On Friday, July 12th the case against Alec Baldwin in the death of Rust’s cinematographer Haylna Hutchins was dismissed, which may also affect the conviction of the film’s armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed.
Accidents do happen on sets. They are workplaces with a lot of inherent risks, the work is often different every day, often in different locations, and the hours are long. As a result, safety is something that should take great priority on sets. I was working and in contact with others on sets during the peak of Covid and, overall, the precautions put in place made them the safest places to work during that period of massive transmission. But the drive for production days still leads to long hours and short turnarounds, something that tends to impact below-the-line crew members the hardest, sometimes with deadly results, who have the least agency to affect change on set for fear of losing their jobs and being replaced. While there are safety meetings before any stunt is undertaken to mitigate any injuries/deaths, and IATSE members fight for stronger language regarding turnarounds or penalties imposed on productions to deter them from overworking their crews, the protections only work on sets that play by the rules. Independent productions, like Rust and Midnight Rider (where Sarah Jones was killed after producers lied to the crew about having permission to film on an active railroad trestle), often shoot in locations outside of many union jurisdictions, with smaller crews, making it easier for them to operate as if safety regulations are merely suggestions so they can cut costs. And they get away with it, except when tragedies happen.
What happened on Rust, should never have happened. A blind eye had to be turned to a lot of things prior to Alec Baldwin holding a gun loaded with live ammunition that day. Personally, while I do think he did not behave in the manner in which I’ve seen actors with weapons on set, as an actor, based on his recounting of events, it was a tragic accident due to an inexperienced armorer (Hannah Gutierrez-Reed). However, as Alec Baldwin was also a producer on the film, he had a responsibility for the safety of every member of that crew. If you’ve ever worked on a set, you know word gets around quickly, so if people were shooting the guns at lunch, people knew about it. He was a person in power with agency, and when you are a person with that, it is your job to look out for the safety of people who might not be able to speak out for themselves.
Set safety is not just for life and limb though, other aspects of set safety have been introduced in recent years, and this time I’m not talking about Covid monitors. I’m speaking about Intimacy Coordinators. Intimacy Coordinators are very important, particularly for newer actors, to make sure they have more agency in scenes where they are going to be very vulnerable before the camera (also working with the crew, and usually a limited crew for these days, so that everyone knows what to expect). There have been so many horror stories of actors who have been surprised during these scenes and working on a film or a show above all else is a job and one should feel safe at their work. Like with many safety initiatives, there is pushback from people who didn’t have it when they started or perceive it as unnecessary. Still, many are coming around, promoting a safer set environment that doesn’t compromise the art. Emma Stone reversed her position on intimacy coordinators during the filming of Poor Things and is now an advocate for them.
In the wake of Sarah Jones’ death on Midnight Rider, Safety for Sarah and The Sarah Jones Foundationwere created to foster on-set safety through awareness and accountability. One of their initiatives is the Sarah Jones Film Student Safety Grant Program, because changing the culture on sets, it is important to start early. There has also been a focus on better gun safety on sets in the wake of Haylna Hutchins’ death, with the recommendations for their handling revised most recently as of April 29th of this year. There will always be tragedies and accidents, but an environment that promotes safety in all forms, whether it’s through following proper safety protocols or having an intimacy coordinator to make sure everyone is okay with all aspects of a scene, is necessary to mitigate unnecessary injuries and will only create a healthier industry and not hurt the art.
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