We have decided to change the name of our non-explosive bullet hit division of Tolin FX from Bullet Hit Rigs dot Com, which it has always been since the flash of its conception, to Squib FX. We decided that we wanted to demonstrate a more non-violent approach to the work that we do at (the now) Squib FX.
It could be easy to look at our rigs and think that they are tools to glorify violence on stage and screen. In fact I was torn in the beginning about even creating a company where the product I create could be used for ill purpose. But the reality is none of our rigs have ever been used that way that we know of. And that in fact- many of the projects that I have used them for have been very specifically non-violent in the them of the story that was being told. From Martin McDonaugh’s The Lt. of Inishmore, a very bloody satire about the troubles in Ireland speaking to the absurdity of violence, to Stephen King and John Mellancamp’s Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, where violence destroying a family is the center of a story of tolerance, our rigs have been used over and over to create moments that illustrate violence in such a way as to make the reality of it real for the audience. It is through these moments that the storyteller can really hit people in a way that they may not have been able to otherwise.
Most importantly though is that it seems that most of the time our Squib FX rigs are being used to create moments of levity and comedy. We’ve been doing a lot of blood slinging for Evil Dead the Muscial and if not for our rigs the comedic effect would not be even close to as hilarious. The same can be said about Sweeney Todd, Motivational Growth, and again The Lt. of Inishmore, as well as a secret project that we just came back from in Atlanta.
The bottom line is that we felt that we needed to get rid of the word bullet, so that we could communicate more clearly to our audience what we are all about.
Oh, and I also did a Google reverse search and the word combo variations of bullet + hit + rig +non-explosive, etc was averaging around 100-150 searches daily (weekly?…), compared to the word squib, which is searched 18,000 times. No brainer there.
And if you haven’t seen them yet, come check out our non-explosive bullet hit rigs and our other blood delivery systems at Squib FX
