Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun on set killing the cinematographer and injuring the director.

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Actor Alec Baldwin discharged a "prop firearm" that killed a cinematographer and injured the director of the movie Rust, being filmed on a set south of Santa Fe, a county sheriff's office spokesman said late Thursday.

Halyna Hutchins, 42 and the director of photography for the movie, died at University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque. The film's director, Joel Souza, was hospitalized in Santa Fe, Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office spokesman Juan Ríos said.

A source close to the investigation said Baldwin, 63, was questioned by investigators late Thursday and was seen by a New Mexican reporter and photographer in tears.

Investigators are still trying to determine if the incident was an accident, Ríos said. No charges have been filed, and the investigation is open, Ríos wrote in a news release.

he prop was fired at Bonanza Creek Ranch, where filming was underway, the sheriff's office said in an early evening news release. Baldwin stars in the production.

Hutchins died from her injuries after she was flown to University of New Mexico Hospital, according to the sheriff's office. Souza was taken to Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center, where he is receiving emergency care, the sheriff's office said. Attempts to get comment from Baldwin were unsuccessful.

“We received the devastating news this evening, that one of our members, Halyna Hutchins, the Director of Photography on a production called ‘Rust’ in New Mexico died from injuries sustained on the set,” John Lindley, the president of the International Cinematographers Guild Local 600, and Rebecca Rhine, the executive director, said in a statement, as reported by Variety. “The details are unclear at this moment, but we are working to learn more, and we support a full investigation into this tragic event. This is a terrible loss, and we mourn the passing of a member of our Guild’s family.”

Deputies were investigating how the accident occurred and "what type of projectile was discharged," the sheriff's office said in an earlier news release.

Rust Movie Productions did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Filming for Rust was set to continue into early November, according to a news release from the New Mexico Film Office. It's described as the story of a 13-year-old boy left to fend for himself and his younger brother following the death of their parents in 1880s Kansas, with New Mexico doubling for Kansas.

Guns firing blanks have been blamed for deaths in past movie productions. Online Hollywood news site Deadline reported, "Actor Jon-Erik Hexum was killed Oct. 18, 1984, on the set of the TV series Cover Up when he accidentally shot himself in the head with a gun loaded with blanks. And in 1993, Brandon Lee, the son of martial arts legend Bruce Lee, died after he was shot in the head by a gun firing blanks on the set of The Crow. Both incidents were determined to have been accidents."


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A distraught Alec Baldwin in the parking lot of the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Dept. after he was questioned.
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Re: Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun on set killing the cinematographer and injuring the director.

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highdesert wrote: Fri Oct 22, 2021 9:33 am
sikacz wrote: Fri Oct 22, 2021 4:06 amFour rules.

Yup and who loaded the blanks and who was the armorer on set. Don't know if it was a rifle or pistol or shotgun, but something that would have been in used in the 1880s.
The media reporting is dismal. Using the term “prop gun” and “malfunction” is misleading. Many guns used in filming are likely real guns with blanks used in place of live ammunition. There’s some serious questions on set safety for sure.
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"Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated!" Loquacious of many. Texas Chapter Chief Cat Herder.

Re: Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun on set killing the cinematographer and injuring the director.

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What a tragedy... I would like to know who was supposed to be securing those weapons. Blank guns are fucking dangerous as hell. My youngest boy is an old west reenactor (professionally, he is actually registered with the county as a "gunfighter"...which cracks me up). Blank rounds tend to have 2.5-5 grains of black powder, often with some flour on top of that (to accentuate the "smoke" effect) and a styrofoam wad over that. Even at 15 yards the actors have to hold off. My son has been accidentally "shot" before and it hurts even at 20 yards.
“I think there’s a right-wing conspiracy to promote the idea of a left-wing conspiracy”

Re: Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun on set killing the cinematographer and injuring the director.

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I'm betting that is the same company that my son works for. My son works in Virginia City, and they have another show in Tombstone.

After the Brandon Lee incident they used to have weapons guys who were never allowed to leave the weapons. I guess that didn't happen on this set. It's still very early, I'm sure it will take some time for the real details to be revealed. Regardless, someone's in deep shit and probably won't work in the film industry anymore.

