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

[Lux et Veritas]

A petition to ban the use of real firearms on film sets circulates after 'Rust' tragedy

 

[mickey2942]

I will say, that there has been a lot of blaming and conjecture on the "Armorer". We have not heard from her. Or what protocols were in place. Or who dropped the ball.

Nor would I say that a "24 year old woman" cannot be responsible or have the ability to maintain safety. That is by far, the most ridiculous statement. There are 24 year old women who are airline pilots, civil engineers, architects, nurses, training to be doctors, teachers, mothers...

 

[steeltowngirl]

Joel Souza’s account from the affidavit. Also Reid Russell’s account (another cameraman.)

Alec Baldwin Was Rehearsing Pointing Gun at Camera, Affidavit Says

 

[whitelilac]

I agree with every word that gaffer said.

I said it before....at the end of the day the responsible parties are the producers ...hiring a careless rookie armorer who seemingly didn't know what she was doing, totally negligent wrt safety protocols, and then the producers or whoever was in charge not addressing the previous gun incidents, allowing this target practice to go on, storing the ammo with the blanks, etc etc. And the hothead AD didn't help either both wrt the working environment and ignoring safety on the set.

It caused a domino effect, out of control resulting in a tragic death, a family torn apart, and an actor who has to deal with this horror for the rest of his life.

 

[whitelilac]

I will say, that there has been a lot of blaming and conjecture on the "Armorer". We have not heard from her. Or what protocols were in place. Or who dropped the ball.

Nor would I say that a "24 year old woman" cannot be responsible or have the ability to maintain safety. That is by far, the most ridiculous statement. There are 24 year old women who are airline pilots, civil engineers, architects, nurses, training to be doctors, teachers, mothers...

I agree with you here regarding the competency and responsibility of 24 year olds. Ofcourse. Speaking for myself even in my profession and my same aged colleagues back then. But in this case I really have my doubts about THIS 24 year old given the carelessness this armorer exhibited on other sets, and being negligent on this one. The armorer is responsible for the gun safety, that's what she was hired for.

 

[Lux et Veritas]

Peer of 'Rust' gun handler expresses shock: 'I'm surprised any of this happened on her watch'

... On set, she said, she was often judged for her age and gender. Many actors would walk into the prop department and look at Crow instead of her, expecting he was the armorer, she said: “I’d be, like, ‘Don’t look at him. Look at me.’”

“I don’t do anything unless I’m the best at it, really,” Reed said on the podcast, adding that she rides a Harley-Davidson 883 Sportster. “I’m pretty competitive. I hope to grow to the point where I’m pretty much just an untouchable person that has all the knowledge of everything.” ...

Maybe it was this arrogant attitude that lit the fuse that sparked this deadly catastrophe. JMO

 

[WillieMac]

Joel Souza’s account from the affidavit. Also Reid Russell’s account (another cameraman.)

Alec Baldwin Was Rehearsing Pointing Gun at Camera, Affidavit Says

This is an interesting article. One of the comments I found interesting was about the actions of AB was:

Mr. Russell said that Mr. Baldwin had been “very careful” with the firearm; during an earlier scene, Mr. Russell said, Mr. Baldwin had tried to ensure safety on set, making sure that a child wasn’t near him when he was discharging the gun.

This perplexes me though. How could someone that was *so careful* in other instances, now decide to break (what I've read thru previous posts on this thread as being) protocol that no weapon should be pointed at anyone else & that a weapon (*any* weapon) pointed at a camera, should only be done to a camera that was operated remotely, & that there should be barriers in place for staff that was nearby & so many safety protocols in general. ... so how does someome that we're starting to now hear was so safety conscious - decide to point even a cold gun at his respected coworkers and pull the trigger?
I would have much more respect for AB if he just flat out said that he didn't intend to pull the trigger but that the gun "somehow" discharged without his intent, rather than jumping straight to saying that he's never been handed a hot gun before in all his years or that all of this was entirely someone (or many others) fault. I have not large like or dislike for AB specifically- but IMO he is handling this like a rich guy that wants to protect his money & keep himself out of jail. Strictly MOO.

 

[SophieRose]

Who was the "unit production manager" for Rust... anyone know??

(I've been watching some of the legal depositions related to Sarah Jones death in 2014. Time consuming and I can't watch much more but interesting regarding titles and activities within a film crew etc) ETA: The AD in the 2014 movie answered to the unit production manager. The link below explains this UPM title/job (and yes, seems the UPM for Rust could likely be in trouble, too).

