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Oct. 24th, 2021 08:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkat1. Claudia Black on Film Set Safety - So, I started following Claudia Black on Twitter recently. Anyhow, she's been posting these amazing threads about how to handle life on a film set.
The link above is to the latest thread.
"If you’re an aspiring actor, and as my advice was good enough for a young Mcavoy I pray you’ll listen now.
When we were filming Pitch Black a producer came to give me a choice. They had a problem and needed to do a reshoot with me and a stuntie. The shoot thus far had been rough he crew was exhausted. 6 day weeks are unsustainable. Mistakes happen when crews are tired and often on the 6th day. The crew couldn’t say “no” to another Saturday but I could. I asked when they needed a decision & went to speak with some crew. I made sure that they themselves were choosing —rest vs an overtime paycheck— I would not presume to know their needs and priorities. They chose safety and rest. “Safety First,” is after all, an oft heard refrain on any decent set with its priorities in check. I returned to the producer and told him I was too tired and didn’t want to work the Saturday. He looked at me for a few seconds. I was a good actor and a bad liar. He went to say something, nodded instead and rescheduled. We do a lot of things on sets that would otherwise be illegal. It can be thrilling. It’s a privilege."
This was in response to the tragic shooting of a film photographer on a film set by Alec Baldwin. The shooting is being investigated, but so far appears to have been accidental and unintentional. AP NEWS COVERAGE of ON-Set misfiring of a gun that killed director of photography on the set of Rust
BTW there is a lot on this on Twitter - enough to demonstrate to me at least that Baldwin and his fellow producers cut some corners, and did not follow safety protocols on set, nor did they take measures to ensure their film crew was safe and well rested. There's one thread where a crew member is complaining about how crew members couldn't find a place to sleep that was close by, and that the producers refused to find one or pay for rooms, outside of a motel that was doubling as a homeless shelter. (This thread horrified Claudia Black.) Another thread made it clear that the Assistant Director wasn't attending safety meetings and pooh-poohing them as a waste of time. And wasn't taking the fire arm safety seriously. And another thread makes it clear how odd this was, and out of the norm - meaning normally strict safety protocols are followed and there's no way this would have happened if those safety protocols had been followed.
I'm in an industry where we have to take a four-hour safety training course each year in order to be near or on the tracks. And I'm inundated with safety protocols. We have Safety Meetings once a month. So I can well imagine what a film set that utilizes stunts and fire arms would require or should. Also recently the union representing television, theater, and film crews went on strike in part due to the lack of appropriate safety measures on film and television sets.
Days before the actor fatally shot Halyna Hutchins, a cinematographer on the set of “Rust,” a gun used in the production inadvertently went off at least two times, ex-crew members said. The incidents prompted a complaint to a supervisor about the safety practices on the set, which was outside Santa Fe. The crew members were among several workers who quit just hours before the fatal shooting over complaints about working conditions and unpaid work.
According to an affidavit, Baldwin was told that the gun was safe before he fired it, and an assistant director “did not know live rounds were in the prop-gun” when he gave it to him.
According to Twitter feeds, the assistant director didn't know because he didn't attend the safety course. The Fire Arm specialist, put the guns on the prop table. The AD picked up one and handed it to the actor, who then fired it, killing Hutchins and wounding the director.
Per the Times:
Here is an overview of what we know, and what we don’t know, as of Sunday morning.
What we know
* The shooting happened during a rehearsal for a scene in “Rust.” Mr. Baldwin fired the gun, striking the cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, in the chest and the director, Joel Souza, in the shoulder. Ms. Hutchins, 42, was airlifted to a hospital in Albuquerque, where she died. Mr. Souza, 48, was taken by ambulance to a hospital in Santa Fe and was released on Friday.
* Mr. Baldwin has cooperated with the investigation, including going to the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office after the shooting to provide a statement and answer questions. No criminal charges have been filed against him or anyone else.
* The Sheriff’s Office has obtained a warrant to search the building where the shooting happened, examine the gun for biological evidence and review video footage from the film cameras and other recordings. A spokesman for the office said he expected more information to be available next week.
