Firearms · SAG-AFTRA
An extension of Bulletin #1 covering the specific case of camera operators within the muzzle envelope of a working firearm. Bulletin #39 codifies muzzle-pass geometry — when a firearm fires past the camera position rather than away from it.
Context
Bulletin #39 was developed in response to a series of documented near-misses where camera operators sustained debris injuries from blank-fired firearms despite the muzzle being theoretically angled away. The bulletin requires that any time a firearm fires within a defined radius of the camera, the operator wears blast-rated safety glasses, the camera position is offset from the muzzle's projected debris cone, and a transparent plexiglass shield is positioned between camera and weapon. The shield requirement is the most-cited update — productions that previously relied on muzzle angle alone must now physically separate the camera from the firearm with a barrier.
Requirements
Editorial summary of the bulletin's load-bearing requirements. The canonical PDF is the authoritative source — these are the surface points referenced in production safety briefings.
A transparent plexiglass shield is positioned between any camera operator and a firearm firing within the bulletin's defined radius.
Camera operators within the bulletin's radius wear ANSI Z87.1-rated safety glasses regardless of barrier presence.
Camera positions are offset from the projected debris cone of the firearm; muzzle angle alone does not satisfy the bulletin.
Camera operator and armorer walk the geometry before the take; both confirm clear envelope before camera rolls.
Governs
Rigging glossary entries whose work is governed by this bulletin. Click through for the mechanism breakdown.
References
Every URL is stored once in the archive and attached to as many entities as cite it. Entries marked +N also cited appear on other detail pages too — click to see every entity that depends on the same source.