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/film-101-what-is-a-production-manager-duties-and-responsibilities-of-a-production-manager#:~:text=A production manager—officially called,-the-line” crew.

Film Crew Members Say The Alec Baldwin Prop Gun Shooting Fits A Pattern Of Safety Shortfalls

Warnings about the production arose in September when Neal Zoromski, a veteran property master, told one of the producers that he had concerns about how and where they were sourcing props and personnel for the film. On Sept. 20, Row Walters, a unit production manager, reached out to Zoromski asking if he would be interested in joining the Tier 1A feature (that classification means it’s a low-budget production), shooting in Santa Fe starting Oct. 6, according to emails obtained by BuzzFeed News. But the low rates, slim staffing, and rushed timeline were red flags, said Zoromski, who has been in the industry since 1989, is a 25-year union member, and has worked on everything from 7th Heaven to The Day After Tomorrow.

“They didn’t seem to be playing it right from the beginning,” he said. “It felt slipshod, and the vibe was that this is a very unsafe situation, and I told them as much.”

 

[Lux et Veritas]

Peer of 'Rust' gun handler expresses shock: 'I'm surprised any of this happened on her watch'

... Reed studied cinematography and film production at Northern Arizona University, graduating in 2020, according to her LinkedIn profile. During college, she worked as a videographer for an electronic music company and made documentary films for the city of Flagstaff, Ariz. ...

When, exactly, did she have time to become an 'expert' armorer? Sounds more like it was a weekend hobby than a burning career goal.

The more I read about her the more alarmed I become. JMO

 

[fred&edna]

Film Crew Members Say The Alec Baldwin Prop Gun Shooting Fits A Pattern Of Safety Shortfalls

Warnings about the production arose in September when Neal Zoromski, a veteran property master, told one of the producers that he had concerns about how and where they were sourcing props and personnel for the film. On Sept. 20, Row Walters, a unit production manager, reached out to Zoromski asking if he would be interested in joining the Tier 1A feature (that classification means it’s a low-budget production), shooting in Santa Fe starting Oct. 6, according to emails obtained by BuzzFeed News. But the low rates, slim staffing, and rushed timeline were red flags, said Zoromski, who has been in the industry since 1989, is a 25-year union member, and has worked on everything from 7th Heaven to The Day After Tomorrow.

“They didn’t seem to be playing it right from the beginning,” he said. “It felt slipshod, and the vibe was that this is a very unsafe situation, and I told them as much.”

Thank you for the info!

 

[LaborDayRN]

Snipped from the article 'Rust' gaffer publicly blames armorer, producers for 'negligence' that led to Halyna Hutchins' death

Svetnoy’s full Facebook post follows below:

My vision of the RUST tragedy

I have received hundreds of calls, text messages, letters with words of support and condolences since the day of the tragedy with Halyna Hutchins, and I’m very grateful to everyone. Yes, I knew Halyna, not for a year. I worked with Her on almost all of her films. Sometimes we’ve shared food and water. We’ve been burning under the sun, freezing in the snow on the shoots. We took care of each other. Yes, I can say with 100% confidence she was my friend.

WAS!!!

I also received many calls from different mass media sources from multiple countries asking to tell what happened; also from numerous institutes and universities for the students to know what needs the most attention.

Yes, I was standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Halyna during this fatal shot that took her life and injured the director Joel Souza. I was holding her in my arms while she was dying. Her blood was on my hands.

I want to tell my opinion on why this has happened. I think I have the right to do it.

It’s the fault of negligence and unprofessionalism.

The negligence from the person who was supposed to check the weapon on the site did not do this; the person who had to announce that the loaded gun was on the site did not do this;

the person who should have checked this weapon before bringing it to the set did not do it.

And the DEATH OF THE HUMAN IS THE RESULT!

I’m sure that we had the professionals in every department, but one - the department that was responsible for the weapons. There is no way a twenty-four-year-old woman can be a professional with armory; there is no way that her more-or-less the same-aged friend from school, neighborhood, Instagram, or God knows where else, can be a professional in this field.

Professionals are the people who have spent years on sets, people who know this job from A to Z; These are the people who have the safety on set at the level of reflexes; they do not need to be told to put the sandbag on a tripod, fix the ladder on the stage, or fence off the explosion site. They have it in their blood.

I’m calling out to the Producers!

