javbike
Hellcat
I don’t know according to the news I am hearing it was a loaded gun why would a loaded gun be on the set I don’t understand that
The Irony
- Thread starter Classified
- Start date
Prop guns in the industry is a generic term that includes everything from a rubber gun all the way to a functioning firearm.
Blanks used for filming are available with three different powered loads depending on what effect is desired. Remember that some of these blanks have to be strong enough to cycle modified firearms. When the industry uses a term like ”live round” they are including blanks. In the industry even a blank loaded gun is “live”. So a paper may not know that a prop master is saying live round, but may mean blank. A bullitin that went out to the union also mentioned a live round, and also noted no union Armorers were on the call sheet for the movie. So nomenclature could mean blank or an actual round who knows, but eventually it will come out. A 556 blank has enough power to launch a full soda can 150-200 yrds. Imaging putting a body part in the line of fire.
Blank firing firearms used in filming are real firearms that can have various degrees of modifications. From plugging barrels, lighter recoil springs, locking cams reduced all to achieve functionality for the camera. Prop houses like the one that Larry Zanoff works at Independent Studio Services has a collection of firearms that you would not believe. ISS is not only an FFL but they are an SOT and Manufacture, Importer and exporter, plus explosive and pyrotechnics licesces. ISS is the company that owns things like the mini guns used in Preditor and Terminator 2, all the way to the Springfields used in the Walking Dead.
www.bakersfield.com
Union Armorers and the movie industry safety board have many procedures that are supposed to avoid accidents like this. Including rules that all firearms are checked for barrel obstructions, by the Master and assistant Armorer. Test fired for safety and function. Unloaded after the scene, cleaned and securely stored. Techniques include perspective filming that can make it look like a firearm is pointed at another actor but in reality the firearm is angled away from an actor. Think about it the same way they can film a short actor but make them look tall. Professional Armorers started in the 80’s, after an accident back then. Before that it was the prop masters responsibility. These armorers have to go through a bunch of training and go through an apprenticeship before getting the master designation, just like everything else you have to work your way up.
Why not use digital effects vs practical effects. Sometimes it could be as simple of an answer as cost, practical will be cheaper than digital and look better. Plus practical is faster than digital, you capture the “gunshots” on camera instead of sending it off to post processing.
It has now been reported that some of the crew walked off the set about 20-30 min before the accident because of on set conditions. What that was who knows, but it will eventually come out. Unfortunately this was not the first accident with a firearm on a set. Remember before placing blame just yet, or making light of the situation a person was killed and another mamied. Countless others will forever have their lives changed, by what they witnessed.
This is not the time or place for gloating, or bickering with each other. This is the one warning stay on topic and remember you do not have to answer another members post. You can also stop and count to three before you reply With a cooler head.
If you have any questions let me know, I have some knowledge.
Blanks used for filming are available with three different powered loads depending on what effect is desired. Remember that some of these blanks have to be strong enough to cycle modified firearms. When the industry uses a term like ”live round” they are including blanks. In the industry even a blank loaded gun is “live”. So a paper may not know that a prop master is saying live round, but may mean blank. A bullitin that went out to the union also mentioned a live round, and also noted no union Armorers were on the call sheet for the movie. So nomenclature could mean blank or an actual round who knows, but eventually it will come out. A 556 blank has enough power to launch a full soda can 150-200 yrds. Imaging putting a body part in the line of fire.
Blank firing firearms used in filming are real firearms that can have various degrees of modifications. From plugging barrels, lighter recoil springs, locking cams reduced all to achieve functionality for the camera. Prop houses like the one that Larry Zanoff works at Independent Studio Services has a collection of firearms that you would not believe. ISS is not only an FFL but they are an SOT and Manufacture, Importer and exporter, plus explosive and pyrotechnics licesces. ISS is the company that owns things like the mini guns used in Preditor and Terminator 2, all the way to the Springfields used in the Walking Dead.
In a world of make-believe, Bakersfield man makes you buy into it
Bakersfield’s Larry Zanoff says he spends his days trying to “catch lightning in a bottle.” His job is to create make-believe that we will believe.
