Alec Baldwin fired prop gun, killing 1 on movie set, Oct 2021 #2

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shotgun09 said:
IF I was 'pretending' , and holding, pointing and accidentally fired a gun killing someone, but I stated to LE that my friend gave me the gun, and he/she said it was not loaded..and I really believed and trusted in my friend....would that hold water? Would that statement in the real world absolve me of any charges? Or would I be charged with at the least, negligence?
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If I were on a movie set, and I was the actor who was going to fire a weapon in a scene, I would totally trust the armorer who is (supposedly and hopefully) fully trained and qualified to be the armorer. Period.
I wouldn't have the same trust in anyone if I were given a weapon, told it wasn't loaded, and told to fire at someone. Nope. Never. WRT LE's impression and action -- I'm almost positive I and the one who gave me the weapon and the promise, would both be handcuffed and taken to the LE headquarters. Period. JMO.
 
jjenny said:
No clue. She should have been fired after first two un-planned gun discharges, not praised, as far as I am concerned.
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It's pretty hard to fire people on the spot: if they have contracts there has to be a discipline process, lawyers to draw up the severance agreement etc. And then, who was going to step in to do her job?

Basically then, they should have shut the film down, cancelled their remaining time on the ranch, and everyone gone home for career counselling and look for another, less stressful line of work.

Then maybe AB should have paid everyone off for their time and trouble, and gone into retirement and take up a harmless hobby.

And the industry should just stop making low budget films and the movie theatres could just screen classic Westerns over and over again.

JMO
 
Satchie said:
It's pretty hard to fire people on the spot: if they have contracts there has to be a discipline process, lawyers to draw up the severance agreement etc. And then, who was going to step in to do her job?

Basically then, they should have shut the film down, cancelled their remaining time on the ranch, and everyone gone home for career counselling and look for another, less stressful line of work.

Then maybe AB should have paid everyone off for their time and trouble, and gone into retirement and take up a harmless hobby.

And the industry should just stop making low budget films and the movie theatres could just screen classic Westerns over and over again.

JMO
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Between her being a novice and Hall being fired for unsafe practices I’m curious why this wasn’t taken into consideration.
 
Satchie said:
It's pretty hard to fire people on the spot: if they have contracts there has to be a discipline process, lawyers to draw up the severance agreement etc. And then, who was going to step in to do her job?

Basically then, they should have shut the film down, cancelled their remaining time on the ranch, and everyone gone home for career counselling and look for another, less stressful line of work.

Then maybe AB should have paid everyone off for their time and trouble, and gone into retirement and take up a harmless hobby.

And the industry should just stop making low budget films and the movie theatres could just screen classic Westerns over and over again.

JMO
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IMO but going by people I know who work in film production, crew are fired frequently for much smaller infractions or more vague things like not being a good fit. They are replaced almost immediately. She was non-union as I understand it. I'm not sure there would have been any kind of disciplinary process. They're essentially contractors. But again IMO
 
Luna20 said:
Between her being a novice and Hall being fired for unsafe practices I’m curious why this wasn’t taken into consideration.
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I think the test would be, how often are film shoots similarly chaotic and yet nothing bad happens, the film is completed, everyone gets the money they're after. I suspect it's pretty common. Snafu...
 
PrairieWind said:
I don't see any criminal liability for AB here. And I think we would still need to know more about exactly what happened to see if anyone else might be criminally liable. Was there some criminal negligence? Still need to know more. How did live rounds get into this gun? But on a civil liability side, there is going to be a lot of blame to go around for sure.
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I'm jumping ahead a bit so apologies if this has already been addressed...

IMO it's unclear as to where the armorer was during the shooting. Obviously the Assistant Director (Halls) was there and called "cold gun" but where was Ms. Gutierrez-Reed while he was doing so?

The affidavit doesn't explain either. Was she outside with the cart? Did she see Halls take the gun from the cart?

As a non-lawyer my guess is the AD and armorer will be the focus of any criminal charges and also civil suits. IMO the production company (which includes AB) will also be named in any civil suits. JMO though.
‘Rust’: Released Affidavit Reveals Details About Fatal Shooting – Read It – Deadline

Does anyone know if crew members normally carry insurance? Seems like it would be required but I can't find a definite answer so far.
 
RANCH said:
They were rehearsing so blanks were not necessary.
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<modsnip>

@MsMarple - I think you're right about the criminal charges. I think there will also be civil suits (and not just from the decedent's family).

The various "production companies" either go back to other Alec Baldwin/Mel Gibson vanity projects or are tiny little companies that were hoping to get a bit more clout by helping sponsor this film (they've done really minor independent things, documentaries, etc). Thomasville or whatever it's called seems to be the biggest production company (I'm tempted to sign up for IMDBPro just to find out).

I think most people who work on movies believe they are insured by the production company (and I bet Alec Baldwin has some kind of personal umbrella policy - the question is, who will sue and for what?)
 
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Ian A. Hudson, a New Mexico-based principal cast member who plays an outlaw in the film, tells TMZ ... his last scene in the movie on October 8 was a shootout where he was killed, and he says he was terrified that there were 20 rounds from pistols and rifles that were unloading blanks, and the only protection against a mishap was some sort of shield around the camera.

Hudson describes what he says was something like a 3X2 foot shield, with the only part exposed being the lens. He was standing 6 feet in front of the camera, and wondered why there was a need to protect the camera as he stood there exposed. He adds there were people standing behind the camera, something gun experts say should not have happened.

Hudson says he felt the scene was "life-threatening," because real weapons were being pointed at him and blanks discharged, creating a rush of air that struck him multiple times. He also said he was hit by small pieces of cardboard.

The actor told us he didn't complain because he was new in the business and felt he would be viewed as trouble if he voiced concern.

Alec Baldwin 'Rust' Actor Says Camera Was Protected During Shooting, Not Actors
 
The American Film Institute has created a scholarship in honor of Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer who died on the set of Rust when Alec Baldwin discharged a prop gun.


MOVIES
Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who was fatally shot by a prop gun, was a rising star

"As is profoundly true in the art of cinematography, words alone cannot capture the loss of one so dear to the AFI community," the nonprofit said in announcing the initiative. "At AFI, we pledge to see that Halyna Hutchins will live on in the spirit of all who strive to see their dreams realized in stories well told."

The scholarship is for the AFI Conservatory, a prestigious film school in Los Angeles. The Ukraine-born cinematographer graduated from AFI Conservatory after completing UCLA's Professional Producing program, according to Variety.

Top film school honors Halyna Hutchins with a scholarship for female cinematographers
 
MsMarple said:
I'm jumping ahead a bit so apologies if this has already been addressed...

IMO it's unclear as to where the armorer was during the shooting. Obviously the Assistant Director (Halls) was there and called "cold gun" but where was Ms. Gutierrez-Reed while he was doing so?

The affidavit doesn't explain either. Was she outside with the cart? Did she see Halls take the gun from the cart?

As a non-lawyer my guess is the AD and armorer will be the focus of any criminal charges and also civil suits. IMO the production company (which includes AB) will also be named in any civil suits. JMO though.
‘Rust’: Released Affidavit Reveals Details About Fatal Shooting – Read It – Deadline

Does anyone know if crew members normally carry insurance? Seems like it would be required but I can't find a definite answer so far.
Click to expand...

I don’t know the answer to your question but it prompted another thought. If there was supposed to be no amo on the set who will be held responsible for it being there? Will the people who played around with the target shots be accountable also (if they were aware of no amo)?
 
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