Most productions will employ a service to provide weapons, ammunition, and training. That company will be sued into non-existence by the production company, the victim's surviving family, and perhaps even Baldwin.

If they didn't have a weapons company on site, and they went "in house" for the weapons, then the production company and pretty much anyone associated with them will be sued into non-existence (rightfully so).
“I think there’s a right-wing conspiracy to promote the idea of a left-wing conspiracy”

Re: Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun on set killing the cinematographer and injuring the director.

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So sad. As sikacz said. So sad. Easy to second guess. Had it been me, before the scene I would have checked. But I'm a gun guy. Why isn't everyone a gun guy? Or why doesn't every school kid know the four rules but they know what happened in fourteen hundred and ninety two? Crap. So sad.

There once was a Rule Number One
Yes, it's always loaded, the gun.
It may seem a bit strange
to check at the range
But safety's what makes it all fun

CDFingers
Crazy cat peekin' through a lace bandana
like a one-eyed Cheshire, like a diamond-eyed Jack

Re: Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun on set killing the cinematographer and injuring the director.

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FrontSight wrote: Fri Oct 22, 2021 10:59 am So I'm not sure how credible this is, but its being reported that there was a live round in the gun in question. Hol-eee-Fuck its off the charts irresponsible to even have live ammunition on the set.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/prop-gun-fir ... 18075.html

Apparently "Rust" is a small independent film and Alec Baldwin is the producer and lead. Wonder if they hired a reputable Hollywood armorer or someone with less experience. I hope they didn't have live ammo within a mile of the film set. One speculation is that they were doing a close up of Baldwin and his gun and Hutchins and Souza were too close and the armorer didn't intervene. Directors can be assholes and insist on doing things their way and Hutchins might not have had experience with using blanks on sets.
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Re: Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun on set killing the cinematographer and injuring the director.

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CDFingers wrote: Fri Oct 22, 2021 11:17 am So sad. As sikacz said. So sad. Easy to second guess. Had it been me, before the scene I would have checked. But I'm a gun guy. Why isn't everyone a gun guy? Or why doesn't every school kid know the four rules but they know what happened in fourteen hundred and ninety two? Crap. So sad.

There once was a Rule Number One
Yes, it's always loaded, the gun.
It may seem a bit strange
to check at the range
But safety's what makes it all fun

CDFingers
Check the weapon before no matter what. Agree.
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"Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated!" Loquacious of many. Texas Chapter Chief Cat Herder.

Re: Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun on set killing the cinematographer and injuring the director.

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sikacz wrote: Fri Oct 22, 2021 12:27 pm Check the weapon before no matter what. Agree.
You would think... But we really don't know the circumstances, so its difficult to assign blame or where the mistake was made. We don't know what they were doing, we don't know what Baldwin was doing, we don't know what kind of training (if any) Baldwin had, we don't know the safety expectations of the actors, we don't know what their safety procedures were, we don't know how they ran their set with weapons on site. There are a million little details that will be revealed.

Yet on every gun forum around the world, everyone all seems to have it all figured out. At least this forum is seeking to analyze. All the others are just making fun of Libtard Baldwin...exactly what you'd expect from Republicans.
“I think there’s a right-wing conspiracy to promote the idea of a left-wing conspiracy”

Re: Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun on set killing the cinematographer and injuring the director.

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featureless wrote: Fri Oct 22, 2021 12:58 pm The problem with the 4 rules in film making is the actors are expected to point and shoot at other people.
They shouldn't. Actors should be taught and constantly reinforced that you always hold off. In the film industry the hold off is much easier to do, so you really shouldn't have a weapon pointing directly at someone. But due to the nature, since someone is pointing very close, often they end up pointing directly at someone. My son has been hit by styrofoam wads during his scenes...that shit scares the hell out of me.
“I think there’s a right-wing conspiracy to promote the idea of a left-wing conspiracy”

Re: Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun on set killing the cinematographer and injuring the director.