Union Armorers and the movie industry safety board have many procedures that are supposed to avoid accidents like this. Including rules that all firearms are checked for barrel obstructions, by the Master and assistant Armorer. Test fired for safety and function. Unloaded after the scene, cleaned and securely stored. Techniques include perspective filming that can make it look like a firearm is pointed at another actor but in reality the firearm is angled away from an actor. Think about it the same way they can film a short actor but make them look tall. Professional Armorers started in the 80’s, after an accident back then. Before that it was the prop masters responsibility. These armorers have to go through a bunch of training and go through an apprenticeship before getting the master designation, just like everything else you have to work your way up.
Why not use digital effects vs practical effects. Sometimes it could be as simple of an answer as cost, practical will be cheaper than digital and look better. Plus practical is faster than digital, you capture the “gunshots” on camera instead of sending it off to post processing.
It has now been reported that some of the crew walked off the set about 20-30 min before the accident because of on set conditions. What that was who knows, but it will eventually come out. Unfortunately this was not the first accident with a firearm on a set. Remember before placing blame just yet, or making light of the situation a person was killed and another mamied. Countless others will forever have their lives changed, by what they witnessed.
This is not the time or place for gloating, or bickering with each other. This is the one warning stay on topic and remember you do not have to answer another members post. You can also stop and count to three before you reply With a cooler head.
If you have any questions let me know, I have some knowledge.
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I am surprised that more have did not know about these prop houses. ISS is the largest
www.recoilweb.com
www.damoncasarez.com
IATSE Local 44, a union representing prop masters, told its members in an email that a live round was used in Baldwin's gun, although none of its members were on the movie's call sheet, Indiewire reported. A representative for the sheriff's office told Insider that an armorer was on set and that the office was investigating "how and what type of projectile was discharged."
If the gun had live ammunition, it would be a major violation of set safety guidelines, according to Larry Zanoff, a prop weapons manager at Independent Studio Services.
"The television and motion picture industry uses blanks," Zanoff told Insider. "There's no place for live ammunition on a television or movie set."
He said that every set is supposed to have a designated person to oversee firearm use on set, make sure all guns and ammunition are "under lock and key" when they're not being used, and inspect the firearms before and after each scene with their use.
That person, he said, is also supposed to hold multiple daily safety briefings - regardless of whether any guns are actually fired on set on that particular day.
"That person should be a professional who is both educated enough and technically skilled enough to handle those particular firearms that are being used on that particular production," Zanoff said. "Guns are supposed to be inspected before and after each and every use."
Prop guns are often capable of firing live ammunition, but only blank cartridges are supposed to be used on set. The difference, Zanoff said, is the projectile. Live ammunition is designed to kill or injure, including a piece of metal that's supposed to speed out of the gun upon firing. Blanks might have a piece of paper or cotton instead of metal. So while a blank may have gunpowder, igniting the gunpowder won't shoot a hard object out of the gun itself.
That doesn't mean that a blank can't still hurt someone. Igniting the gunpowder could still cause burns and other injuries, and industry standards require that the cast and crew be 20 feet away if a blank is being fired, Zanoff said.
"If you put something with a blank very close to your skin, clearly you'd get burned. There is an explosion," Zanoff said. "It's supposed to be simulated gunfire. So in order to look correct, you're going to get a muzzle flash."
Following Hutchins's death, will industry standards change? Zanoff said it's too soon to tell, but the existing guidelines are very strong already, and he thinks it's likely they weren't properly followed on the set of "Rust."
"The majority of productions go day in, day out, and manage to replicate gunfire multiple, multiple times a day in a very safe and controlled way," Zanoff said. "I don't know that there's anything more stringent that can be done as far as the safety protocol goes. It's more a question of whether or not the safety protocols were followed."
