Western “Rust”
Alec Baldwin shoots camerawoman: How such accidents can happen on set
According to the police, US actor Alec Baldwin killed a camerawoman and injured a director while shooting a film. Accordingly, the 68-year-old shot on the film set with a prop weapon and fatally injured 42-year-old Halyna Hutchins, according to a statement from the Sherriff’s Office in Santa Fe, New Mexico on Thursday. Joel Souza, the director, was also hit by gunfire. The 48-year-old is in hospital with injuries. A police spokesman said the shots were fired in the middle of a scene that was either rehearsing or being filmed. The investigation is ongoing. Baldwin is the lead actor and producer on the set of the film “Rust”.
Lead actor Alec Baldwin accidentally shot camerawoman Halyna Hutchins while filming the western “Rust”. Actually there are precautions to prevent such accidents.
While filming the western “Rust” in Santa Fe, lead actor Alec Baldwin accidentally shot camerawoman Halyna Hutchins, and director and writer Joel Souza was seriously injured in the accident.
Baldwin used a prop gun, Santa Fe police said. After the tragic incident, many asked themselves: How did this happen?
Alec Baldwin shoots camerawoman on set
Strict safety precautions apply on set when guns are involved. In an article on The Conversation page, filmmakers Christopher Gist and Sarah Mayberry explain what to do when guns are to be used. Before filming even begins, you have to decide “whether you want to use replica weapons, real weapons or a mixture of both,” they explain.
“A weapon without ammunition – that is, a weapon that contains neither bullets nor blank cartridges – is not dangerous. Nevertheless, there is always an armorer, a security officer and a stunt coordinator on set: at least three people who always keep an eye on the weapons on the set, “say Gist and Mayberry. This should guarantee everyone’s safety. As a spokesman for Baldwin said, a misfire of a prop weapon with blank cartridges was the trigger for the tragedy. The police said they were investigating what type of projectile was being fired.
Alec Baldwin shot and killed cameraman Halyna Hutchins
© Van Tine Dennis / ABACA / Picture Alliance
Blank cartridges are just as dangerous
Blank cartridges sound more harmless than real cartridges, but they are not necessarily so, as Gist and Mayberry explain in their article. “With blank cartridges, no bullets are used, but paper, plastic, felt or cotton wool, which ensures that the weapon emits a certain amount of flame. But it is precisely this cotton wool that can cause many injuries: Just because a weapon has blank cartridges if used, it doesn’t mean it isn’t dangerous, “they say.
If weapons are used during the shoot, the set itself is also checked, according to the film experts. Tripping hazards are eliminated, traffic is taken into account, and the lighting is checked. “At the filming locations, the weapons are delivered by a weapons specialist. He has access to real and replica weapons, although real weapons are more expensive than replicas,” the experts explain.
sources: “The Conversation” / “LA Times”