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FrontSight wrote: Fri Oct 22, 2021 1:07 pm
featureless wrote: Fri Oct 22, 2021 12:58 pm The problem with the 4 rules in film making is the actors are expected to point and shoot at other people.
They shouldn't. Actors should be taught and constantly reinforced that you always hold off. In the film industry the hold off is much easier to do, so you really shouldn't have a weapon pointing directly at someone. But due to the nature, since someone is pointing very close, often they end up pointing directly at someone. My son has been hit by styrofoam wads during his scenes...that shit scares the hell out of me.
Oh, it's stupid for sure. Especially these days when actual blasting can be done with CGI.

Re: Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun on set killing the cinematographer and injuring the director.

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FrontSight wrote: Fri Oct 22, 2021 12:45 pm
sikacz wrote: Fri Oct 22, 2021 12:27 pm Check the weapon before no matter what. Agree.
You would think... But we really don't know the circumstances, so its difficult to assign blame or where the mistake was made. We don't know what they were doing, we don't know what Baldwin was doing, we don't know what kind of training (if any) Baldwin had, we don't know the safety expectations of the actors, we don't know what their safety procedures were, we don't know how they ran their set with weapons on site. There are a million little details that will be revealed.

Yet on every gun forum around the world, everyone all seems to have it all figured out. At least this forum is seeking to analyze. All the others are just making fun of Libtard Baldwin...exactly what you'd expect from Republicans.
He’s the last one putting his booger hook on the trigger. We don’t know what happened before, we do know he was the last one handling the gun. Four rules. He should have confirmed what was in the gun.
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"Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated!" Loquacious of many. Texas Chapter Chief Cat Herder.

Re: Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun on set killing the cinematographer and injuring the director.

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Yes, we don't have all the facts we're just speculating based on our knowledge of firearms. Jon-Erik Hexum put a revolver full of blanks up to his head and pulled the trigger, IIRC he had been drinking and thought it was funny.

That film is ended, almost impossible to finish it after this tragedy. Since Baldwin pulled the trigger is his career over even if totally exonerated, I don't know.
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Re: Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun on set killing the cinematographer and injuring the director.

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Rust’ Camera Crew Protested Unsafe Working Conditions Hours Before Fatal Shooting

Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins died during the filming of “Rust” on Thursday after actor and producer Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun on the New Mexico set.

Authorities in New Mexico are investigating the incident, which also injured the movie’s director, Joel Souza. The International Cinematographers’ Guild, of which Hutchins was a member, called for “a full investigation into this tragic event.”

Hutchins was also a member of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), the guild representing many movie and television crew members. On Friday, a representative for IATSE Local 44, which represents prop masters, told HuffPost that none of its members were involved in the incident. A representative for IATSE Local 480, which represents the film’s New Mexico crew members, declined to comment.

The Los Angeles Times reported that hours before the fatal incident on Thursday, some members of the camera crew — all of whom are part of IATSE — had walked off the set, protesting unsafe working conditions. Hutchins, who did not join them, had tried to advocate for better conditions, according to the report.

One source told the LA Times that production executives then replaced the staff with nonunion workers.

“Corners were being cut — and they brought in nonunion people so they could continue shooting,” the source said.

These kinds of tragedies are rare, because prop guns and other weapons in movies and television are subject to extensive safety procedures and trainings, developed and administered by experts. But the source told the LA Times that the prop gun had misfired multiple times in recent days and there were “a serious lack of safety meetings on this set.”

Dave Brown, a firearms safety specialist in Winnipeg, Canada, has developed safety trainings for film and TV projects for over 25 years, and has worked with actors like Keanu Reeves and Robin Williams. He said Friday that he did not want to speculate on the incident, as details are still emerging. But he emphasized the importance of safety and having an expert on set.

“From my perspective, my only comment would be that firearms are as safe as any other prop when used responsibly. But they require the undivided attention of an experienced expert at all times,” he told HuffPost in an email. “My heart goes out to the families, friends and colleagues of all involved. We worked with Halyna on a film here in Winnipeg and she was a lovely person. This is a great loss and the effect will be felt for years.”

In a 2019 article for American Cinematographer magazine, Brown wrote about how firearms specialists collaborate with a film’s director, actors, cinematographer and camera operators to ensure a safe environment when using real or fake guns. Among other duties, this involves advising on the safest angles and distances.