We have a fascinating and amazing job, but it’s also dangerous. We film in the mountains, in the open water, underwater. We have explosions, shooting guns, car crashes, electricity after all, and much more.

To save a dime sometimes, you hire people who are not fully qualified for the complicated and dangerous job, and you risk the lives of the other people who are close and your lives as well.

I understand that you always fight for the budget, but you cannot allow this to happen. There should always be at least one professional in each department who knows the job. It is an absolute must to avoid such a tragedy, like the tragedy with Halyna.

I do not wish anyone to go through what I went through, what her husband @matt Hutchins and her son Andros went through, and the actor Alec Baldwin, who has been handed a gun on set. He has to live with the thought that he took the life of the human because of unprofessional people.

Dear Producers, by hiring professionals, you are buying peace of mind for yourself and the people around you. It is true that the professionals can cost a little more and sometimes can be a little bit more demanding, but it is worth it. No saved penny is worth the LIFE of the person!

And finally, dear Producers, please remember that it’s not you who are giving the opportunities to the people you hire make their money; it’s the people you hire who help You make Your money. Remember this!

I also want to thank the camera operator @Ried Russell, who was with us and helped save Halyna. Thank you to the set medic @Cherlyn Schaefer who did everything she could to save Halyna’s life.

We all loved Halyna.

May God Bless her soul.

Rest in Peace.

And God protect Us All.

This is heartbreaking. I could feel the writers immense pain while reading this. Such a needless loss.

 

[everybodhi]

Alot of on the record statements about Halls from people in the industry in this link..

Questions on Baldwin Shooting Turn to Assistant Director

On the issue of overseeing set safety, Mr. Halls has been the subject of complaints from various film professionals for years. The complaints, which largely revolve around his regard for safety protocols and on-set behavior, are fueling questions about the New Mexico production, which was marked by at least two accidental gun discharges just days before the fatal shooting.

“Dave doesn’t always follow the rules,” said Antonia Bogdanovich, a director who worked with Mr. Halls on the crime caper “Phantom Halo.” Ms. Bogdanovich described how tempers had flared on the set after Mr. Halls, who was an assistant director on that film, pressured the crew to work beyond established timetables.

“I’m a film director, and from what I know, there has to be several steps before actors are handed a gun,” Ms. Bogdanovich said. “Dave Halls needed to check if he’s going to tell an actor that it’s a cold gun. He needed to open up the chamber and check.”

Larry Zanoff, an expert in the use of firearms on film sets who worked on the set of “Django Unchained” as an armorer, said that under industry standards, the first assistant director is the lead safety person on set, and commonly inspects a gun to ensure it is unloaded and safe to use.

On “Rust,” as on any film, Mr. Van Sickle said, there should be a direct chain of custody of the gun from the armorer to the actor, which apparently was not the case, according to a sequence described in the affidavit. “So many protocols were clearly missed,” he said.

 

[Gardenista]

Alec Baldwin Was Rehearsing Pointing Gun at Camera, Affidavit Says

While setting up the scene, the crew had to reposition the camera because there was a shadow. Mr. Russell told the detective that Mr. Baldwin was explaining how he was going to draw the gun, pulling it out from the holster, when the firearm discharged.

Mr. Souza, the director, told the detective that because the crew had been setting up the scene when the gun discharged, the incident had not been filmed.

 

[MajorHoople]

Alec Baldwin pointed gun at camera when the weapon fired during rehearsal | Daily Mail Online

"Alec Baldwin was drawing a revolver across his body and pointing it at a camera during rehearsal on the set of 'Rust' when the weapon fired and struck the cinematographer in the chest, according to an affidavit released on Sunday.

The affidavit provided additional details about Thursday's accidental shooting in New Mexico that killed 42-year-old Halyna Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza.

'Joel stated that they had Alec sitting in a pew in a church building setting, and he was practicing a cross draw. Joel said he was looking over the shoulder of (Hutchins), when he heard what sounded like a whip and then loud pop,' the affidavit read.

Hutchins was shot in the chest area, the document said.

'Joel then vaguely remembers (Hutchins) complaining about her stomach and grabbing her midsection. Joel also said (Hutchins) began to stumble backwards and she was assisted to the ground,' the affidavit adds.

Hutchins said she could not feel her legs, Reid Russel, a cameraman who was standing next to her at the time of the shooting, told officials."

