What really happened on the set of “Rust”? The confusing situation that left Alec Baldwin out of show business
The incident was not recorded as the cast and crew were still preparing to start shooting.
This past Thursday during the filming of the movie "Rust", Alec Baldwin accidentally killed the director of photography Halyna Hutchins, who was behind the lens of the camera where the actor made the shot.
The incident occurred on the recording set located in New Mexico, where after practicing one of the scenes, the actor fired the shot, wounding Hutchins and also the director of the film, Eric Souza, all this without prior knowledge that the weapon being would use was loaded.
According to the same director Eric Souza in his statement to the authorities, during filming the Baldwin practiced a scene until the shot was heard. At this very moment he noticed the fall of the director who was wounded in her stomach, and he observed her shoulder bleeding as a result of the same shot.
Although the investigation continues to further clarify the details of the confusing accident, film workers detailed that the weapon used by the actor was previously reviewed according to the same director and the gunsmith in charge.
Baldwin's weapon would have been reviewed previously, this fact drew attention to the lack of security on the set, which would have already been discussed by the workers and that would later be justified by this fact.
In addition, according to the Los Angeles Times, 6 people left the set due to poor security and also recorded some missed shots during the preparation weeks before the incident.
Complaints against security
If the accident occurred, five members of the staff would have left the project in protest due to salary problems and indeed against the poor working conditions, which further evidences the problems within the recording regarding the security offered by the set both for producers, actors and other employees.
During the filming of "Rust" the workers would have made clear their complaints regarding the security protocols. Claims that ended up giving the reason in their protests catapulted by this accident.
From the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees they pointed to the assistant director David Halls as the person responsible for that situation, which despite the alerts of its workers regarding the poor security of the set and especially in the proper use of the weapons this would have kept the filming ignoring what was said above.
Maggie Goll who worked with Halls on another occasion in the series "Into The Dark" spoke about the assistant's job "Almost always the sets were allowed to get more and more claustrophobic, there were no established fire lanes, blocked exits and meetings. security were non-existent.
A member of the group referred to the lack of security in the work environment to which they were subjected hours before what happened. “We cite everything from not getting paid for three weeks, taking away our hotel accommodations even though it was stipulated, lack of Covid protocols, and above all that, lack of gun safety.”
This opens the debate regarding the care of weapons and the responsibility and high security that must be had regarding their handling, as well as the responsibility of managers and employers in this type of filming so as not to put any worker at unnecessary risk.
Similar cases of accidents during filming
Around cases where in the shooting of action movies and other genres, throughout cinematographic history various accidents of this nature have occurred.
One of the most recent was in "Batman the Dark Knight" with stuntman Conway Wickliffe during the film involving the Batmobile performing stunts. During the recording of the scene, Wickliffe's car crashed into a tree where he died. Adding, in addition, that the actor who played the joker in the film, Heath Ledger died of an overdose in Soho (New York), United States.
A more recent example was in 2018 during the recording of the film “A beautiful day in the neighborhood”, a biographical film that would later give Tom Hanks an Oscar nomination. Sound mixer James Emswiller lost his life in a fatal accident in which he fell several feet off a balcony.
This puts in focus and also shows the risks that an actor or any similar work team must submit to perform some types of scenes that require their work and shows the negligence that can occur or when a situation that could control itself is not taken seriously enough so that alleged misfortunes such as the death of director Halyna Hutchins do not occur.
What protocols should exist?
The use of weapons is in charge of a "Gunsmith" who must have enough time to explain their use, have access to them and their eventual review. Limit the people who will use the weapons on the set of the film or series in question.
In addition to reviewing what types of bullets will be used, reviewing the gun barrels, minimizing damage with rubber and plastic reproductions to give employees and employers greater safety.
There is also speculation regarding advanced digital methods which could replace the use of real weapons and thus be able to avoid this situation.
Simon Atherton gunsmith mentioned “It can be done, but it is not the same, a simulation can be expensive and when you see the final product it is not convincing”. He said commenting that the actors feel inside the film once they are with the weapons and the right environment.
What will happen to Baldwin after the shot?
So far, the authorities and some local media such as TMZ, Consequence and the BBC record that the Hutchins family has not filed any formal complaint, therefore, there has been no speculation regarding any lawsuit against him for involuntary manslaughter. All this to what was previously mentioned by the workers and the director himself, since the actor would not have been aware of the loaded weapon.
Arthur L. Aidala, defense specialist for a New York criminal firm, stated the following: "Although we absolutely know who possessed the weapon, who fired the weapon and who caused the death of a human being, it would fall under the statute of excusable homicide", explains Aidala.
Baldwin has been deeply affected in his social networks "There are no words to convey my shock and sadness for the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, wife, mother and colleague of ours deeply admired," Baldwin wrote on Twitter this afternoon.
She also assured that she is collaborating with the local police while the relevant investigation is being carried out. "I am fully cooperating with the police investigation to address how this tragedy occurred and I am in contact with her husband, offering my support to him and his family," he said.
According to the Daily Mail, the actor was seen hugging the director's son Andros and accompanying Hutchins' husband Matt.
The truth is that the investigations are still continuing and details about the fatal accident will be revealed and if in some way the industry will take this fact into account to place greater safety protocols so as not to repeat and place their employers in real risk scenes.
