Alec Baldwin Accidentally Kills Cinematographer on Set of New Movie (2 Viewers)

[saint-58]

If we're talkin' about a live round, then we're not talking about a PROP gun. That was the real deal.

Taken from an LA Times article-

“As many of us have already heard, there was an accidental weapons discharge on a production titled Rust being filmed in New Mexico,” said the North Hollywood-based local. “A live single round was accidentally fired on set by the principal actor, hitting both the Director of Photography, Local 600 member Halyna Hutchins, and Director Joel Souza. Both were rushed to the hospital,” the email said.

A source close to union said Local 44 does not know what projectile was in the gun and clarified that “live” is an industry term that refers to a gun being loaded with some material such as a blank ready for filming.

'Rust' crew describes on-set gun safety issues and misfires days before fatal shooting

At least one of the camera operators complained last weekend to production managers about gun safety on the set.

www.latimes.com

 

[DaveXA]

Taken from an LA Times article-

“As many of us have already heard, there was an accidental weapons discharge on a production titled Rust being filmed in New Mexico,” said the North Hollywood-based local. “A live single round was accidentally fired on set by the principal actor, hitting both the Director of Photography, Local 600 member Halyna Hutchins, and Director Joel Souza. Both were rushed to the hospital,” the email said.

A source close to union said Local 44 does not know what projectile was in the gun and clarified that “live” is an industry term that refers to a gun being loaded with some material such as a blank ready for filming.

'Rust' crew describes on-set gun safety issues and misfires days before fatal shooting

At least one of the camera operators complained last weekend to production managers about gun safety on the set.

www.latimes.com

It shouldn't take long to figure out exactly what type of gun and projectile it was. The question then becomes who was responsible for the gun. I guess we'll find out after the investigation is done.

 

[Mr. Blue Sky]

If we're talkin' about a live round, then we're not talking about a PROP gun. That was the real deal.

By definition , if it’s on set and being used in a scene, then it’s a prop gun.. just like if someone hands you a pencil to use in a scene, it becomes a prop pencil… Not talking about ‘fake‘ versus ’real’ , just what is considered a prop.

 

[DaveXA]

By definition , if it’s on set and being used in a scene, then it’s a prop gun.. just like if someone hands you a pencil to use in a scene, it becomes a prop pencil… Not talking about ‘fake‘ versus ’real’ , just what is considered a prop.

True. I guess most people think all prop guns are fake guns.

 

[HoustonSaint68]

It shouldn't take long to figure out exactly what type of gun and projectile it was. The question then becomes who was responsible for the gun. I guess we'll find out after the investigation is done.

If it turns out to be one person, that would be shocking and inexcusable to me. At minimum, there should be a second human confirmation of the safety of the prop.

 

[El Caliente]

Any word from the family of the victims?

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

Sounds like the set was a mess even before this happened:

'Rust' crew describes on-set gun safety issues and misfires days before fatal shooting

At least one of the camera operators complained last weekend to production managers about gun safety on the set.

www.latimes.com

And just like that it becomes an Elmore Leonard novel
This is going to be bad
People are going to jail, the production company is going to be sued plenty, but it will probably declare bankruptcy in the next few days

And this happens during the IATSE negotiations-ugh

 

[Mr. Blue Sky]

And just like that it becomes an Elmore Leonard novel
This is going to be bad
People are going to jail, the production company is going to be sued plenty, but it will probably declare bankruptcy in the next few days

And this happens during the IATSE negotiations-ugh

This might be inappropriate to say, and i dont mean it that way- but this incident illustrates what the union has been fighting for- better working conditions, longer turnaround times, more breaks , etc.. one of the points a friend of mine made, who works as a grip in the industry, is that you’re working people 14, 16 hr days or longer, then not giving them enough time to rest, and they are literally a danger on the road going home.. to be sure, the film industry has always required long hours, but generally unions have required, i believe a 12 hr turnaround time- which is why by the time Friday rolls around, you’re usually arriving to set late afternoon and working thru the night.. now i think things are different , but i think the differences have to do with streaming, and working on a Netflix project or something- so those changes may not apply to this movie, which i think was supposed to be a major motion picture.. my point is that, this incident, while tragic, will hopefully help the union achieve better working conditions.

 

[Eeyore]

Was this just as simple as a gun that had a real round(s) fired through it, and not cleaned?

Anything in the barrel will be dangerous.

 

[HoustonSaint68]

And just like that it becomes an Elmore Leonard novel
This is going to be bad
People are going to jail, the production company is going to be sued plenty, but it will probably declare bankruptcy in the next few days

And this happens during the IATSE negotiations-ugh

“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,” said the crew member. “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 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.”

Wow, if that's accurate.

 

[DaveXA]

“ 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,” said the crew member. “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 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.”

Wow, if that’s accurate.

Yikes, that's crazy. If that's all true, RIP to whoever's money is bankrolling that show.

 

[zeetes]

charlie sheen sustained serious injuries from a blank that was improperly stored. it went all squib on him while filming no man's land in the '80s. forking awesome movie though.

 

[Snakehead]

Is it normal for an actor to point/shoot a "prop gun" at a cinematographer?

 

[Maxp]

Is it normal for an actor to point/shoot a "prop gun" at a cinematographer?

I would think so if the cinematographer is filming the actor's face in the scene.

 

[Snakehead]

I would think so if the cinematographer is filming the actor's face in the scene.

Okay, which could be more likely with this being an independent film. I thought they were in charge of the camera crew, not actually filming it themselves.