According to legal experts, it is possible that Alec Baldwin and the executive producer were charged with negligent manslaughter that resulted in a fatal accident on set .
According to Variety , film and television filmmakers are baffled by the fact that Alec Baldwin shot and killed director of photography Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust on October 21.
Experts say overworked staff, inexperience, failure to follow safety rules and low production budgets led to the tragedy.
“The accident shocked the entire film industry. This is a worst-case scenario and hurts Hollywood employees,” said Dutch Merrick, former president of IATSE Local 44 Property Craftsperson.
Alec Baldwin visits the family of director of photography Halyna Hutchins. Photo: Fox News.
The irresponsibility of the film crew
In the Props to History series, props expert Michael Corrie suggested that the accident occurred because the process of checking guns on set was ignored before giving them to actors to use. “The assistant manager didn’t check it and thought it was a safe gun. It’s very dangerous to assign a lead actor like that,” Corrie said.
Experts say that the actor has no experience in this. They completely put their trust in the crew. “Usually, professionals have to constantly check to make sure it’s safe. They have to make sure the director, the actor, the director of photography are really comfortable,” he said.
Merrick said even professional soldiers must follow the “three golden rules” in handling firearms. “You always put yourself in a situation where the gun is loaded. You are not allowed to point a gun at another person, not to put your finger on the trigger until it is necessary. I can’t say the exact cause of the accident on the set of Rust, but it may be because the actor is subjective, pointing a gun at the opposite person. It’s taboo,” Merrick said.
More than 200 New Mexicans attended the tribute to director of photography Halyna Hutchins. Photo: AP.
Merrick also said that Hollywood has safety standards for gun handling, but most producers and directors ignore it. In the case of Rust, the film has the ability to use guns of the modern era. That leaves the operator inexperienced, leading to fatal errors.
According to Variety, the increased demand for film production over the past decade has outstripped the ability to find talent, experts in the field of gun safety. “In some places, you just can’t find the right person for the job. The crew has very few experienced people,” said a veteran producer.
In the age of streaming, series of producers massively make movies but the cost is not there. Startups want large-scale film production but don’t have enough staff, skills, and equipment. Of the seven units behind Rust, Streamline Global was founded in 2017. They mainly produce movies with tax incentives, reducing funding for investors.
In addition, many producers and crew members have to work with heavy workloads. That makes them subjective and dependent on the parties. Jeff Harris, the attorney representing Sarah Jones, the camera assistant who was killed in 2014 in a crash on the set of the indie film Midnight Rider , argues that accidents are often the result of failure to follow safety protocol. for dangerous scenes.
Harris Lowry Manto, the attorney who represented the stuntman who died on the set of The Walking Dead in 2017, says Hollywood employees are living in turmoil. The producer has a smug attitude of “We’ve done this a million times so it can’t go wrong”.
Who will take responsibility?
According to props expert Michael Corrie, the usual process of using a gun on set is that the lead actor is given a non-dangerous gun from the props team. “When entering the scene, the staff gave the actor an empty gun. After shouting cut, the director asked the staff in charge to take back the dangerous tools. This is a long-term process. Weapons must be strictly controlled to ensure that there are no accidents,” Corrie said.
Besides, the question is did Baldwin check his gun before firing?
According to expert Daniel Leonard, vice-chancellor of Chapman University, the actor had to ask the props expert if the gun had bullets or not. However, that is not usually common. Companies have different protocols, not everyone is sane enough to ask this again.
Alec Baldwin and executive producer are subject to criminal prosecution. Photo: TMZ.
“The reason Alec Baldwin doesn’t check guns is because he doesn’t have time to do it. By default, the guns assigned to them must be absolutely safe. That’s the responsibility of the gun operator on set,” Michael Corrie said.
According to attorney Joseph Costa, the Rust film’s executive producer faces charges of negligent manslaughter. “As a producer, you have to be in control and responsible for everything. That makes them subject to criminal prosecution. Similar accidents drinking while driving a car . It means when someone is not intentional but is responsible for the accident,” Costa said.
Attorney Erlinda Johnson, a former New Mexico state prosecutor, said it was possible that Alec Baldwin could face criminal responsibility for manslaughter.
“Baldwin didn’t mean to cause an accident, but it happened. Prosecutors need to prove this is involuntary manslaughter, which can be punishable by up to 18 months in prison,” Johnson told the New York Post.
The female lawyer argued that Baldwin could defend someone who gave him an unsafe gun, but then the actor was responsible for being the one who directly shot the deadly gun. “They should have checked the gun to make sure the cartridge was empty,” she added.
Ron Kuby, a veteran New York attorney, said that he believes Alec Baldwin has no signs of crime under New Mexico law. “Clearly the manufacturer failed to implement the safety protocols. Baldwin could not have expected himself to be put in a dangerous situation,” the lawyer said.
According to ABC, Anatoly Androsovych, the father of visual director Halyna Hutchins, did not hold Baldwin responsible. He blamed the prop department that gave the actor a loaded gun that killed his daughter.
“I can’t believe Halyna is gone. My wife is distraught with grief. I don’t hold Alec Baldwin responsible. That’s the job of the man who prepares the gun,” Androsovych said.
According to Fox News , assistant directors Dave Halls and Hannah Gutierrez-Reed – who directly handle gun props – are the main subjects of the investigation. Court documents showing previous gun-related incidents were also brought forward.
Shock: Leaked the reason why actor Alec Baldwin’s gun still has bullets, appeared a character giving props with bullets to staff … joking
Although Alec Baldwin has scenes using guns, the Rust film’s crew does not have a weapon expert involved in management.
The case of actor Alec Baldwin shooting and killing director Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust is still a hot topic on social media. Before the shocking rare accident, many viewers and artists expressed their desire for the authorities to quickly investigate and clarify. The latest according to information released by the police, the person who prepared the gun for Alec Baldwin is Hannah Gutierrez-Reed – a 24-year-old female employee.
When the heartbreaking incident happened, it was discovered that Hannah was inexperienced in using gun props. A source revealed: ‘She was a bit careless with the guns, swinging it from time to time. Even before that, the 24-year-old female employee was in trouble because she gave a gun to an 11-year-old child actor without carefully checking it. “There were a few times when she stacked the ammo and did it in a way that we didn’t find very safe,” said a colleague of Hannah Gutierrez-Reed. The woman herself also shared that she did not want to take the job as a gun manager in the first place because she was not ready.
The crew insisted that Hannah check the weapon for safety before handing it over to Alec Baldwin.
On October 24, TMZ posted information that Hannah Gutierrez-Reed had allowed the staff to use gun props with ammunition when the actors did not need them. During the break, the employees are said to have loaded live ammunition into the gun and … played with each other. This could be the explanation for the fact that a real bullet was left in Alec Baldwin’s gun.
TMZ also said that actor Alec Baldwin violated the “golden rule of safety” by pointing a gun at colleagues and pulling the trigger, whether the gun was loaded or not. By the time the gun was delivered to the actor, no one could guarantee that it had been thoroughly checked.
Many netizens were “severely shocked” when they heard that some staff members were actually playing with guns during breaks. Meanwhile, the person in charge of gun testing, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, does not strictly manage firearms
Alec Baldwin accidentally shot and killed someone on set after receiving a gun from an employee
The person behind the camera – director Halyna Hutchins – passed away after Alec Baldwin opened fire