Weapons
With over 15,000 live firearms in our inventory, ISS offers the most comprehensive selection of weapons in the business.
issprops.com
Preview - Independent Studio Services - Hollywood Guns
We take a trip to Independent Studio Services and see where Hollywood filmmakers get their guns. - RECOIL Magazine
Damon Casarez — Hollywood and Guns
A story on the relationship between gun manufacturers and Hollywood.
www.damoncasarez.com
IATSE Local 44, a union representing prop masters, told its members in an email that a live round was used in Baldwin's gun, although none of its members were on the movie's call sheet, Indiewire reported. A representative for the sheriff's office told Insider that an armorer was on set and that the office was investigating "how and what type of projectile was discharged."
If the gun had live ammunition, it would be a major violation of set safety guidelines, according to Larry Zanoff, a prop weapons manager at Independent Studio Services.
"The television and motion picture industry uses blanks," Zanoff told Insider. "There's no place for live ammunition on a television or movie set."
Using blanks instead of live ammunition can still cause injuries
Zanoff, a former gunsmith, now works to safely equip actors with guns on movie and TV sets. He has nearly 60 credits to his name on IMDb, ranging from "Captain America: Civil War" to "Westworld."He said that every set is supposed to have a designated person to oversee firearm use on set, make sure all guns and ammunition are "under lock and key" when they're not being used, and inspect the firearms before and after each scene with their use.
That person, he said, is also supposed to hold multiple daily safety briefings - regardless of whether any guns are actually fired on set on that particular day.
"That person should be a professional who is both educated enough and technically skilled enough to handle those particular firearms that are being used on that particular production," Zanoff said. "Guns are supposed to be inspected before and after each and every use."
Prop guns are often capable of firing live ammunition, but only blank cartridges are supposed to be used on set. The difference, Zanoff said, is the projectile. Live ammunition is designed to kill or injure, including a piece of metal that's supposed to speed out of the gun upon firing. Blanks might have a piece of paper or cotton instead of metal. So while a blank may have gunpowder, igniting the gunpowder won't shoot a hard object out of the gun itself.
That doesn't mean that a blank can't still hurt someone. Igniting the gunpowder could still cause burns and other injuries, and industry standards require that the cast and crew be 20 feet away if a blank is being fired, Zanoff said.
"If you put something with a blank very close to your skin, clearly you'd get burned. There is an explosion," Zanoff said. "It's supposed to be simulated gunfire. So in order to look correct, you're going to get a muzzle flash."
Following Hutchins's death, will industry standards change? Zanoff said it's too soon to tell, but the existing guidelines are very strong already, and he thinks it's likely they weren't properly followed on the set of "Rust."
"The majority of productions go day in, day out, and manage to replicate gunfire multiple, multiple times a day in a very safe and controlled way," Zanoff said. "I don't know that there's anything more stringent that can be done as far as the safety protocol goes. It's more a question of whether or not the safety protocols were followed."
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And if you follow “Guns and Gadgets” on YouTube, he’s reporting that things were not done properly and that negligence was possibly the cause.
I don’t want to be argumentative, but I still cannot see how blanks cause injury sufficient to kill someone, unless you fire the weapon at point blank range at someone, and even then I think death would be the extreme outcome.
As we saw with Jason Lee, and possibly here, other things had to happen. A squib round is lodged in the barrel, or a live round is loaded by “accident” or something else other than a properly loaded blank round was fired.
Pitdogg2
Professional
He and many other actors who mainly make pow pow movies are very anti-gun. Daniel Craig is another. Why they make movies that glorifies gun violence if they're anti-gun is beyond me.
I call them hypocrites! Just like some of our glorious leaders who are anti 2nd amendment yet stand behind a multitude of people who carry firearms to protect them.
C. Sumpin
Custom
We can slice it and dice it many ways and sure, lots of detail to verify but the question is: Who/how many failed safety protocol and will they be held accountable? Was not the Brandon Lee tragedy enough to ensure it never happened again? Out here in everyday life, a death from a careless/"accident" from a firearm often carries consequences.Prop guns in the industry is a generic term that includes everything from a rubber gun all the way to a functioning firearm.
