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

[Dotta]

Stephen Baldwin requests 'prayers tonight' after brother Alec Baldwin accidental shooting | Daily Mail Online

 

[SuziQ]

I think this terrible tragedy will be the turning point for the film industry and appropriate laws will be introduced.

I remember watching so called "westerns" as a child, films about Wild West with John Wayne and Gary Cooper - there was a special TV Channel with these old films. I loved them

The plots involved constant shooting - I wonder if there were any accidents on sets back then.

I grew up in LA and remember people always getting hurt on the set. It seemed like it was always a struggle to improve safety on the set. Think about it, wires everywhere, temporary structures, huge hanging lights, large rolling cameras and sound equipment, special effects. I have been on numerous sets and they are very scary. You learn quick to get out of the way. Everything is built to be moved and may not be properly anchored.

I'm thinking we don't hear much about injuries and death at all.

And then there are the stunt people.

 

[whitelilac]

Honestly, I had no idea they used actual ammunition in scenes, blanks or whatever explosives .
I thought gunshot sounds were edited in by the sound crew.
This is a horrible tragedy.

 

[steeltowngirl]

Well, I did have a link with the earlier posts but here’s just the link to the article.

“Rule number one, when you’re doing these rehearsals, the firearm, even though it has blanks, it’s never fired at anybody, the angles are always cheated,” Howell says. “Those angles always look to the viewer as though it’s directed at them, but it isn’t, it’s always aimed off. So, the actors train, train, train, and then when the armorer decides that rehearsal is fine and lets everybody know, then you go ahead. So, it’s very, very controlled—health and safety risk assessments before you get there, and everybody is aware when there are live firearms on the set firing blanks.”

“We never point that barrel at another actor, even if it’s a gun that has a block barrel, it’s just good training,” Hunter added. “If you don’t point a gun at another human, it won’t kill them. You’re never supposed to have live ammunition on the set, but just because there’s no live ammunition does not mean that something can get in the barrel of a gun and become a projectile

What Went Wrong? Gun Prop Experts on Alec Baldwin Disaster

 

[Eloise]

RIP Halyna
What a terrible tragedy!
Cant filmmakers just use rubber/plastic or even paper guns and CGI them later???
There should be a law prohibiting even prop guns.
Human life is at stake.
I cant even imagine what the victim's family goes through right now.

Agreed, there is no reason at this point in time why CGI couldn't be used. Other than the ego of filmmakers who want everything to be more ~realistic~. CGI is now cheap and easy.

How can a prop gun loaded with blanks misfire and kill someone?

FYI 'prop gun' just means it's a prop. It doesn't mean it's not a real gun. 'Props' can be real things.

Being the producer and lead of the film he could have easily been in charge of everything.

Baldwin was the shooter and is also the producer.

'Producer' is a vague term with no clear meaning tbh. Different producers have different roles and tasks. Sometimes it's given as a status symbol, more than anything else. Sometimes it just denotes an actor who has a bit of a say about their own character, for example. It doesn't mean you're in charge of everything on the set.

When an actor receives a producer credit, it usually comes alongside a request for more money. Hopefully, the studio acknowledges that part of the show's success comes from the actor's presence and performance, and they're willing to negotiate a new salary and producer credit.

Sometimes, an actor's producer credit is just "vanity," a concession to keep them happy. But even when the actor earns the credit, it rarely comes tied to actual producing duties or fees. In other words, a producer credit doesn't contractually obligate an actor to fulfill actual duties or receive producing monies… although, like I said, the actor has probably received a raise anyway for his acting duties.

From PRIMETIME: Why Some TV Stars Get "Producer" Credits... and How Important is Life Experience? But you can also just google 'actors with producer credits' and find loads of references to actors' producer credits largely being an ego/money thing. (money as in sometimes they're paid more; sometimes they've provided funding for an indie movie) ACTUAL Producers will have p.g.a after their names, usually (ie they're in the Producers guild; it's their ACTUAL job)

He pulled the trigger.

A LOT is going to come out about this I bet.

He's reportedly devasted and fully cooperating with police.

Here is an article regarding deaths on movie sets. I had no idea there had been so many

I remember the Twilight Zone filming tragedy, where the two young children and actor Vic Morrow were killed by the helicopter. It was absolutely horrifying and hard to believe it could have happened.

Recent Accidents on TV and Movie Sets

Stunt people die, or are horrifically injured, with some frequency. Sometimes you'll barely even hear about it. I know a stunt person died on one of the Hangover movies, for example, and I bet most people don't even know.

How did this happen? It's easy to tell a blank from a live round. Didn't Baldwin bother to check the rounds before shooting? Here is a chart, a blank doesn't have a point on the end. The pointy thing is the projectile.

I don't think you can expect actors to also have any knowledge about guns? That's why movies are supposed to employ people to take care of it. All the actor is supposed to do is pretend to use it.

<modsnip - quoted post removed>
Those are seriously unsafe working conditions. My SO works camera department on films and even the lowest-budget shoots have proper safety meetings and protocols, and provide decent accommodation for crew. Working on film sets is exhausting at the best of times and those reports of some crew sleeping in their cars at basecamp are truly alarming. This sounds like a recipe for a bad accident on set.

Yep, this echoes everything I've been reading... that normal film sets double, triple check everything and have full processes, policies, procedures for handing this kind of thing. And that it can only happen because those policies/procedures likely weren't followed correctly.

