel on the set to make them work, train the actors and ensure safety on the set," explains this enthusiast.
Read also Alec Baldwin's fatal shot: assistant director Dave Halls on the grill with his dubious background
The recent drama that led to the death of the director of photography for the western “Rust”, after an accidental shooting by actor Alec Baldwin, puts Frédéric Cauvy's profession in the spotlight.
The role of the shooting gunsmith, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, comes under close scrutiny by investigators.
"In France, as weapons are only cinema weapons, we could not shoot real ammunition", details the Parisian gunsmith who explains checking each of his weapons before and during filming.
“We put a fixed insert on the weapon which allows blank firing but prevents the insertion of real ammunition,” he explains.
“Tomorrow, I'm talking about filming and we will certainly talk to me about this story (Editor's note: Alec Baldwin's shooting), considers Frédéric Cauvy.
We will have to show that we are checking the weapons even more ”.