* In an affidavit accompanying the office’s request for a warrant, Detective Joel Cano said that an assistant director on the set had taken the gun off a cart — where it had been placed by the film’s armorer, or weapons handler — and handed it to Mr. Baldwin, who pulled the trigger shortly thereafter. According to the affidavit, the assistant director called out the words “cold gun,” indicating that it was unloaded and safe for Mr. Baldwin to handle.
* Days earlier, a handful of crew members had walked off the set over general working conditions, according to several people involved in the production and a theatrical union official. Crew members had complained to producers about long workdays — often exceeding 13 hours — and delayed paychecks. Some also said the production company had failed to book hotel rooms near the set, meaning that they had to drive about an hour to their homes after long, physically demanding days.
* In a statement released on Friday, Mr. Baldwin called the shooting a “tragic accident” and said he had been in touch with Ms. Hutchins’s husband to offer his support. “There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother and deeply admired colleague of ours,” he wrote on Twitter, adding, “My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna.”
* There were at least two accidental gun discharges on the set on Oct. 16, days before the fatal shooting, according to three former members of the film’s crew. The discharges occurred inside a cabin used as a set location, and Ms. Hutchins was among the production team members inside, the former crew members said. The discharges prompted a complaint to a supervisor about the safety practices on the set.
What we don’t know
* What type of projectile the gun contained. We do not know whether it was live ammunition, a blank (meaning a cartridge without a bullet, but with gunpowder and wadding that can sometimes be ejected forcefully enough to kill) or something else.
* Who loaded the gun, and who was responsible for the false conclusion that it wasn’t loaded. We know from the Sheriff’s Office affidavit that the assistant director called it a “cold gun” when handing it to Mr. Baldwin, but we do not know whether he made that assessment personally or whether he received bad information from someone else.
* How the protocols that are supposed to prevent firearm deaths and injuries on film sets failed.
[Right now various folks in the entertainment industry are petitioning that firearms be banned from film and television sets in the future, and they rely on special effects. I can't blame them. And why not? Also, it does make me wonder about the violence in our films and television series - and how easy it is for stuff to go wrong.}
2. There's two intriguing new comic series coming from BOOM! - involving the Angel and Buffy verses.
* Angel Goes Hollywood with New Comic
Set to launch in January, BOOM!'s new Angel comic follows the fan-favorite vampire with a soul as he juggles being a television star with being a monster hunter. The eight-issue series comes from writer Christopher Cantwell (Iron Man, The United States of Captain America), artist Daniel Bayliss (WWE The New Day: The Power of Positivity, Labyrinth: Coronation), colorist Patricio Delpeche (Origins) and letterer Becca Carey. The first issue features a main cover by Nimit Malavia, as well as variant covers by InHyuk Lee and Jahoy Lindsay.
"Welcome to Detective TV, starring Angel and his co-star -- Cordelia! But wait, Angel isn't just a celebrity? Nope, he leads a double life… as a real monster hunter for Angel Investigations!" an official synopsis for the new series reads. "Sometimes, though, this double life can get his friends into trouble, and as Wesley recovers from a horrific curse, Angel stumbles into a series of supernatural events which lead to him getting sucked into an unexpected and mysterious world. He soon faces a terrifying enemy, who sees him as a threat..."
Shame they can't reboot that as a television series. Honestly that's the one version of the old vampire as detective they haven't done. I'd watch it. They don't have to make it Angel. Or they could and recast with a hotter actor?
* Buffy The Last Slayer - has a 50 something Buffy fighting vampires in a dystopian future, with Spike, and a sword wielding gray-haired Xander.
Buffy The Last Vampire Slayer #1 is the first of four installments in this latest mini-series from Boom Studios. The first issue comes with the main cover by Ario Anindito, as well as four unique variant covers by artists Dani Pendergast, Jakub Rebelka, Giuseppe Camuncoli (which reveals that Buffy had made her way to London) and Rod Reis, whose cover features an older, sword-wielding Xander. Whether the rest of the Scooby Gang (Xander, Willow and Giles) survived the vampire apocalypse and will once again join Buffy in her fight against darkness has not yet been revealed.
The new variant covers also come with character designs drawn by Jaro of the older, crossbow touting Buffy and the future version of Spike. This version of Buffy doesn't have to worry about high school drama or rival Slayers -- the apocalypse will put all of those stresses into perspective, anyway.
