Alec Baldwin Accidentally Kills Cinematographer on Set of New Movie (1 Viewer)

[Mr. Blue Sky]

I have to imagine he was one of those ‘in name only’ producers - like this type of movie only gets green lit if a B/C star is on it and they can’t offer that star a competitive salary so they give producer credentials and points

Maybe.. but ive also read that this film was on the ‘lower-budget’ side, which might help explain some of the cheapness in re to crew accommodations, etc.. and if it was lower budget, it’s possible that Baldwin was credited as a producer becuase he may have helped bankroll it.. that would not be good, from his perspective.. we simply dont know.. but it is somewhat common for big stars to help bankroll, or fully bankroll movies they star in .. first one that comes to mind is Costner, who gave up his salary to increase the budget for Dances with Wolves.. and more recently , he fully bankrolled , to the tune of millions of dollars, the NOLA-shot movie Black and White.. and he’s not the only big star to do that.. just trying to look at all the angles.. in any case, its sad to read, on other forums, people jumping to conclusions that there was some ill intent on the part of Baldwin, like he ‘lost his temper and shot her’ or somehting.. id be extremely surprised if that’s the case, then again we live in the age of conspiracies becoming facts to certain people.

 

[0rion]

are you saying if the stunt was to push someone off a roof and someone forgot to inflate the airbag, it would have been his fault because he pushed.someone off the roof? that's quite silly..

Are you saying of I hand you a gun and tell you it's unloaded and you point it at someone and kill them you bear zero responsibility?

 

[DaveXA]

Are you saying of I hand you a gun and tell you it's unloaded and you point it at someone and kill them you bear zero responsibility?

Not ordinarily, but a Hollywood set is a lot different than being handed a gun at home. I mean, 99% of the time, actors never handle a live gun. I don't know if he bears zero responsibility, but certainly not the same as the armorer who is responsible for those props.

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

Are you saying of I hand you a gun and tell you it's unloaded and you point it at someone and kill them you bear zero responsibility?

Maybe answer his question first

 

[Sun Wukong]

Are you saying of I hand you a gun and tell you it's unloaded and you point it at someone and kill them you bear zero responsibility?

In a situation where there are supposed to be numerous precautions and checks in place to make sure the gun is safe before it gets to you, no, you don't bear responsibility. You are assuming everyone has done their job as required and you're working in a safe environment.

At your house with your buddy, sure, you're culpable.

 

[0rion]

Maybe answer his question first

Thought I did....with a question. Haha I think there's plenty of fault to go around. At the end though if I'm the one pulling a trigger on any gun regardless of the situation I feel the ultimate responsibility lies in my hands.

 

[Dago]

If we are assuming he wasn't one of the shot callers on the film...

If you believe that a person has a responsibility to check a firearm that he or she is handed, then logically a negative event that results from NOT doing so makes the that person responsible.

The circumstances around the event determines how much responsibility he has

While I can't give you an exact percentage, again going off him not being a decision maker and the rumors being reported about unsafe conditions are true, if I was on a jury where he was a defendant for this incident I wouldn't find him guilty in a criminal trial and I wouldn't find him liable for damages in a civil trial

 

[Zack Lee]

Thought I did....with a question. Haha I think there's plenty of fault to go around. At the end though if I'm the one pulling a trigger on any gun regardless of the situation I feel the ultimate responsibility lies in my hands.

you know how many times they might film one scene? I think it’s a safe bet that that responsibility is assumed to a person who isn’t worried about a million other things. There aren’t suppose to be bullets on the set after all ao I would feel a certain confidence passing a gun to someone in charge of it between shoots if they assured me it was still cold each time. I certainly wouldn’t want anyone assuming that the actor was worried about that each time. That seems like a bigger chance of something happening

 

[jayd265]

Thought I did....with a question. Haha I think there's plenty of fault to go around. At the end though if I'm the one pulling a trigger on any gun regardless of the situation I feel the ultimate responsibility lies in my hands.