Blanks used for filming are available with three different powered loads depending on what effect is desired. Remember that some of these blanks have to be strong enough to cycle modified firearms. When the industry uses a term like ”live round” they are including blanks. In the industry even a blank loaded gun is “live”. So a paper may not know that a prop master is saying live round, but may mean blank. A bullitin that went out to the union also mentioned a live round, and also noted no union Armorers were on the call sheet for the movie. So nomenclature could mean blank or an actual round who knows, but eventually it will come out. A 556 blank has enough power to launch a full soda can 150-200 yrds. Imaging putting a body part in the line of fire.
Blank firing firearms used in filming are real firearms that can have various degrees of modifications. From plugging barrels, lighter recoil springs, locking cams reduced all to achieve functionality for the camera. Prop houses like the one that Larry Zanoff works at Independent Studio Services has a collection of firearms that you would not believe. ISS is not only an FFL but they are an SOT and Manufacture, Importer and exporter, plus explosive and pyrotechnics licesces. ISS is the company that owns things like the mini guns used in Preditor and Terminator 2, all the way to the Springfields used in the Walking Dead.
In a world of make-believe, Bakersfield man makes you buy into it
Bakersfield’s Larry Zanoff says he spends his days trying to “catch lightning in a bottle.” His job is to create make-believe that we will believe.
Union Armorers and the movie industry safety board have many procedures that are supposed to avoid accidents like this. Including rules that all firearms are checked for barrel obstructions, by the Master and assistant Armorer. Test fired for safety and function. Unloaded after the scene, cleaned and securely stored. Techniques include perspective filming that can make it look like a firearm is pointed at another actor but in reality the firearm is angled away from an actor. Think about it the same way they can film a short actor but make them look tall. Professional Armorers started in the 80’s, after an accident back then. Before that it was the prop masters responsibility. These armorers have to go through a bunch of training and go through an apprenticeship before getting the master designation, just like everything else you have to work your way up.
Why not use digital effects vs practical effects. Sometimes it could be as simple of an answer as cost, practical will be cheaper than digital and look better. Plus practical is faster than digital, you capture the “gunshots” on camera instead of sending it off to post processing.
It has now been reported that some of the crew walked off the set about 20-30 min before the accident because of on set conditions. What that was who knows, but it will eventually come out. Unfortunately this was not the first accident with a firearm on a set. Remember before placing blame just yet, or making light of the situation a person was killed and another mamied. Countless others will forever have their lives changed, by what they witnessed.
This is not the time or place for gloating, or bickering with each other. This is the one warning stay on topic and remember you do not have to answer another members post. You can also stop and count to three before you reply With a cooler head.
If you have any questions let me know, I have some knowledge.
Does your knowledge include if some/any involved had a "waiver" against accident/injury/death?
BreakingWind
Master Class
Have read a few comments where individuals are wondering why the gun was pointed at the film crew. In an article I read, when doing a scene, it is usually shot from different angles and then sorted out on the cutting room floor to which shot is used. One of those angles is head on with the shooter facing the camera. That is the shot where this happened. It said the producer handed Alex a gun and shouted "cold gun" meaning loaded with blanks. Unfortunately, it was a live round. It was 1 of 3 guns placed on a cart by the armorer. The armorer was inexperienced and as a matter of fact she stated that this is only the 2nd movie that she has been the armorer. The one movie she did in that position before, she said she almost did not do the film because she didn't think she was ready. The article surmised that the most likely scenario was that there was something in the barrel and when fired the blank round fired it out of the barrel meaning that armorer did not likely load a live load but did not check to ensure the barrel was clear. In one of the incidents of the recent deaths (not sure if it was Brandon Lee or another one), the gun was used prior to that with altered live rounds where the bullet was removed from the shell and most of the gun powder was removed and then reassembled. I don't know the purpose of doing that but apparently one of the last shots had so little gun powder that the bullet stuck in the barrel. The armorer did not check to ensure the barrel was cleared, loaded it with blanks for the next scenes and the shot fired the bullet out of the barrel.
As much as I despise Alex Baldwin, I do have to say that he is not culpable, it was handed to him to perform the scene and specifically told it was a cold gun. Just because an actor uses a firearm on the set mean nothing as to whether they are competent or knowledgeable of firearms in the real world so expecting the actors to check the gun before use is wishful thinking.
