ENDA Episode 165→ The time when ENDA gets in a bullet fight with John Wick (Part 3)

How many muzzle flashes do we need for a single gunshot?

I’m asking seriously.

While being trapped in this bullet fight with John Wick, I started questioning things I once took for granted, including how many muzzle-flash elements you actually need each time a character pulls the trigger.

And surprisingly, the answer is: one… and many at the same time. Let me explain.

Most muzzle-flash footage will do a good job, as long as you know what type of weapon it belongs to and how to integrate it properly. But that’s the key word: “good.” And “good” isn’t always enough for clients or the VFX Supervisor.

So, what’s the trick?

We layer additional detail from other muzzle-flash plates. In this shot, for example, we added a small explosion near the barrel from a different element, enhancing the sense of combustion you’d expect from a handgun firing.

Now, some of you might argue: “But muzzle flashes last only one frame, who’s going to notice?”

Sadly… more people than you think.

Even if the flash appears for just a single frame, its impact is so strong that the audience will notice if something feels off. They might not be able to say exactly what’s wrong, but they will feel that the muzzle flash isn’t convincing. And as we’ve all experienced, these are exactly the frames clients pause on during reviews,often giving more notes on that one frame than on the rest of the shot combined.

So yes, creating a muzzle-flash shot is not as simple as slapping an A-over-B and calling it a day. Sometimes, you need to approach it as a design task, crafting the right flash before diving into the heavier integration work: colour, edges, lighting, interaction, and so on.

And speaking of lighting…

I think it’s time we dig deeper into that. But that will be for another episode.

The journey continues...