More details have begun to emerge in regards to the fatal incident that claimed the life of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza on the set of the indie western film “Rust”. These details are painting a grimmer picture than previously thought.
A new report in The Los Angeles Times says that a half-dozen camera operators and their assistants walked off the set to protest working conditions just hours before the incident.
The group was reportedly frustrated by the conditions surrounding the low-budget film with long hours, unexpected long commutes and long paycheck turnaround time. In addition, standard safety protocols in the industry, including gun inspections, were not strictly followed says the paper’s sources.
At least one of the camera operators allegedly complained last weekend to production managers about gun safety on the set. Concerns reportedly emerged after Alec Baldwin’s stunt double accidentally fired two rounds last Saturday after being told that the gun was ‘cold’ (ie. has no ammunition, including blanks). That was on top of an additional misfire the week before.
A crew member tells the paper: “There should have been an investigation into what happened. There were no safety meetings. There was no assurance that it wouldn’t happen again. All they wanted to do was rush, rush, rush.”
On the morning of Thursday’s incident, the camera crew (all IATSE employees) spent about an hour assembling their gear on the Bonanza Creek Ranch set when several nonunion crew members reportedly showed up – they had been brought in to replace them.
The paper alleges one of the producers ordered the union members to leave the set and threatened to call security to remove them if they didn’t leave voluntarily.
The shooting occurred about six hours after the union camera crew left as Baldwin, the film’s star and a producer on the project, was apparently rehearsing a scene outside the church set.
The scene involved a gunfight that began in the church, and then Baldwin’s character was supposed to back out of the church. The project was on the 12th day of a planned 21-day shoot.
No charges have been filed, but the Sheriff’s Office says witnesses continue to be interviewed by detectives. Baldwin has released a statement on Twitter saying:
“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 to address how this tragedy occurred and I am in touch with her husband, offering my support to him and his family. My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna”
In an email to its members, Local 44 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) union which represents prop masters said the shot on Thursday was “a live single round accidentally fired on set by the principal actor”.
A Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office spokesman tells Deadline they can “can neither confirm nor deny” it was a live round as “we haven’t even begun the forensics on that issue” with more information coming next week.
Local 44 also confirmed that the Props, Set Decoration, Special Effects and Construction Departments were staffed by New Mexico crew members with no Local 44 members on the call sheet.
A source tells the L.A. Times that Local 44 does not know what projectile was in the gun and clarified that ‘live’ refers to a gun being loaded with some material, such as a blank, ready for filming.
An affidavit filed by the Sheriff’s Office and obtained by The New York Times reportedly says the gun handed to Baldwin on the set was allegedly declared safe by the production’s assistant director who shouted ‘cold gun’ (so it was safe to use) moments beforehand.
When Baldwin pulled the gun’s trigger, it fired a projectile that fatally struck Hutchins in the chest and hit director Joel Souza’s shoulder with Hutchins reportedly standing in front of Souza at the time of the incident.
According to the affidavit, the AD “did not know live rounds were in the prop gun” and the weapon was readied by an armorer beforehand. Baldwin’s blood-stained costume was reportedly taken as evidence. Investigators also seized other prop guns and ammunition that were being used.
The production company, Rust Movie Productions LLC, has also released a statement addressing what happened:
“The safety of our cast and crew is the top priority of Rust Productions and everyone associated with the company. 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 greater implications of this have just begun. Already in immediate response, THR reports that ABC’s Nathan Fillion-led “The Rookie” TV series has banned ‘live’ guns on set going forward according to a memo from showrunner Alexi Hawley sent to staff Friday. All gunfire onset will be Air Soft guns (replica toy guns) with CG muzzle flashes added in post. More TV and film productions are expected to follow suit.
Source: The Los Angeles Times