Karma being a bitch is coming back on him due to a police shooting a suspect outside a 7-11 in 2017 where he tweeted "I wonder how it feels to wrongfully kill someone". Hate it that someone died in this accident but maybe now he will engage his brain before making such statements going forward but I doubt it.
As much as I despise Alex Baldwin, I do have to say that he is not culpable, it was handed to him to perform the scene and specifically told it was a cold gun. Just because an actor uses a firearm on the set mean nothing as to whether they are competent or knowledgeable of firearms in the real world so expecting the actors to check the gun before use is wishful thinking.
Karma being a bitch is coming back on him due to a police shooting a suspect outside a 7-11 in 2017 where he tweeted "I wonder how it feels to wrongfully kill someone". Hate it that someone died in this accident but maybe now he will engage his brain before making such statements going forward but I doubt it.
Bassbob
Emissary
Yeah, she is the daughter of Thell Reed, an armorer of some reputation. A real charmer.
www.dailymail.co.uk
'I wasn't sure if I was ready': Doubts of 24-year-old head armorer
Filming for Rust, a Western set in 1880's Kansas which stars Alec Baldwin, was only the second time Gutierrez-Reed had lead a production's firearms department.
Yeah, she is the daughter of Thell Reed, an armorer of some reputation. A real charmer.
View attachment 21523'I wasn't sure if I was ready': Doubts of 24-year-old head armorer
Filming for Rust, a Western set in 1880's Kansas which stars Alec Baldwin, was only the second time Gutierrez-Reed had lead a production's firearms department.
More reports are out that the Assistant director grabbed the gun and without checking yelled cold gun. Not the Armorer. So yes she may be young but it is being reported that she was not the one who declared the state of the firearm or handed the firearm over to other people. And I am twice her age a post way dumber stuff....Just saying. Also that podcast where she said she was unsure of herself. Imagine working up the ranks of a male dominated industry and you get a ticket to the big show. You are now the head of the department, almost anyone would be nervous and unsure. Even big name directors have said that the fist time they were the head honcho they were also nervous and unsure how they would ever get the project finished. There is more to this story, and someone did a job they were not supposed to do. At least one assistant Director did not follow safety protocols, and actually overrode safety protocols.
Old_Me
SAINT
hopefully, those that ultimately are found to be responsible, will be kicked out of the union and blackballed from the industry, at least here in the states.
let them go over the pond to England or Australia or New Zealand for a movie industry job.
Oh my, just the type I want to bring home to meet Mom. What a catch!Yeah, she is the daughter of Thell Reed, an armorer of some reputation. A real charmer.
View attachment 21523'I wasn't sure if I was ready': Doubts of 24-year-old head armorer
Filming for Rust, a Western set in 1880's Kansas which stars Alec Baldwin, was only the second time Gutierrez-Reed had lead a production's firearms department.
Annihilator
Emissary
Alec Baldwin’s shooting accident likened to Jon-Erik Hexum, Brandon Lee’s deaths
https://www.foxnews.com/entertainme...g-accident-brandon-lee-jon-erik-hexum-tragedy
Explore the Fox News apps that are right for you at http://www.foxnews.com/apps-products/index.html.
https://www.foxnews.com/entertainme...g-accident-brandon-lee-jon-erik-hexum-tragedy
Explore the Fox News apps that are right for you at http://www.foxnews.com/apps-products/index.html.
Old_Me
SAINT
i recall the Jon-Erik shooting.
seems if i recall correctly, it was reported, that he went on to say, just before he started to pull the trigger....... "let's see if there's one for me".....then BANG...
i thought originally it was Peter Duel of the old tv show, "Alias Smith and Jones", but he was battling alcoholism and shot himself, with his own gun.
i could not recall the name, Jon-Eric.
yup, i found what he had said, close to what i recall too..
"But at the time of the incident, detective Gary Fullerton said Hexum loaded three empty cartridges and two gunpowder-filled blanks into a high-powered handgun before he allegedly said, "Let’s see if I’ve got one for me," The New York Times reported.
