Alec Baldwin discharged a prop gun and killed

[Jalapeñomel]

a crew member and wounded the director on set in New Mexico.

www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/sheriffs-office-alec-baldwin-discharged-prop-gun-that-killed-crew-member-wounded-director/article_9612afc6-32c5-11ec-9e2e-e3cc47b69ce5.html


This is straight out of a horror book I read as a kid called Last Act(I think), and of course, Brandon Lee.

[jinkies]

Oh man. I saw this yesterday and just heard that it was in the set of Baldwin's movie, I didn't realize he actually fired the gun.

It's horrible for everyone involved.

[marie]

I do not understand how something like that could happen I feel really bad for everyone involved.

[maudefindlay]

I really think we can do without photos of Alec Baldwin crying outside the Sheriff's office. Worst day of his life, let him have some privacy.

[jlt19]

Oct 22, 2021 6:33:51 GMT -5 marie said:

I do not understand how something like that could happen I feel really bad for everyone involved.

Seriously. After Brandon Lee, you’d think they put some sort of safety guidelines in place to ensure this never happened again. What a terrible tragedy.

[fivechickens]

Tragic. I feel for everyone involved.

Maybe this is dumb but I always assumed prop gun were literally fake guns not real guns.

[Bernadine]

The first headline I saw said that he shot someone, without mentioning it was an accident, and I wasn’t shocked.

How tragic for all involved.

[eb777888]

Oct 22, 2021 6:35:19 GMT -5 maudefindlay said:

I really think we can do without photos of Alec Baldwin crying outside the Sheriff's office. Worst day of his life, let him have some privacy.

Yeah, it’s not helping that many news outlets are reporting it oddly, like it was intentional. I feel horrible for him. Also, I feel horrible for the woman’s family. So sad all around.

[ssmjlm]

How awful. The article I read said it was blanks in the gun, not that they aren't harmless.

[isabel]

Oh my god. How awful for… everyone. That person’s family, Baldwin having to live with that. My god.

[underwaterrhymes]

This is horrible on so many levels.

Also, really shitty reporting by the NYT by mentioning the previous encounters Alec Baldwin has had with law enforcement. It’s clear this was a tragic accident.

[erbear]

Oct 22, 2021 7:56:36 GMT -5 jennyparnassus said:

Oct 22, 2021 6:05:04 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

This is straight out of a horror book I read as a kid called Last Act(I think), and of course, Brandon Lee.

I read that book.

I think that it was a Point Thriller / Point Horror. It was sold in the Scholastic Book Club circular that we got in school.

Christopher Pike was the author.

Yes! I had the same thought about this book. What a tragic thing to happen

[jlt19]

Oct 22, 2021 7:31:21 GMT -5 ssmjlm said:

How awful. The article I read said it was blanks in the gun, not that they aren't harmless.

So thinking more about this and it’s similarities to Brandon Lee, his was a bit more “predictable” in that it was part of filming. But why would Baldwin be pointing a gun (real or not) at these two? I am NOT insinuating it was intentional by any means, but kind of horrified that he wasn’t trained in proper gun safety. I could definitely see there being a negligence angle here, though I sort of doubt that would actually happen considering who he is.

[Pilsy]

This is just so awful and completely preventable! That poor woman and her family - so heartbreaking. And of course I feel awful for the other victim and Baldwin, too.

I have so many questions. With everything they can fake in TV and movies these days, why on earth are weapons that can actually harm people still being used?? I just don't see any excuse for it.

[lightbulbsun]

This is so horrifying. I feel awful for everyone involved.

[flygirl]

I don’t understand why they don’t have more safety precautions in place. One should always assume a gun is loaded. ALWAYS. Prop or not. They shouldn’t have been pointing it toward anyone even if it wasn’t supposed to have “real” bullets in it. I feel horrible for her family and hope the other person recovers.

[Velar Fricative]

Oct 22, 2021 8:28:07 GMT -5 jlt19 said:

Oct 22, 2021 7:31:21 GMT -5 ssmjlm said:

How awful. The article I read said it was blanks in the gun, not that they aren't harmless.

So thinking more about this and it’s similarities to Brandon Lee, his was a bit more “predictable” in that it was part of filming. But why would Baldwin be pointing a gun (real or not) at these two? I am NOT insinuating it was intentional by any means, but kind of horrified that he wasn’t trained in proper gun safety. I could definitely see there being a negligence angle here, though I sort of doubt that would actually happen considering who he is.

I don't believe there's been any update that this *didn't* take place during filming. Given that it was the director and cinematographer that were shot, they would be directly behind the camera if, say, Baldwin was shooting towards the camera while filming.

[sstephensid]

Oct 22, 2021 8:41:22 GMT -5 flygirl said:

I don’t understand why they don’t have more safety precautions in place. One should always assume a gun is loaded. ALWAYS. Prop or not. They shouldn’t have been pointing it toward anyone even if it wasn’t supposed to have “real” bullets in it. I feel horrible for her family and hope the other person recovers.

Prop guns can’t be aimed towards anyone? With as many people on set as there usually are + characters are often AIMING at another character how would this even be possible?

[nicolewi]

This is horrifying. How does this happen? I read in an article (about this) that some 26 year old was killed on set once when filming a "Russian Roulette" scene and the gun actually discharged or something.

I am naive...I did think prop guns were fake and harmless. I thought blanks were harmless! I don't get it...are blanks actually dangerous? Are there actually bullets in the guns sometimes???

[notreal]

Oct 22, 2021 8:57:14 GMT -5 nicolewi said:

This is horrifying. How does this happen? I read in an article (out this) that some 26 year old was killed on set once when filming a "Russian Roulette" scene and the gun actually discharged or something.

