SYDNEY (AFP) - An actor was shot dead on Monday (Jan 23) while filming a music video featuring guns at a bar in the Australian city of Brisbane, police said.

The shooting of the man in his 20s, who was hit in the chest, was believed to have been accidental but police said they had opened a criminal investigation.

"A scene was being conducted in which the actors were using... a number of firearms," Detective Inspector Tom Armitt told reporters.

"The deceased person was an actor in that scene.

"The film crew were actively performing CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) on the person," Mr Armitt said, adding that the man died at the scene.

Police did not name the actor or the band involved. The Brisbane Times said Australian hip-hop group Bliss n Eso were shooting the video at the Brooklyn Standard, a basement bar down an alley in the city centre.