#filmshootouts #TVshows #deathinmovies #TheRookie
Have you ever wondered if people in films and TV shows actually die as fast as they do when they get shot? 🤔 It’s a common trope in Hollywood to see characters drop to the ground instantly after being shot, but is that really the reality? Let’s take a closer look at the truth behind shootings in the entertainment industry and how it differs from real life.
## How Hollywood portrays shootouts
In most action-packed films and TV shows, shootouts are often glamorized and exaggerated for dramatic effect. Here are some common misconceptions about shootings in movies and TV:
– **Instant death:** In many on-screen depictions, characters are shown dying instantly after being shot, regardless of where the bullet hits them.
– **No blood or pain:** Characters often show little to no physical reaction to being shot, with minimal blood or signs of pain.
– **Accuracy of shots:** In films, shooters are often portrayed as extremely accurate, hitting their target with precision every time.
– **High body count:** Shootouts in movies and TV shows often result in a high body count, with multiple characters being killed within seconds.
## The reality of getting shot
Contrary to what is often portrayed on screen, getting shot in real life is a much different experience. Here are some key points to consider about gunshot wounds and their effects on the body:
1. **Location matters:** Where a person is shot can greatly impact their chances of survival. Shots to vital organs such as the heart or brain are much more likely to be fatal than shots to less critical areas.
2. **Severity of injury:** The severity of a gunshot wound depends on factors such as the type of weapon used, the caliber of the bullet, and the distance from which the shot was fired.
3. **Delayed effects:** In many cases, people who are shot may not immediately drop to the ground or die. Some individuals are able to remain on their feet and even continue fighting despite their injuries.
4. **Pain and shock:** Getting shot is an incredibly painful experience that can cause shock and confusion. It is not uncommon for individuals to feel the full extent of their injuries in the moments following a shooting.
5. **Medical intervention:** In real life, prompt medical intervention can greatly increase a person’s chances of surviving a gunshot wound. In films and TV shows, characters rarely receive timely medical attention, leading to their swift demise.
## Why Hollywood exaggerates shootings
So, why does Hollywood choose to exaggerate the effects of shootings in films and TV shows? Here are a few reasons behind this creative decision:
– **Entertainment value:** Dramatic shootouts are often used to enhance the entertainment value of a film or TV show and keep viewers on the edge of their seats.
– **Simplification:** Simplifying the effects of shootings allows filmmakers to focus on the action and suspense of a scene without getting bogged down in the details of real-life injuries.
– **Suspension of disbelief:** Viewers are more likely to suspend their disbelief and become immersed in a story when they are presented with fast-paced, high-stakes action sequences.
## Conclusion: The truth behind shootouts in films and TV shows
While shootouts in movies and TV shows may be thrilling to watch, it’s important to remember that they are not always an accurate depiction of real-life events. In reality, getting shot is a complex and unpredictable experience that can vary greatly depending on the circumstances. So the next time you watch a character drop after being shot in a film or TV show, remember that the truth behind shootings is often far more nuanced than what is shown on screen.
No. It’s just movie logic.
It’s the only way to portray it. It’s that or spend the whole episode showing a guy bleeding out on the ground. If all shots were head shots, then that wouldn’t be too believable either.
Christina Ricci. More recently, Aubrey Plaza.
It wouldn’t kill you instantly, but you probably *would* hit the ground pretty much immediately. The pain alone would be enough to drop most people. Your stomach muscles are important for staying upright, so damage to them might make you fall. You’d go into shock *real* quick, so you’d be weak and dizzy from that.
But it wouldn’t look like the kind of ragdoll drop that you see when a show is trying to communicate that someone is dead or unconscious. Obviously it’s gonna depend, but a shot to the gut is probably gonna look like a more intense version of someone getting kicked in the gut – double over, drop to your knees, then fall from there.
The pain might make someone pass out, but it wouldn’t be instant, so even if that happened, they’d probably still double over first.
But if they don’t immediately fall unconscious, they probably wouldn’t look dead once they hit the ground. They might be still and silent, but that would be more like the reaction someone has to getting the breath knocked out of them, where they get visibly rigid. They might also behave in a delirious manner, depending on how severe the shock is. But otherwise they’d move and sound… well, like a person in pain. At least for a little while.
Ask Alec Baldwin.
No. You’ll probably drop instantly.
Good head, c level spine or heart shot, yes.
Intestines, no.
Saw a femoral artery hit once, took about two minutes. Same as a guy shot in the liver, that was about four or five minutes.
Same as when they slice their throat on the movies and they die instantly. Just no.
In the head. Yes, usually, there is a certain area that will instantly kill, but there rest you could survive before dying. But usually the brain will swell and cause you to pass out before dying. In the heart or major arteries, jugular and legs, seconds to a minute or more, not long at all. Major organs could take minutes or days. But the pain can easily take you down. A lot of times they pass out from the pain before dying. Bullet wounds in movies are nothing like they are irl. Small caliber rounds are what you normally see in movies, where it’s little more than a hole. AR rounds can do the same from a distance, but up close they could take large chunks off a person. Even larger rounds like the .50 cal can kill and damage a human without even hitting them if close enough.
Left untreated it can sometimes take you ***days*** to die of a bullet to the abdomen. They just die fast for convenience.
No, not at all. Watch combat footage if you have the stomach for it. It’s by far the exception that people drop dead instantly. Usually it’s drawn out and gives them plenty of time to writhe in misery. Terrible.
Sometimes.
If you get hit in the vitals yeah you can be dead before you hit the ground (depending on what’s hit) but just as easily you could be hit multiple times and run down the block before blood loss stops you. Movies and TV don’t want to show somebody screaming on the floor because they got hit in the knee or watch somebody die slowly of a punctured lung or clipped artery so they just have nice clean instant deaths so the audience doesn’t as feel bad about them. No matter the character most people don’t wanna watch another human choke to death as they drown in their own blood. It’s pretty traumatic. (Also raises age ratings)
I think a lot of comments here are missing one thing: the power of the bullet matters a lot.
Large and fast bullets (from big rifles, machine guns, cannons, etc) can cause “hydrostatic shock” sometimes, which can cause immediate brain damage, even if a person is shot in the gut. The more powerful the bullet, and the closer to the brain or major arteries, the more likely this is too occur.
Note that this effect is not fully understood in humans (how would you test it?), but it can be observed by hunters sometimes.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrostatic_shock
If the shot hits their spine they will go stringless-puppet real fast.
It depends on where you’re shot.
I haven’t ever shot a person but I’ve shot a lot of deer and they’re usually dead within 10-15 seconds. Roughly human sized.
Previous EMT/Paramedic, and Nah bro, humans are hard to kill lol your body and mind are really good at trying to stay alive
Depends on whether the person writing the show is either for or against the concept of Hydrostatic Shock being a thing when being shot…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrostatic_shock
…or maybe showing someone getting gut shot and crying for their mother for 4 hours straight just isn’t the overall tone they’re going for.
Gonna have to give them some creative license here.
People in movies don’t die at all (well, unless it’s Alec Baldwin pulling the trigger…).
Getting shot in the stomach can be a long, slow, painful death.
It depends. People die more quickly in real life when they’re shot in the head. They don’t go “oof” or stand there before collapsing, they immediately drop straight to the ground. Any other gunshot wound though, the person will not die instantly.
Depends on where they are shot. Head near eyes and nose and heart shots are fairly quick. Everything else takes time.
Similar event: cowboys or indians dropping dead immediately after getting hit with an arrow.
No.
Two to the chest one to the head