Some damning reporting from the LA Times It sounds like there was a toxic work environment on set. This was the third Accidental discharge on set. No one has reported if the Armor was even on set, and could have been the reason the wrong person was handling the firearms. Real shady things going on whit this production.
Hours before actor Alec Baldwin fatally shot a cinematographer on the New Mexico set of “Rust” with a prop gun, a half-dozen camera crew workers walked off the set to protest working conditions.
The camera operators and their assistants were frustrated by the conditions surrounding the low-budget film, including complaints about long hours, long commutes and waiting for their paychecks, according to three people familiar with the matter who were not authorized to comment.
Safety protocols standard in the industry, including gun inspections, were not strictly followed on the “Rust” set near Santa Fe, the sources said. They said at least one of the camera operators complained last weekend to a production manager about gun safety on the set.
Three crew members who were present at the Bonanza Creek Ranch set on Saturday said they were particularly concerned about two accidental prop gun discharges.
Baldwin’s stunt double accidentally fired two rounds Saturday after being told that the gun was “cold” — lingo for a weapon that doesn’t have any ammunition, including blanks — two crew members who witnessed the episode told the Los Angeles Times.
“There should have been an investigation into what happened,” a crew member said. “There were no safety meetings. There was no assurance that it wouldn’t happen again. All they wanted to do was rush, rush, rush.”
A colleague was so alarmed by the prop gun misfires that he sent a text message to the unit production manager. “We’ve now had 3 accidental discharges. This is super unsafe,” according to a copy of the message reviewed by The Times.
“The safety of our cast and crew is the top priority of Rust Productions and everyone associated with the company, " Rust Movie Productions said in a statement. “Though we were not made aware of any official complaints concerning weapon or prop safety on set, we will be conducting an internal review of our procedures while production is shut down. We will continue to cooperate with the Santa Fe authorities in their investigation and offer mental health services to the cast and crew during this tragic time.”
The tragedy occurred Thursday afternoon during filming of a gunfight that began in a church that is part of the old Western town at the ranch. Baldwin’s character was supposed to back out of the church, according to production notes obtained by The Times. It was the 12th day of a 21-day shoot.
Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was huddled around a monitor lining up her next camera shot when she was accidentally killed by the prop gun fired by Baldwin.
The actor was preparing to film a scene in which he pulls a gun out of a holster, according to a source close to the production. Crew members had already shouted “cold gun” on the set. The filmmaking team was lining up its camera angles and had yet to retreat to the video village, an on-set area where the crew gathers to watch filming from a distance via a monitor.
Instead, the B-camera operator was on a dolly with a monitor, checking out the potential shots. Hutchins was also looking at the monitor from over the operator’s shoulder, as was the movie’s director, Joel Souza, who was crouching just behind her.
Baldwin removed the gun from its holster once without incident, but the second time he did so, ammunition flew toward the trio around the monitor. The projectile whizzed by the camera operator but penetrated Hutchins near her shoulder, then continued through to Souza. Hutchins immediately fell to the ground as crew members applied pressure to her wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding.
Late Friday, the Associated Press reported that Baldwin was handed a loaded weapon by an assistant director who indicated it was safe to use in the moments before the actor fired it, according to court records. The assistant director did not know the prop gun was loaded with live rounds, according to a search warrant filed in a Santa Fe County court.
The person in charge of overseeing the gun props, known as the armorer, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, could not be reached for comment. The 24-year-old is the daughter of veteran armorer Thell Reed and had recently completed her first film as the head armorer for the movie “The Old Way,” with Clint Howard and Nicolas Cage.
Earlier in the day, the camera crew arrived as expected at 6:30 a.m. and began gathering their gear and personal belongings to leave, one knowledgeable crew member told The Times.
Labor trouble had been brewing for days on the dusty set at the Bonanza Creek Ranch near Santa Fe.
Shooting began on Oct. 6 and members of the low-budget film said they had been promised the production would pay for their hotel rooms in Santa Fe.
But after filming began, the crews were told they instead would be required to make the 50-mile drive from Albuquerque each day, rather than stay overnight in nearby Santa Fe. That rankled crew members who worried that they might have an accident after spending 12 to 13 hours on the set.
