Mireille Karadanaian is an entertainment journalist, whose passion for reviewing upcoming TV shows and movies has existed since a young age. She writes reviews and feature entertainment stories for The Hollywood Insider’s inclusive and authentic platform, contributing to the important stories being told in media today. Mireille loves discussing the impact today’s media is making on younger generations who emulate what they see on screen and the Internet, a double-edged sword. Her stories often include the importance of creating content that inspires inclusion, positivity, and productive messages to all audiences and generations. Mireille’s love of covering TV shows, movies, and exciting questions that are being asked in the media world is seen in her writing and her ability to not just report facts but also tell a story.
Nov 2, 2021
Table of Contents
Photo: Alec Baldwin
The Hollywood Insider would like to pay our condolences to Halyna Hutchins and her family and friends. Gun safety on film sets is a must.
Joel Souza, director of the film, ‘Rust,’ was home to the latest industry disaster regarding the use of props and FX on his set. The movie, which was meant to be able the youngest person who’d been hung in the American Wild West, has now been put on pause with Alec Baldwin taking a step back as well.
Alec Baldwin and Halyna Hutchins: The Fatal Shooting
Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer was killed and her family was left grieving and with questions about how this could have possibly happened on one of the most high profile movie sets with some of the most high profile actors, cast, and crew.
Souza was also left wondering how his set could have been home to such a tragic accident. The prop gun used is said to be a cold gun in the firearm safety announcements the cast and crew partook in. In addition, armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and Dave Halls, the assistant director would perform their own checks of the weaponry before handing them to the actors, creating a lengthy and thorough approval process.
Armament Approval Processes On Hollywood Sets
Souza’s set, as well as many others, performs this precise sequence in order to ensure multiple armorers and crew members have been a part of approving the props. According to an anonymous source, a producer who wishes to remain unnamed during the investigation, said they witnessed both armorers handed the actors guns.
The process seems foolproof and appeared to have been completed accurately the day of the accident, leaving many to wonder where the discrepancies occurred. Souza, who had been questioned thoroughly after the accident, conceded that perhaps the lack of consistency occurred during their lunch break on Thursday, October 28th. In between takes, the cast was taken with a shuttle elsewhere in order to eat and after returning there was no confirmation that the firearms had undergone another check.
Alec Baldwin was in a church pew, practicing his scene and the “cross-drawing” technique that his character needed to perform. This involved pointing the camera at the lens in order to achieve a unique cinematic angle. This is when Souza noticed that Hutchins had grabbed her midsection and doubled over in horror.
He hadn’t even processed the bloody injury at his shoulder before he saw Hutchins die from the fatal wound. He’d been beside her to offer commentary on the camera angle but he’d ended up caught in the mysterious and dangerous crossfire of Baldwin’s faulty prop. Hutchins died at the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque but Souza was able to be treated for his wounds.
Hutchins was remembered as a strong and talented woman who was proud to show off her Ukrainian heritage and spirit.
Shift to Technology To Preserve Authenticity and More Importantly, Lives
This tragic accident has however prompted many discussions about the way Hollywood has and will continue to use real firearms on the sets of films. Many argue that our current level of technological prowess should be enough of a substitute for real guns, that computer-generated imaging and visual effects are impressive enough.
An online petition has been circulating and it has over 50k signatures at this point, with many citizens as well as professionals asking their peers to reevaluate the use of real guns on sets. A California state senator that would rather remain unnamed, has expressed introducing new legislation that would forbid sets from using firearms with real ammunition in order to, “prevent this type of senseless violence and loss of life.”
Alexi Hawley, the showrunner of ‘The Rookie,’ a show focused entirely on the ABC police procedural expressed his distaste for the current gun rules and announced to his cast and crew they’d no longer be using live weapons on the show.
Now, the show will use airsoft guns which are replica toy guns with pellets as well as flashes with CGI to create the effect of a real gun. “Any risk is too much risk,” he said darkly.
Other Side of the Coin: Importance of Realistic Weaponry On Set
Unfortunately, many argue that this complete banning of real guns on sets is very unlikely and impractical. They argue that for many productions, especially independent ones with small budgets and even smaller crews, affording this type of technological alternative is near impossible. CGI is not only a costly technique but it takes months to implement accurately and seamlessly. Anna Halbery, a film producer who’s worked on many sci-fi and action sets said, “t’s oftentimes easier and more economical to actually discharge your weapon on set using a blank than it is to add a gun in CGI in post-production.”
Others are blankly arguing that the level of accuracy and realisticness that real guns provide is irreplaceable. This can create better performances by the actors and keep the energy alive on set.
There are tons of floating opinions about what the industry should do, with most focusing on finding a solution that doesn’t incite meaningless death like Hutchins’. With technology advancing at a faster pace than ever and the lives of real humans at stake, the solution is clear – the FX and prop community needs to rely more on their practical and technological skills.
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Mireille Karadanaian is an entertainment journalist, whose passion for reviewing upcoming TV shows and movies has existed since a young age. She writes reviews and feature entertainment stories for The Hollywood Insider’s inclusive and authentic platform, contributing to the important stories being told in media today. Mireille loves discussing the impact today’s media is making on younger generations who emulate what they see on screen and the Internet, a double-edged sword. Her stories often include the importance of creating content that inspires inclusion, positivity, and productive messages to all audiences and generations. Mireille’s love of covering TV shows, movies, and exciting questions that are being asked in the media world is seen in her writing and her ability to not just report facts but also tell a story.
Mireille Karadanaian is an entertainment journalist, whose passion for reviewing upcoming TV shows and movies has existed since a young age. She writes reviews and feature entertainment stories for The Hollywood Insider’s inclusive and authentic platform, contributing to the important stories being told in media today. Mireille loves discussing the impact today’s media is making on younger generations who emulate what they see on screen and the Internet, a double-edged sword. Her stories often include the importance of creating content that inspires inclusion, positivity, and productive messages to all audiences and generations. Mireille’s love of covering TV shows, movies, and exciting questions that are being asked in the media world is seen in her writing and her ability to not just report facts but also tell a story.
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