Hilaria Baldwin / Hillary Hayward-Thomas and Alec Baldwin

[Eltonjohnsflorist]

Nope, the assistant director handed it to Alec and shouted out Cold gun, this means the gun isn't loaded with anything, not blanks, not live bullets, nothing. So, did the armorer tell the assistant director it was a cold gun, obviously he didn't check. I think the blame will be put between these two, but obviously it was a sloppy low budget shoot.

I’m not sure- the reporting just indicates cold gun means blanks. The report in this links states so very clearly https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...ored-golden-rule-gun-safety-never-loaded.html

“There should have been blanks in the gun, the on-set armorer's job is to check that before handing the weapon over,' Tristan told Dailymail.com.”

 

[KINGAA]

Love that the onset armourer said in a podcast she wasn’t ready to be a head armour and yet she took a job as one and this was the outcome.

This reeks of trying to be cheap!

 

[Blurp]

I’m not sure- the reporting just indicates cold gun means blanks. The report in this links states so very clearly https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...ored-golden-rule-gun-safety-never-loaded.html

“There should have been blanks in the gun, the on-set armorer's job is to check that before handing the weapon over,' Tristan told Dailymail.com.”

"One Santa Fe prop master told DailyMail.com that had the gun been checked properly before it was handed to Baldwin, the tragedy wouldn't have occurred.

"'If they'd done their job checking the weapon this wouldn't have happened. You show the assistant director the weapon, you show the actor the weapon, you show everybody it's a safe weapon. There's a big chain of command that missed an opportunity to save a life.' "

So both AB and the assistant director should have checked the gun?

 

[KINGAA]

"One Santa Fe prop master told DailyMail.com that had the gun been checked properly before it was handed to Baldwin, the tragedy wouldn't have occurred.

"'If they'd done their job checking the weapon this wouldn't have happened. You show the assistant director the weapon, you show the actor the weapon, you show everybody it's a safe weapon. There's a big chain of command that missed an opportunity to save a life.' "

So both AB and the assistant director should have checked the gun?

This reads to me that the prop master shows the assistant director the weapon and the actor the weapon etc. Where as the prop master left them on a tray for the AD to collect and give to Alec. So safety was missed from Prop Master / Armourer

 

[Yel]

‘Rust’ Director Joel Souza “Gutted By The Loss” Of DP Halyna Hutchins Following Tragedy On Alec Baldwin Western

EXCLUSIVE: Rust director Joel Souza, who was injured and hospitalized from a gunshot wound on the set of Alec Baldwin‘s Rust, has issued a statement to Deadline in the wake of the tragic event which took the life of Halyna Hutchins, the film’s cinematographer. Souza told us, “I am gutted by the...

deadline.com

the sheriff has confirmed Alec is a free man, they have been talking to the armourer who loaded the guns.

The whole production sounded like it was in a right state. I'd have thought Alec in his producer role had something to do with the events that lead to it?

This reads to me that the prop master shows the assistant director the weapon and the actor the weapon etc. Where as the prop master left them on a tray for the AD to collect and give to Alec. So safety was missed from Prop Master / Armourer

I thought there wasn't a prop master because unlike California it wasn't legally required in New Mexico?

 

[KINGAA]

I thought there wasn't a prop master because unlike California it wasn't legally required in New Mexico?

I guess this is why there wasn’t proper checks if it was just an armourer supplying the guns and no props. This all seems very messy! Doomed to have some health and safety issue at some point.

 

[Blurp]

There's also confusion because a lot of the crew had walked out because of the conditions and been replaced with locally-recruited non-union crew, so who knows the level of expertise on set. There had already been accidental discharges a previous day. There's even talk of the gun possibly being borrowed for target shooting (which is where live ammo may have come from).

And AB pointed the gun at someone - which everyone quoted in articles above says is a no-no and normally done by clever camera angles. Even a barrel view is apparently done without the operator behind the lens and with a screen.

Definitely a whole host of health and safety violations and a possibility of manslaughter due to reckless unconcern for any consequences.

 

[Dawn Dayn]

The father of Halyna says he doesn't blame Alec. Hmmm Alec the actor or Alec the producer. Money talks and celebrity walks.

 

[thisiscat]

‘Rust’ Director Joel Souza “Gutted By The Loss” Of DP Halyna Hutchins Following Tragedy On Alec Baldwin Western

EXCLUSIVE: Rust director Joel Souza, who was injured and hospitalized from a gunshot wound on the set of Alec Baldwin‘s Rust, has issued a statement to Deadline in the wake of the tragic event which took the life of Halyna Hutchins, the film’s cinematographer. Souza told us, “I am gutted by the...

deadline.com

The whole production sounded like it was in a right state. I'd have thought Alec in his producer role had something to do with the events that lead to it?


I thought there wasn't a prop master because unlike California it wasn't legally required in New Mexico?