Hutchins had been advocating for safer conditions for her team and was tearful when the camera crew left, said one crew member who was on the set.
“She said, ‘I feel like I’m losing my best friends,’” recalled one of the workers.
As the camera crew — members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees — spent about an hour assembling their gear at the Bonanza Creek Ranch, several nonunion crew members showed up to replace them, two of the knowledgeable people said.
One of the producers ordered the union members to leave the set and threatened to call security to remove them if they didn’t leave voluntarily.
“Corners were being cut — and they brought in nonunion people so they could continue shooting,” the knowledgeable person said.
The shooting occurred about six hours after the union camera crew left.
The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were dispatched to the Bonanza Creek Ranch movie set after calls to 911 at 1:50 p.m. Thursday. Baldwin was starring in the movie and was serving as one of the producers.
No charges have been filed, but the Sheriff’s Office said that “witnesses continue to be interviewed by detectives.”
Baldwin said Friday that he was “fully cooperating with the police investigation” into the incident.
“There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother and deeply admired colleague of ours,” Baldwin wrote Friday in a series of tweets.
Hours before actor Alec Baldwin fatally shot a cinematographer on the New Mexico set of “Rust” with a prop gun, a half-dozen camera crew workers walked off the set to protest working conditions.
The camera operators and their assistants were frustrated by the conditions surrounding the low-budget film, including complaints about long hours, long commutes and waiting for their paychecks, according to three people familiar with the matter who were not authorized to comment.
Safety protocols standard in the industry, including gun inspections, were not strictly followed on the “Rust” set near Santa Fe, the sources said. They said at least one of the camera operators complained last weekend to a production manager about gun safety on the set.
Three crew members who were present at the Bonanza Creek Ranch set on Saturday said they were particularly concerned about two accidental prop gun discharges.
Baldwin’s stunt double accidentally fired two rounds Saturday after being told that the gun was “cold” — lingo for a weapon that doesn’t have any ammunition, including blanks — two crew members who witnessed the episode told the Los Angeles Times.
“There should have been an investigation into what happened,” a crew member said. “There were no safety meetings. There was no assurance that it wouldn’t happen again. All they wanted to do was rush, rush, rush.”
A colleague was so alarmed by the prop gun misfires that he sent a text message to the unit production manager. “We’ve now had 3 accidental discharges. This is super unsafe,” according to a copy of the message reviewed by The Times.
“The safety of our cast and crew is the top priority of Rust Productions and everyone associated with the company, " Rust Movie Productions said in a statement. “Though we were not made aware of any official complaints concerning weapon or prop safety on set, we will be conducting an internal review of our procedures while production is shut down. We will continue to cooperate with the Santa Fe authorities in their investigation and offer mental health services to the cast and crew during this tragic time.”
The tragedy occurred Thursday afternoon during filming of a gunfight that began in a church that is part of the old Western town at the ranch. Baldwin’s character was supposed to back out of the church, according to production notes obtained by The Times. It was the 12th day of a 21-day shoot.
Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was huddled around a monitor lining up her next camera shot when she was accidentally killed by the prop gun fired by Baldwin.
The actor was preparing to film a scene in which he pulls a gun out of a holster, according to a source close to the production. Crew members had already shouted “cold gun” on the set. The filmmaking team was lining up its camera angles and had yet to retreat to the video village, an on-set area where the crew gathers to watch filming from a distance via a monitor.
Instead, the B-camera operator was on a dolly with a monitor, checking out the potential shots. Hutchins was also looking at the monitor from over the operator’s shoulder, as was the movie’s director, Joel Souza, who was crouching just behind her.
Baldwin removed the gun from its holster once without incident, but the second time he did so, ammunition flew toward the trio around the monitor. The projectile whizzed by the camera operator but penetrated Hutchins near her shoulder, then continued through to Souza. Hutchins immediately fell to the ground as crew members applied pressure to her wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding.
Late Friday, the Associated Press reported that Baldwin was handed a loaded weapon by an assistant director who indicated it was safe to use in the moments before the actor fired it, according to court records. The assistant director did not know the prop gun was loaded with live rounds, according to a search warrant filed in a Santa Fe County court.