 

[Mo Thuairim]

Film Crew Members Say The Alec Baldwin Prop Gun Shooting Fits A Pattern Of Safety Shortfalls

Warnings about the production arose in September when Neal Zoromski, a veteran property master, told one of the producers that he had concerns about how and where they were sourcing props and personnel for the film. On Sept. 20, Row Walters, a unit production manager, reached out to Zoromski asking if he would be interested in joining the Tier 1A feature (that classification means it’s a low-budget production), shooting in Santa Fe starting Oct. 6, according to emails obtained by BuzzFeed News. But the low rates, slim staffing, and rushed timeline were red flags, said Zoromski, who has been in the industry since 1989, is a 25-year union member, and has worked on everything from 7th Heaven to The Day After Tomorrow.

“They didn’t seem to be playing it right from the beginning,” he said. “It felt slipshod, and the vibe was that this is a very unsafe situation, and I told them as much.”

Also from your link (BBM):

In his discussions with Rust producers last month, Zoromski said he inquired about the armorer, since it’s usually the prop master’s job to hire that role, as well as the weapons. According to emails and the call sheet, obtained by BuzzFeed News, the prop master had two assistants, one of whom was also the armorer. It was concerning, he said, that the film chose to combine those two roles into one. It compressed that person’s ability to “check the functioning guns, test them, and prepare them for use.” The call sheet also showed that most of the crew members were nonunion, meaning they were likely paid below the standard wage.

(So many red flags on this production. It seems many industry veterans didn't want to touch it due to penny pinching and corner cutting.)

ETA link: Film Crew Members Say The Alec Baldwin Prop Gun Shooting Fits A Pattern Of Safety Shortfalls

 

[jjenny]

Peer of 'Rust' gun handler expresses shock: 'I'm surprised any of this happened on her watch'

... Reed studied cinematography and film production at Northern Arizona University, graduating in 2020, according to her LinkedIn profile. During college, she worked as a videographer for an electronic music company and made documentary films for the city of Flagstaff, Ariz. ...

When, exactly, did she have time to become an 'expert' armorer? Sounds more like it was a weekend hobby than a burning career goal.

The more I read about her the more alarmed I become. JMO

She was a daughter of an expert armorer. That in itself obviously doesn't make her an expert.

 

[BeachSky]

'Rust' gaffer publicly blames armorer, producers for 'negligence' that led to Halyna Hutchins' death

LATIMES

Chilling.

 

[jjenny]

I will say, that there has been a lot of blaming and conjecture on the "Armorer". We have not heard from her. Or what protocols were in place. Or who dropped the ball.

Nor would I say that a "24 year old woman" cannot be responsible or have the ability to maintain safety. That is by far, the most ridiculous statement. There are 24 year old women who are airline pilots, civil engineers, architects, nurses, training to be doctors, teachers, mothers...

That was her second movie for which she was a head armorer. Before the first movie, she expressed concern that she almost didn't take that job because she didn't think she was actually ready, but then it supposedly went smoothly. I guess nobody was killed during that one. But there is a story how she gave a child actor a gun without checking the barrel was empty during her first movie as a heard armorer.

 

[Kiranerys]

MOO: Someone was probably taking advantage of the young armorer by pressuring her to let them take the vintage revolvers out for some off-set fun. Sounds like she was not appropriately qualified anyway.

Even if this was the case,she at the very least still should have checked the weapons after they were returned. If she knew they had been used with live ammo,wether she had been pressured to agreeing or not,she had a responsibility to check them. She had a responsibility to check them, even if they had not left her sight for a second,every time she brought them on set,that was her job and it makes no difference that she was only 24,or that this was only her second job in charge, that is basic and she should have done it.

 

[steeltowngirl]

BBM. What does the bolded line mean? Were they handling the firearm already while Mr Russell was outside, then it was placed back on the cart?

Mr. Russell told the detective that after returning to the set from lunch, he had stepped outside for about five minutes; when he returned, according to the affidavit, Mr. Baldwin, Ms. Hutchins and Mr. Souza were setting up the scene and were already “in possession of the firearm.” Mr. Russell said he was not sure if the firearm had been inspected because he had been absent for those five minutes.

According to the affidavit, Mr. Halls grabbed the revolver from a gray, two-tiered tray set up by Ms. Gutierrez-Reed. Mr. Halls handed the gun to Mr. Baldwin and shouted, “cold gun,” which on a film set typically refers to an unloaded firearm.

Alec Baldwin Was Rehearsing Pointing Gun at Camera, Affidavit Says