The photo taken just hours before the accidental shooting that killed director of photography Halyna Hutchins, 42: the incident appears to have been caused by failures in on-set safety management
A set set up in a small church, in New Mexico. Actor Alec Baldiwn, 63, in the center of the frame, surrounded by the crew of the film “Rust”. And, from behind, Halyna Hutchins, 42, the director of photography. The photo, published on social media by the crew’s chief electrician, Serge Svetnoy, was taken a few hours before theincident that resulted in Hutchins’ death and injury to the film’s director, Joel Souza, 48 years old. In support of the photo, Svetnoy writes: “This is the last photo of Halyna on the set.”
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L’accident it occurred around 3:30 pm local time when Hutchins was shot in the chest by a shot from a prop pistol. A bullet also reached Souza, who was admitted to the Santa Fe hospital with a shoulder wound. It was Baldwin who fired: he was practicing taking it out of the holster, pointing it at the camera. According to what has emerged so far, he had been assured that the gun was unloaded just before the scene began.
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As Matteo Persivale explained in this article, behind the accident in which the director of photography lost her life is a problem of costs, or rather of cuts. “His accidental death”, he wrote, “is explained sadly, banally, shamefully as follows: so much haste, little money, too long hours of work, too many shortcuts taken on everything, including security “.
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In recent days the American media have brought out worrying details about the serious shortcomings with respect to the security measures adopted on set. The Weapons Officer had little experience – she was on her second job – and had let it slip in the past doubts about its preparation. The assistant director, Dave Halls, would instead have been the protagonist of inappropriate behavior and in some cases, in the past, he would have also neglected safety of the sets he had worked on.
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Investigations into the incident are still ongoing. The legal consequences are expected to be serious, albeit it is not yet clear who will be indicted. In addition to Baldwin, the Associated Press reports, 5 other producers, 4 executive producers, a line producer, a co-producer, as well as assistant director Dave Halls and gunsmith Hannah Gutierrez may have to answer for their responsibilities, including if they weren’t on set at the time of the accident. Alec Baldwin will likely not be held criminally liable for the tragedy. However, the actor was also the producer of the film, and this could have other implications for possible civil lawsuits.
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October 27, 2021 (change October 27, 2021 | 10:51)
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