The person in charge of overseeing the gun props, known as the armorer, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, could not be reached for comment. The 24-year-old is the daughter of veteran armorer Thell Reed and had recently completed her first film as the head armorer for the movie “The Old Way,” with Clint Howard and Nicolas Cage.
Earlier in the day, the camera crew arrived as expected at 6:30 a.m. and began gathering their gear and personal belongings to leave, one knowledgeable crew member told The Times.
Labor trouble had been brewing for days on the dusty set at the Bonanza Creek Ranch near Santa Fe.
Shooting began on Oct. 6 and members of the low-budget film said they had been promised the production would pay for their hotel rooms in Santa Fe.
But after filming began, the crews were told they instead would be required to make the 50-mile drive from Albuquerque each day, rather than stay overnight in nearby Santa Fe. That rankled crew members who worried that they might have an accident after spending 12 to 13 hours on the set.
Hutchins had been advocating for safer conditions for her team and was tearful when the camera crew left, said one crew member who was on the set.
“She said, ‘I feel like I’m losing my best friends,’” recalled one of the workers.
As the camera crew — members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees — spent about an hour assembling their gear at the Bonanza Creek Ranch, several nonunion crew members showed up to replace them, two of the knowledgeable people said.
One of the producers ordered the union members to leave the set and threatened to call security to remove them if they didn’t leave voluntarily.
“Corners were being cut — and they brought in nonunion people so they could continue shooting,” the knowledgeable person said.
The shooting occurred about six hours after the union camera crew left.
The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were dispatched to the Bonanza Creek Ranch movie set after calls to 911 at 1:50 p.m. Thursday. Baldwin was starring in the movie and was serving as one of the producers.
No charges have been filed, but the Sheriff’s Office said that “witnesses continue to be interviewed by detectives.”
Baldwin said Friday that he was “fully cooperating with the police investigation” into the incident.
“There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother and deeply admired colleague of ours,” Baldwin wrote Friday in a series of tweets.
Old_Me
SAINT
i can say this about the crew..in my state, there is a film crew, and they are making Hocus-Pocus 2 i believe.
and the crew as it was reported, are ticked off, they only get 10 hours off, each day, rather than say work maybe 8 to 10 hours. this makes for a very long workday, just ask any truck driver or former one, like me..to work "up to 16 hours a day and then a couple of extra, you cannot even log legally, and you are into the upper 70 hours per week of working.
i can "see" and understand the rank and file being ticked off at the hours and conditions working.
Looming movie-worker strike could affect RI filming of 'Hocus Pocus 2'
The vote this weekend would authorize union leaders to call a strike if their contract demands are not met, but not actually start a strike.
www.providencejournal.com
According to the website, some of the issues that union leaders are looking to solve are:
- Excessively unsafe and harmful working hours
- Low wages
- Inadequate break time
Damn, makes me wonder if the Armor was even there on set?
www.dailymail.co.uk
Rust assistant director Dave Halls blasted over 'gun safety lapses'
Rust assistant director Dave Halls, who had handed Alec Baldwin the loaded gun, was accused of ignoring weapon protocols on previous sets and being touchy with crew members
Old_Me
SAINT
just like many states have an Inspector General, to control costs, and other things, maybe Hollywood needs an overseer as well..Damn, makes me wonder if the Armor was even there on set?
Rust assistant director Dave Halls blasted over 'gun safety lapses'
Rust assistant director Dave Halls, who had handed Alec Baldwin the loaded gun, was accused of ignoring weapon protocols on previous sets and being touchy with crew members
Keystone19250
SAINT
So many things went wrong on this that you can bet there will be charges if not multiple charges brought by prosecutors. The death of one person is to many and to have it happen so many times is reprehensible. Yes accidents happen but I’ve read everything written on this thread and also been following different media outlets and everything I’ve read says MULTIPLE people raised red flags on what was happening during the filming of this movie. The name of this thread should be changed to
“THE PATHETIC”
FUBAR.
“THE PATHETIC”
FUBAR.