tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078779326914378322.post298630288215467447..comments2024-03-22T14:40:33.276-07:00Comments on Blood, Sweat, and Tedium: Confessions of a Hollywood Juicer: Death in the DesertMichael Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02569781786039595929noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078779326914378322.post-51351687640404557512021-11-08T11:44:37.421-08:002021-11-08T11:44:37.421-08:00Peter --
I don't recall seeing too many docto...Peter --<br /><br />I don't recall seeing too many doctors or lawyers riding out on the arm of a camera car driving 60 mph or hanging out an open helicopter door manning a camera on a Tyler Mount. Still, being shot to death by a prop gun ranked pretty low on my list of probable risks to cinematographers ... until now, anyway.<br /><br />Thanks for tuning in.Michael Taylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02569781786039595929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078779326914378322.post-46096764445812030692021-11-08T10:04:41.788-08:002021-11-08T10:04:41.788-08:00During an interview with a prospective disability ...During an interview with a prospective disability insurance agent many years ago, I asked him what level of risk my profession of cinematographer presented.<br /><br />"Low risk", he said. "About the same as doctors and lawyers".<br /><br />I said nothing.Peter McLennanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12692266645415765375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078779326914378322.post-89764110041500608942021-10-27T06:04:19.032-07:002021-10-27T06:04:19.032-07:00Michael, I'll look forward to anything you mig...Michael, I'll look forward to anything you might care to add. Trouble is, it's easy to amplify gossip and speculation. It's also easy to form an opinion, based on one's priors, before all the facts are in (as you mention), and I'm seeing a ton of that kind of stuff everywhere I look. I have a couple of gun-set safety printed pieces, so I know what's SUPPOSED to happen with firearms on-set ("book-educated" rather than practically educated), but real life is another matter, which is where my knowledge stops. <br /><br />Obviously, WHO loaded lethal rounds into the gun, and what their intention was in so doing, is key. My inclination is to vigorously avoid pointing fingers at any one individual until all the facts are in, however. Informed perspective is always welcome, so I'll be checking back.<br /><br />Take care & be well!dougRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12067790939021206257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078779326914378322.post-34375922211969943122021-10-25T11:41:53.465-07:002021-10-25T11:41:53.465-07:00dougR --
I agree. There's no reason or excuse...dougR --<br /><br />I agree. There's no reason or excuse for having real bullets on set. At this point there seems to be a lot of ass-covering going on, with conflicting reports supposedly coming from people who were on set at the time -- some say the young armorer was too inexperienced to be in such a crucial position, other say the 1st AD has a history of making bad decisions on set, and of course the usual litany of right-wing yahoos are gleefully pointing the finger of blame at Alec Baldwin to score political points. I don't think any of us who weren't there knows what actually happened, but in time, we will. Whether I'll have anything more to say about all this is unclear -- I mean, it's a shocking tragedy that should never have happened, and what more can -- or needs -- to be said? <br /><br />Thanks for reading, and for tuning in. The blog gets a lot of hits, but my assumption is that the vast majority come from bots rather than people, so it's good to hear from actual readers.<br /><br />Michael Taylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02569781786039595929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078779326914378322.post-78034397950667248202021-10-25T11:26:57.874-07:002021-10-25T11:26:57.874-07:00Unknown --
Agreed.
TaT --
I have yet to read ...Unknown --<br /><br />Agreed. <br /><br />TaT --<br /><br />I have yet to read or hear a definitive report of exactly what happened that day, but there's nothing unusual about an actor pointing a gun in the direction of the camera during rehearsals or a filmed take. How many times have you seen a show where an actor fires a gun towards the screen -- at you, the viewer? For a shot like that, there's usually a camera operator and 1st assistant in the line of fire. I don't know if Halyna Hutchins was operating the camera at the time, but even if she wasn't, it's not unusual for a DP and director to watch a rehearsal through or immediately behind the camera. Rust was a low budget production, and maybe they didn't have a high-def monitor at video village -- or perhaps they didn't have a video village at all. Again, I don't know, nor do any of us who weren't on set that day. Out in the real world, you're right about never pointing guns at other people, but Hollywood is most definitely not the real world. If, as has been reported, it was a real bullet in that gun, there's the problem. There's no reason to have real bullets on any set, period. Michael Taylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02569781786039595929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078779326914378322.post-88111355646748473462021-10-25T11:16:51.731-07:002021-10-25T11:16:51.731-07:00Thanks for your comments, Michael. I look forward ...Thanks for your comments, Michael. I look forward to what else you have to say on the subject, having been a longtime reader. The big riddle for ME is, how on earth did lethal rounds get put into that firearm? And by whom? And for what purpose? Most of the material on gun safety on set says that lethal ammo is NEVER supposed to be anywhere on set, ever. Sadly, I suspect we're all going to get an NTSB-level investigation that'll reveal actual practice versus what all the gun-safety courses say. dougRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12067790939021206257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078779326914378322.post-39880033782781615822021-10-25T08:41:53.743-07:002021-10-25T08:41:53.743-07:00But one critical question has yet to be asked open...But one critical question has yet to be asked openly, and answered: “What possessed Alec Baldwin to point that gun at the victims?” We are taught from childhood to NEVER point even a toy gun at another person.TaThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01379249298306714660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078779326914378322.post-25002998468896736532021-10-24T15:27:39.680-07:002021-10-24T15:27:39.680-07:00It seems like both a freak accident / perfect stor...It seems like both a freak accident / perfect storm (strike / replacement workers, sketchy working conditions on this particular set), and emblematic of the overall trend of pushing a crew beyond its breaking point. Maybe they're one and the same.<br /><br />-RajUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04232008338043825820noreply@blogger.com