I am naive...I did think prop guns were fake and harmless. I thought blanks were harmless! I don't get it...are blanks actually dangerous? Are there actually bullets in the guns sometimes???

TW: Jan-Erik Hexum.  He was Phineas Bogg on Voyagers.  He was playing with the gun between shots and apparently the paper wad that is in the blank entered his temple.  That was in 1984, there should have been changes made long before Brandon Lee.

[mrsslocombe]

IATSE has sent out a release that the gun contained a live round (which should never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever happen during blocking). The prop master/armorer team was non-union.

www.avclub.com/prop-gun-fired-by-alec-baldwin-that-killed-crew-member-1847916720

While the shooting may have been unintentional, if it's true that there was a live round in the gun, then this is not a "tragic accident." It's criminal negligence.

For those who asked-some sets use completely fake guns incapable of firing (though there is a still a safety officer in charge of inspecting all guns prior to each shot, to verify that they are not loaded/not capable of firing. On union sets, this is an armorer/prop master with special training. On my husband's student film, it was an NYPD officer.) as well as actual guns that contain blanks. I don't know why we still use real guns with blanks. Lord knows nearly all the dialogue in a film is looped, the gun shot can be too.

[felicity]

Oct 22, 2021 8:41:22 GMT -5 flygirl said:

I don’t understand why they don’t have more safety precautions in place. One should always assume a gun is loaded. ALWAYS. Prop or not. They shouldn’t have been pointing it toward anyone even if it wasn’t supposed to have “real” bullets in it. I feel horrible for her family and hope the other person recovers.

I read something that it's common for them to film the actor firing a blank at the camera, but there are supposed to still be a lot of safety measures in place like the people filming being behind a plastic barrier. No idea if this is what happened but I wonder if that's why it was those two in particular who were harmed.

[VillainV]

Oct 22, 2021 8:54:39 GMT -5 sstephensid said:

Oct 22, 2021 8:41:22 GMT -5 flygirl said:

I don’t understand why they don’t have more safety precautions in place. One should always assume a gun is loaded. ALWAYS. Prop or not. They shouldn’t have been pointing it toward anyone even if it wasn’t supposed to have “real” bullets in it. I feel horrible for her family and hope the other person recovers.

Prop guns can’t be aimed towards anyone? With as many people on set as there usually are + characters are often AIMING at another character how would this even be possible?

It should be standard practice to set up a scene so that that no people are ever in the field of fire. You can use camera angles and post-production to get realistic looking scenes without ever endangering anyone. And really, is there ANY photographic/cinematographic shot that’s so important that it’s worth putting anyone in danger anyway?

[VillainV]

Oct 22, 2021 8:54:39 GMT -5 sstephensid said:

Oct 22, 2021 8:41:22 GMT -5 flygirl said:

I don’t understand why they don’t have more safety precautions in place. One should always assume a gun is loaded. ALWAYS. Prop or not. They shouldn’t have been pointing it toward anyone even if it wasn’t supposed to have “real” bullets in it. I feel horrible for her family and hope the other person recovers.

Prop guns can’t be aimed towards anyone? With as many people on set as there usually are + characters are often AIMING at another character how would this even be possible?

It should be standard practice to set up a scene so that that no people are ever in the field of fire. You can use camera angles and post-production to get realistic looking scenes without ever endangering anyone. And really, is there ANY photographic/cinematographic shot that’s so important that it’s worth putting anyone in danger anyway?

[MixedBerryJam]

Oct 22, 2021 8:28:07 GMT -5 jlt19 said:

Oct 22, 2021 7:31:21 GMT -5 ssmjlm said:

How awful. The article I read said it was blanks in the gun, not that they aren't harmless.

So thinking more about this and it’s similarities to Brandon Lee, his was a bit more “predictable” in that it was part of filming. But why would Baldwin be pointing a gun (real or not) at these two? I am NOT insinuating it was intentional by any means, but kind of horrified that he wasn’t trained in proper gun safety. I could definitely see there being a negligence angle here, though I sort of doubt that would actually happen considering who he is.

I had a similar thought, but now I'm wondering if they were filming a scene where he was shooting at an (offscreen) thing in the general direction of the camera? Just a guess. I really, really hope he wasn't just playing with it.

[af1212]

Oct 22, 2021 7:56:36 GMT -5 jennyparnassus said:

Oct 22, 2021 6:05:04 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

This is straight out of a horror book I read as a kid called Last Act(I think), and of course, Brandon Lee.

I read that book.

I think that it was a Point Thriller / Point Horror. It was sold in the Scholastic Book Club circular that we got in school.

Christopher Pike was the author.

I also read this book and it is where 100% of my knowledge of “blanks” comes from.

[thedutchgirl]

It's so awful.

I read this article earlier, and it explains that blanks aren't without danger. And that yes, usually the prop master teaches how to hold the weapon and instructs to act as if it is loaded (for real) at all times. Plus they do often use CGI to change the angle so that a person isn't actually aiming at another person.

www.npr.org/2021/10/22/1048295916/props-gun-death-injuries-rust-movie-set-rare

[mich1]

I just read an article that there were a lot of irregularities going on in the filming, and that a good chunk of people had walked off the set. Non union people were hired to replace them.

I wonder how much this had to do with it?

[liverandonions]

Found this tiktok informative

vm.tiktok.com/ZM8AaR7sk/

[mrsslocombe]

LA Times has a lot more details:

www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2021-10-22/alec-baldwin-rust-camera-crew-walked-off-set

3 prior misfire incidents and they were only on Day 12 of shooting. 4 incidents in 12 days is mind-boggling. Also the shooting happened during camera blocking/rehearsal when the actual gun capable of firing should NOT have been on set-protocol is that you use the non-fireable version until cameras are rolling and only on limited shots/angles.