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Actor Alec Baldwin is in serious trouble after he fired a prop gun on a movie set in New Mexico killing a cinematographer and injuring the director of a movie they were filming. Authorities are investigating whether it was an accident.You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login
I have heard about properly loaded PROP weapons' accidentally discharging a projectile that killed someone before. I believe it was a rare occurrence prior to the Crow shooting.I believe it had to do with incomplete combustion & wad's of paper that didn't burn. I very well could be miss remembering that tidbit tho!
1. There are some incredibly dangerous accusations here, with very little public information: "...killing cinematographer" is pretty declarative and presumes guilt.2. For folks who've never worked on a movie set, or know little about working on an actin movie set, your opinion on this matter is likely WILDLY uninformed. That's not an insult, it's just a fact; just as I would never presume to know details involved with a NASA shuttle launch, for example, maybe it's unwise to speak much more than "what a tragic incident: perhaps Hollywood can strive to NEVER have this happen again."'3. FWIW, there are so many layers involved in the 'who' and 'how' this happened: from the prop master, to the on-set armorer, to actors and director and rest of crew. While the media has done a fairly poor job immediately ID'ing Alec Baldwin as the actor who allegedly fired the gun in question (I get the 'easy' reporting route since he's an identifiable actor who discharged the weapon, but that wasn't confirmed by authorities until Friday morning), it's incredibly unfair to paint _him_ in the light as the person at fault (i.e. "killing cinematographer"). I recommend anyone interested in this (albeit morbid) scenario do a little bit of googling and hear what actor Michael Massee has to say about his experience on the set of THE CROW. He was the actor who accidentally shot Brandon Lee, and he's been pretty honest about the guilt he's carried for the rest of his life.I'm sincerely not speaking directly to anyone in particular, just issuing caution in how we immediately react to this terrible tragedy at this stage. I have been on some movie sets, and moreso than any art medium filmmaking is a collaborative art: it literally takes a village to get from idea to the finished product. Deaths on movie sets aren't common, but they aren't exactly uncommon either (especially when it comes to stunt performers, unfortunately, who often bear the literal brunt of slashed budgets and time constraints). The death of an 'up-and-coming' cinematographer, and the injury to the director, are horrible tragedies that maybe could've been prevented one way or the other.That being said, I wonder why in this day-and-age we're still using blanks on movie sets?! I know the likely argument is "the muzzle flash = realism + easier for actors to react to both the recoil of the weapon AND the visual of the flash." But we very rarely see practical blood shots/'gags' on sets nowadays: we see CGI (and even with blanks we often see CGI enhanced muzzle flashes). Guns w/blanks are _never_ used in close-quarter gun fights (think JOHN WICK movies) because blanks still propel deadly ordinance: blanks are often used with, say, someone firing a machine gun at someone/thing off-camera where there is little/no danger involved. It seems crazy to me that productions are still using blanks of any kind, especially given how much they can delay shooting schedules (note: to use blanks on a set, you have to 1) go through at least 30 mins. of safety training PER SHOT 2) go through a set-up for every take to ensure the gun is loaded safely and properly and ready to go 3) HOPE that the muzzle flash wasn't quick enough to to be missed via shutter being closed, which happens frequently and requires the muzzle flash to be CGI'ed ANYWAY!). Maybe this tragedy will be the final straw that most thought the Brandon Lee death in the mid-90's would've been as far as using 100% safe, ordinance-free shooting methods.
1. There are some incredibly dangerous accusations here, with very little public information: "...killing cinematographer" is pretty declarative and presumes guilt.
That being said, I wonder why in this day-and-age we're still using blanks on movie sets?! I know the likely argument is "the muzzle flash = realism + easier for actors to react to both the recoil of the weapon AND the visual of the flash." But we very rarely see practical blood shots/'gags' on sets nowadays: we see CGI (and even with blanks we often see CGI enhanced muzzle flashes). Guns w/blanks are _never_ used in close-quarter gun fights (think JOHN WICK movies) because blanks still propel deadly ordinance: blanks are often used with, say, someone firing a machine gun at someone/thing off-camera where there is little/no danger involved. It seems crazy to me that productions are still using blanks of any kind, especially given how much they can delay shooting schedules (note: to use blanks on a set, you have to 1) go through at least 30 mins. of safety training PER SHOT 2) go through a set-up for every take to ensure the gun is loaded safely and properly and ready to go 3) HOPE that the muzzle flash wasn't quick enough to to be missed via shutter being closed, which happens frequently and requires the muzzle flash to be CGI'ed ANYWAY!). Maybe this tragedy will be the final straw that most thought the Brandon Lee death in the mid-90's would've been as far as using 100% safe, ordinance-free shooting methods.
ABC cop drama The Rookie is banning “live” weapons on its set, effective immediately, following the fatal shooting on the set of Alec Baldwin’s Rust.
I wish the media would stop calling them "prop guns". That gives off the impression that they are fake guns. They aren't. They are real guns. The only difference is the ammo.The head armorer gave an interview about another movie she worked on about a month ago. According to press reports, she said that she had to call her dad for help concerning loading blanks during that interview.
The armorer is just 24 years old. That's a lot of responsibility for a 24 year old.