I agree. Never assume a gun isn’t loaded. Stupid on his part.

 

[Dago]

If this article is correct, then things look worse for Baldwin

Alec Baldwin ignored the No. 1 rule of gun safety: Hollywood weapons expert

Alec Baldwin failed to follow the No. 1 rule of gun safety before the fatal shooting on the set of “Rust,” a Hollywood weapons expert tells The Post.

nypost.com

 

[DaveXA]

If this article is correct, then things look worse for Baldwin

Alec Baldwin ignored the No. 1 rule of gun safety: Hollywood weapons expert

Alec Baldwin failed to follow the No. 1 rule of gun safety before the fatal shooting on the set of “Rust,” a Hollywood weapons expert tells The Post.

nypost.com

While I read a bit of that article, a couple of thoughts. One, Baldwin has been in the movie business forever and I'm sure he knows best practices for using prop weapons on set. The assumption has probably always been that live ammo is prohibited on a set. There's no reason for him to assume otherwise.

Secondly, normally you don't ever point a gun at someone, but these are movies and sometimes to get the best camera action, you want the prop pointed at or in the general direction of the camera. I'm assuming the director/camera operators would be behind the camera, and with all of the lighting and such, the glare would probably make it difficult to see where exactly you're pointing at. So I am skeptical that Baldwin realized exactly where he was pointing.

I have to imagine there's a recording of what happened, so that may be a big part of the investigation also.

 

[Zack Lee]

If this article is correct, then things look worse for Baldwin

Alec Baldwin ignored the No. 1 rule of gun safety: Hollywood weapons expert

Alec Baldwin failed to follow the No. 1 rule of gun safety before the fatal shooting on the set of “Rust,” a Hollywood weapons expert tells The Post.

nypost.com

We have all seen plenty of films where someone points a gun at the camera. It’s a dramatic affect. Are we t believe that camera men were never behind those cameras or other people? It’s possible these days of course but my bet is if you are a director or cinematographer worth a damn, you are gonna be where you can see the perspective of what’s being framed.

 

[Tapxe]

While I read a bit of that article, a couple of thoughts. One, Baldwin has been in the movie business forever and I'm sure he knows best practices for using prop weapons on set. The assumption has probably always been that live ammo is prohibited on a set. There's no reason for him to assume otherwise.

Secondly, normally you don't ever point a gun at someone, but these are movies and sometimes to get the best camera action, you want the prop pointed at or in the general direction of the camera. I'm assuming the director/camera operators would be behind the camera, and with all of the lighting and such, the glare would probably make it difficult to see where exactly you're pointing at. So I am skeptical that Baldwin realized exactly where he was pointing.

I have to imagine there's a recording of what happened, so that may be a big part of the investigation also.

Agreed and we have to remember this is a western. Was he doing a scene with a quick draw or firing from the hip? Either one of those would significantly impact ability to aim properly. For all we know she was standing where she shouldn't and with lights plus a draw to hip shot he had no idea what he was aiming at.

I'm sure all that will come out and we'll know eventually who made what mistakes.

 

[Yatman]

the biggest mistake is also the simplest one to avoid

always assume any gun you're handling is loaded

don't rely others to confirm what is easily confirmed yourself

 

[DaveXA]

Agreed and we have to remember this is a western. Was he doing a scene with a quick draw or firing from the hip? Either one of those would significantly impact ability to aim properly. For all we know she was standing where she shouldn't and with lights plus a draw to hip shot he had no idea what he was aiming at.

I'm sure all that will come out and we'll know eventually who made what mistakes.

Yeah, I was thinking about this being a Western, and possibly him firing while dodging return fire, or running or whatever and that would certainly affect his aim. Of course, what's most likely was that he was aiming in a general direction and this happened.

I'm still stumped as to how live ammo would get past the armorer. This was only her second movie and I just can't imagine she would have live ammo anywhere near the set.

I still wonder if there's foul play involved. Could a disgruntled employee have planted it? Idk. It just seems so weird that this could have happened.