Prop guns use “blanks:” cartridges that contain no bullets but have gunpowder “to create a bright flash at the end of the barrel, thereby convincing the audience that the gun has been fired.” But blanks can be dangerous when fired too close, he wrote.

In 1984, Jon-Erik Hexum, star of the CBS show “Cover Up: Golden Opportunity,” died after firing a prop gun containing blanks directly at his head. The actor, annoyed at delays in filming, “held the gun to his head, reportedly joking, ‘Can you believe this crap?’ and pulled the trigger,” according to Entertainment Weekly.

Because the blank was so close to his head, “The impact from the blast fractured his skull, driving a bone fragment the size of a quarter into his brain and causing massive hemorrhaging.”

On Thursday, many people on social media recalled the 1993 death of actor Brandon Lee, son of legendary actor Bruce Lee. While filming the movie “The Crow,” Brandon Lee died after his co-star Michael Massee fired a gun that was supposed to have blanks, but actually had a bullet lodged in the barrel.

“Our hearts go out to the family of Halyna Hutchins and to Joel Souza and all involved in the incident on ‘Rust,’” Lee’s sister Shannon tweeted early Friday. “No one should ever be killed by a gun on a film set.”

Some productions digitally insert gunshots and gunfire in post-production, but it can depend on the project’s budget and how the visual effects look on screen. As Brown wrote in 2019, “CGI may be used for close-range gunshots that could not be safely achieved otherwise.” But there can be benefits to using guns with blanks, “even with all the advancements in visual effects and computer-generated imagery” — as long as it’s done safely.

“The reason is simple: We want the scene to look as real as possible. We want the story and characters to be believable,” he wrote. “Blanks help contribute to the authenticity of a scene in ways that cannot be achieved in any other manner. If the cinematographer is there to paint a story with light and framing, firearms experts are there to enhance a story with drama and excitement.”
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/alec-ba ... 73573b5f72

This was also reported on ABC News.
Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.-Huxley
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Re: Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun on set killing the cinematographer and injuring the director.

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Hours before actor Alec Baldwin fatally shot a cinematographer on the New Mexico set of “Rust” with a prop gun, a half-dozen camera crew workers walked off the set to protest working conditions.

The camera operators and their assistants were frustrated by the conditions surrounding the low-budget film, including complaints of long hours and getting their paychecks, according to three people familiar with the matter who were not authorized to comment.

The camera crew showed up for work as expected at 6:30 a.m. Thursday and began gathering up their gear and personal belongings to leave, one knowledgeable crew member told the Los Angeles Times.

Labor trouble had been brewing for days on the dusty set at the Bonanza Creek Ranch near Santa Fe. Shooting began on Oct. 6 and members of the production said they had been promised the production would pay for their hotel rooms in Santa Fe.

But after filming began, the crews were told they instead would be required to make the 50-mile drive from Albuquerque each day, rather than stay overnight in nearby Santa Fe.

The cinematographer who was accidentally killed, Halyna Hutchins, had been advocating for safer conditions for her team, said one crew member who was on the set.

As the camera crew — members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees — spent about an hour assembling their gear at the Bonanza Creek Ranch, several nonunion crew members showed up to replace them, the knowledgeable person said.

A member of the producer staff then ordered the union members to leave the set. She said if they didn’t leave, the producers would call security to remove them.

“Corners were being cut — and they brought in nonunion people so they could continue shooting,” the knowledgeable person said.

There were two misfires on the prop gun on Saturday and one the previous week, the person said, adding “there was a serious lack of safety meetings on this set.”

“The safety of our cast and crew is the top priority of Rust Productions and everyone associated with the company, " Rust Movie Productions LLC said in a statement. “Though we were not made aware of any official complaints concerning weapon or prop safety on set, we will be conducting an internal review of our procedures while production is shut down. We will continue to cooperate with the Santa Fe authorities in their investigation and offer mental health services to the cast and crew during this tragic time.”

The shooting occurred about six hours after the union camera crew left.

Baldwin, the film’s star who also served as a producer on the film, was apparently rehearsing a scene outside the church of the Bonzana Creek Ranch set, according to two knowledgeable people.

The scene involved a gun fight that began in the church, and then Baldwin’s character was supposed to back out of the church, according to production notes obtained by The Times. It was the 12th day of a 21-day shoot.