Just because it wasn’t required where they were filming, doesn’t mean they had to lower their standards. I would’ve though that for health and safety they would’ve stuck with or fought to keep things as safe as possible, but based on the walkouts it seems unlikely..,

 

[Yel]

Just because it wasn’t required where they were filming, doesn’t mean they had to lower their standards. I would’ve though that for health and safety they would’ve stuck with or fought to keep things as safe as possible, but based on the walkouts it seems unlikely..,

My post was just a factual thing, not an endorsement.

Of course with hindsight they should have gone above the law, but the chance of companies voluntarily do so is pretty damn unlikely.

 

[NonDairyQueen]

I’m not sure- the reporting just indicates cold gun means blanks. The report in this links states so very clearly https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...ored-golden-rule-gun-safety-never-loaded.html

“There should have been blanks in the gun, the on-set armorer's job is to check that before handing the weapon over,' Tristan told Dailymail.com.”

I thought 'cold gun' meant completely empty and 'hot gun' means blanks. Why would live ammunition even be on a film set? If there was live ammunition on set, someone has brought it on and used it in the 'cold' gun

"One Santa Fe prop master told DailyMail.com that had the gun been checked properly before it was handed to Baldwin, the tragedy wouldn't have occurred.

"'If they'd done their job checking the weapon this wouldn't have happened. You show the assistant director the weapon, you show the actor the weapon, you show everybody it's a safe weapon. There's a big chain of command that missed an opportunity to save a life.' "

So both AB and the assistant director should have checked the gun?

It sounds like they've tried to do the whole production on the cheap- including hiring an inexperienced armourer and not getting someone else to do the checks, maybe to save time. The whole thing sounds like a complete mess.

 

[Eltonjohnsflorist]

I thought 'cold gun' meant completely empty and 'hot gun' means blanks. Why would live ammunition even be on a film set? If there was live ammunition on set, someone has brought it on and used it in the 'cold' gun


It sounds like they've tried to do the whole production on the cheap- including hiring an inexperienced armourer and not getting someone else to do the checks, maybe to save time. The whole thing sounds like a complete mess.

A blank isn’t live ammunition though?
I don’t know, it seems confused, some posters are saying cold gun means empty (but tbf, that makes it almost completely risk free unless you smack someone round the head with it, so what would all the control be about?) but then there are articles quoting experts who clearly say cold gun means blank bullets.

I haven’t seen the phrase hot gun anywhere, so don’t know if there is any need for guns loaded with live bullets in film
Making.

 

[Tui]

I find it bizarre that we can use cgi to make entire movies look real yet we seemingly can’t cgi a gun firing?!

 

[KINGAA]

A blank isn’t live ammunition though?
I don’t know, it seems confused, some posters are saying cold gun means empty (but tbf, that makes it almost completely risk free unless you smack someone round the head with it, so what would all the control be about?) but then there are articles quoting experts who clearly say cold gun means blank bullets.

I haven’t seen the phrase hot gun anywhere, so don’t know if there is any need for guns loaded with live bullets in film
Making.

Here’s a good diagram explaining what a blank is for anyone confused. It’s still incredibly dangerous

 

[Eltonjohnsflorist]

Yes, @KINGAA that’s how I understand it- blanks are still dangerous. In somewhere like the U.K. where gun laws are very strict modified bullets/ blanks are used because people can’t buy bullets and they can be even more dangerous because they malfunction/ ricochet

 

[Yel]

I find it bizarre that we can use cgi to make entire movies look real yet we seemingly can’t cgi a gun firing?!

Well a lot of CG does look tit. That's not to criticize the artists behind it - they notoriously are given a lot of work and not enough time to do it. The studios know it's not great, but they're generally satisfied that it looks good enough. So many movies that are heavy in CG rather than practical affects age terribly.

There's so much to do with a gun with the kickback, smoking, lighting, sound etc.

 

[thisiscat]

My post was just a factual thing, not an endorsement.

Of course with hindsight they should have gone above the law, but the chance of companies voluntarily do so is pretty damn unlikely.

I was just being matter of fact, I wasn’t trying to call you out. I was trying to call the production out. Or maybe they chose that location because of the relaxed laws. I just hope whoever was responsible for the grave error gets severely punished- though it seems it was a series of events that led to the tragedy, there will be one person in particular who seriously didn’t do their job properly- most likely the armourer.

 

[Dawn Dayn]

I was just being matter of fact, I wasn’t trying to call you out. I was trying to call the production out. Or maybe they chose that location because of the relaxed laws. I just hope whoever was responsible for the grave error gets severely punished- though it seems it was a series of events that led to the tragedy, there will be one person in particular who seriously didn’t do their job properly- most likely the armourer.

Alec's pr will make sure everyone looks at the armorer and the fella who handed him the gun, anyone but Alec. The Director's statement didn't mention accident or gun, it was like she'd died of old age in a nursing home.

 

[Silverback]

For me the crux of the matter is, why did he point the gun at the cinematographer?! How did she get shot by it?

 

[Blurp]

For me the crux of the matter is, why did he point the gun at the cinematographer?! How did she get shot by it?

Yup, that's the one thing that you never do, and which all the experts are saying is fudged by camera angles. Regardless of what the gun was loaded with, no one would have been shot or died had he not pointed the gun at someone.