But that’s not how it works. An actor is usually handed a prop gun at the last minute. An actor is NOT responsible to discern if it is safe or not.

ya this. 100%. It isn't and shouldn't be an actors responsibility. That's why propmasters, stunt coordinators etc are employed.

 

[SuziQ]

<modsnip - quoted post removed>

My understanding is he was rehearsing a scene. Most likely checking camera angles. Which would explain the cinematographer in the area.

I think it is premature to say he shot the gun for the fun of it, or that his temper got the best of him.

 

[Mo Thuairim]

I didn't know she had kids. Her poor family

Halyna Hutchins was by all accounts a wonderful person and a very gifted cinematographer. She shot a film in Ireland last year during lockdown and was very interested in Irish art and culture so she became quite well known here and was very highly thought of in the Irish film industry. There are so few female cinematographers working on major movies and it's a terrible tragedy her life and career were cut so short. It's all so incredibly sad for her family and everyone who knew her. She was immensely talented.

Baldwin says 'heart is broken' over death on film set

 

[Msskeptic]

I'm not going to stand down range of someone dry firing unless at least two trained people have *checked and verified* that the weapon is not loaded, with anything.

 

[Dotta]

My understanding is he was rehearsing a scene. Most likely checking camera angles. Which would explain the cinematographer in the area.

I think it is premature to say he shot the gun for the fun of it, or that his temper got the best of him.

NEVER ever point a gun at a person!!! Rehearsal or not rehearsal.

 

[glamourkitty1922]

I don't think it's the actors job and most wouldn't know what to look for. That's probably why they have professionals...supposed to anyways.

It may not be their job, but legally and morally, a person is responsible what happens after they pull the trigger. It's easy enough to tell the difference between live and blank/dummy rounds. I think he holds blame as both the person who shot the gun and as producer of the film. mo

 

[glamourkitty1922]

My understanding is he was rehearsing a scene. Most likely checking camera angles. Which would explain the cinematographer in the area.

I think it is premature to say he shot the gun for the fun of it, or that his temper got the best of him.

Well, he did go through court ordered anger management courses a couple of years ago. Which he claimed were not needed. Alec Baldwin Went to Anger Management and Learned That He’s “Not That Angry”

 

[jhamman13]

According to an email to local film union members obtained by ABC, “a live single round was accidentally fired on set.”

However, a producer on the film told ABC Thursday that the shooting was the result of a “misfire of prop gun with blanks.”

Some film industry sources tell KOAT that "live" is a popular industry term that refers to a gun just being ready for filming. So that could mean the gun could be "live" but loaded with material such as a blank.

Prop gun fired by Alec Baldwin had live round, per email to union

 

[SuziQ]

At the below link is a picture of a set. They are very dangerous places. They can be very fast paced and chaotic. There is always a budget issue. It doesn't take much for something to go wrong.

We most likely never hear about most of the accidents that happen.

People walking off sets is common. You get a producer or director that has a vision of what their film will be, and sometimes the demands on the staff are outrageous.

How are Film Sets Constructed? – Film Daily

 

[Dotta]

I wonder if a gun with real bullets is heavier than with blank ones?
Im asking b/c I have never even touched a gun in my life.

Also I can see Alec's family is very loyal to him - they seem to be very close to one another.

 

[Chelly]

How do live rounds get into a weapon on a film set that is using only blanks?

 

[coffeeandacig]

It may not be their job, but legally and morally, a person is responsible what happens after they pull the trigger. It's easy enough to tell the difference between live and blank/dummy rounds. I think he holds blame as both the person who shot the gun and as producer of the film. mo

I agree there just may be some culpability on his part. He's been in the film industry for 40+ years, and it sounds like this may have been his own independent "project".

 

[SuziQ]

At the below link is a picture of a set. They are very dangerous places. They can be very fast paced and chaotic. There is always a budget issue. It doesn't take much for something to go wrong.

We most likely never hear about most of the accidents that happen.

People walking off sets is common. You get a producer or director that has a vision of what their film will be, and sometimes the demands on the staff are outrageous.

How are Film Sets Constructed? – Film Daily

Well, he did go through court ordered anger management courses a couple of years ago. Which he claimed were not needed. Alec Baldwin Went to Anger Management and Learned That He’s “Not That Angry”

And IMO it is still premature to say he was at fault here. The gun is not even the Actors responsibility.

 

[Eloise]

According to this https://twitter.com/paulscheer/status/1451606504491024384/photo/1 it sounds like a dangerous non-union set. Alec Baldwin 'Rust' camera crew walked off the set in protest before the fatal shooting

And just, no, I'm sorry. actors should not be responsible for the guns they use. Scratch Alec from the picture, as he's a veteran of decades in the industry. Imagine you're someone who gets their first acting job. You've never handled a gun in your life, and you're handed a gun as a prop. You're meant to know how to use it? No, that's ridiculous. It's the propmasters job.

 

[SuziQ]

How do live rounds get into a weapon on a film set that is only using blanks?

To keep the realism, real bullets are used to show an actor loading a gun. After the scene the prop gun guy is supposed to take possession of the gun unload it and make sure there is not a round in the chamber and is clear of anything. That is an old practice that should be done with.

Moo

 

[Gardenista]

Alec Baldwin’s ‘Rust’ co-star Jensen Ackles spoke about gun training days before tragedy