The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were dispatched to the Bonanza Creek Ranch movie set, where filming was underway for the western “Rust,” after calls to 911 at 1:50 p.m. Baldwin was starring in the movie in addition to serving as one of the producers.

No charges have been filed, but the Sheriff’s Office said that “witnesses continue to be interviewed by detectives.”

Baldwin said Friday he’s “fully cooperating with the police investigation” into the incident.

“There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother and deeply admired colleague of ours,” Baldwin wrote Friday in a series of tweets.

Production has been halted on the low-budget movie, which began filming this month.

In an email to its members, Local 44 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, a union that represents prop masters, said the shot that killed Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza on Thursday was “a live single round.”

“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.

Bonanza Creek Ranch has been a popular filming location for more than 60 years. The first movie to film there was “The Man From Laramie,” starring Jimmy Stewart. It also was the set for the classic “Blazing Saddles,” “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” and the popular TV show “Longmire.”
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-a ... ed-off-set
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Re: Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun on set killing the cinematographer and injuring the director.

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:sad: This was a thoughtless waste.

After Brandon Lee, I thought something like this would never be allowed to happen again. Experienced and responsible fx crews know better. There's no excuse for it - even if they're "just" blanks. A foley artist can edit the sound of blanks in later.

I hope that Baldwin does the responsible thing and pleads guilty to negligent homicide. I hope that the industry makes more changes to ensure the safety of everyone involved. I hope a lot of things.

Re: Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun on set killing the cinematographer and injuring the director.

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A little too much realism. Entertainment industry simply supplying what we all seem to crave and demand, at a price we're willing to pay. This time the cost was too much. No one was ever hurt by an accidental phaser discharge on stage. Guess things will just be a lot safer in the future.
I hate it when it's called accidental discharge. The term may be technically correct, and a legally sound argument, but seems to imply there's nothing humans can do to prevent such. Negligence calls up imperative and awareness to help insure the safe handling of firearms.

Whatever happened to musicals?
This isn't going well, is it?

Re: Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun on set killing the cinematographer and injuring the director.

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An assistant director unwittingly handed Alec Baldwin a loaded weapon and told him it was safe to use in the moments before the actor fatally shot a cinematographer, court records released Friday show.

“Cold gun,” the assistant director announced, according to a search warrant filed in a Santa Fe court.

Instead, the gun was loaded with live rounds, and when Baldwin pulled the trigger Thursday on the set of a Western, he killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Director Joel Souza, who was standing behind her, was wounded, the records said.

The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office obtained the warrant Friday so investigators could document the scene at the ranch outside Santa Fe where the shooting took place. They sought to examine Baldwin’s blood-stained costume for the film “Rust,” as well as the weapon that was fired, other prop guns and ammunition, and any footage that might exist.

The gun was one of three that the film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez, had set on a cart outside the wooden structure where a scene was being acted, according to the records. Assistant director Dave Halls grabbed the gun from the cart and brought it inside to Baldwin, unaware that it was loaded with live rounds, a detective wrote in the search warrant application.

It was unclear how many rounds were fired. Gutierrez removed a shell casing from the gun after the shooting, and she turned the weapon over to police when they arrived, the court records say.

Halls did not immediately return phone and email messages seeking comment. The Associated Press was unable to contact Gutierrez, and several messages sent to production companies affiliated with the film were not immediately returned Friday.

The film’s script supervisor, Mamie Mitchell, said she was standing next to Hutchins when she was shot.

“I ran out and called 911 and said ‘Bring everybody, send everybody,’” Mitchell told The Associated Press. “This woman is gone at the beginning of her career. She was an extraordinary, rare, very rare woman.”

Mitchell said she and other crew members were attending a private memorial service Friday night in Santa Fe.

Baldwin described the killing as a “tragic accident.”

“There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother and deeply admired colleague of ours. I’m fully cooperating with the police investigation,” Baldwin wrote on Twitter. “My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna.”

No immediate charges were filed, and sheriff’s spokesman Juan Rios said Baldwin was permitted to travel.

“He’s a free man,” Rios said.
https://apnews.com/article/entertainmen ... 06cd3cbee9
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

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