I wish they'd do that as a television series too - on Netflix. They could hire Claudia Black to play a 50 something Buffy, with Marsters as Spike, and recast Ben Browder as Xander.
BOOM! Studios - snatched the rights to Buffy, Angel, and Firefly from Dark Horse and IDW. And have rebooted the stories in new directions. I stopped with the reboots. But the above two takes look intriguing. And I may go back and sample some of the reboots.
[Note - Whedon may have been an asshole to work with, but I still like what he created with various other writers and actors. It's a universe I still enjoy. Also Stephen DeKnight, Marti Noxon and Jane Espenson along with Tim Minear - were all good writers. As were the actors involved, and crew.]
3. A lot of people are dying of cancer this year, or have it. I know of various folks at work who have pancreatic cancer. It's like we either have people die of COVID or Cancer. Or get one or the other.
Peter Scolari - Bosom Buddies, Newhart, and Girls fame - died of prostrate Cancer recently.
And
James Michael Tyler - Gunther on Friends died of
Prostrate Cancer this week.
RIP.
I have two project managers who are recovering from chemo and surgery for pancreatic cancer. We were discussing it at work this past week - how it appears in clusters.
Raise your hand if you don't have cancer in your family. I've numerous relatives who've had it, or died from it.
The world is just not a safe place, is it?
4. I wasn't going to talk about COVID, but alas...got email from my union. (I'm in an international union.) Anyhow - it is supporting the mandate for vaccines at least.
As you are surely aware, employers across the United States are mandating that employees be vaccinated against Covid-19 within the next few weeks. The rail industry is no different. As of October 2021, several carriers have established vaccination mandates and we expect many other railroads to follow.
Providing a safe and healthy workplace is one of our top priorities. In that regard, I encourage every member who is able to be vaccinated to do so. The impact of this virus is far reaching and severe. Unfortunately, many of you have already experienced that in your own families and workplaces. Sadly, my office has received notification of forty-eight members who have passed away due to Covid-19. The loss of life of so many members and the grief their families have endured weighs heavily upon the leadership of this Union.
I have heard from some members who want to know how the union plans to fight against the Carriers’ vaccine requirements. I understand the opposition to the Carriers’ harsh stance in requiring the vaccine. However, the Carriers are allowed to impose these mandates under the law. It would be dishonest for me to lead you to believe otherwise.
Sisters and Brothers, I will not mislead you by telling you we can succeed in challenging these mandates in court or that an arbitrator is likely to reinstate a member who has failed to comply with a vaccine mandate.
"Among those who received two doses of a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine six or more months ago, here’s who is eligible for a booster right now: people 65 and older; those 18 and older who live in long-term care; and those 18 and older who have underlying medical conditions or work or live in high-risk settings. For those who received the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine, anyone 18 and older who was vaccinated two or more months ago is eligible. (Read the C.D.C.’s full guidelines).
The C.D.C. also gave a green light to a mix-and-match strategy, so people who are eligible for boosters can decide to get a dose of a different brand than the one they first received.
Next up for shots: children. F.D.A. regulators said the Pfizer vaccine’s benefits outweigh the risks for 5- to 11-year-olds. Emergency authorization could come as early as next week.
The country has suffered through five waves of the coronavirus pandemic now, depending on how you count."
[I don't tend to supply links to the articles, because most of them are under paywalls.]
The link above is to the latest thread.
"If you’re an aspiring actor, and as my advice was good enough for a young Mcavoy I pray you’ll listen now.
When we were filming Pitch Black a producer came to give me a choice. They had a problem and needed to do a reshoot with me and a stuntie. The shoot thus far had been rough he crew was exhausted. 6 day weeks are unsustainable. Mistakes happen when crews are tired and often on the 6th day. The crew couldn’t say “no” to another Saturday but I could. I asked when they needed a decision & went to speak with some crew. I made sure that they themselves were choosing —rest vs an overtime paycheck— I would not presume to know their needs and priorities. They chose safety and rest. “Safety First,” is after all, an oft heard refrain on any decent set with its priorities in check. I returned to the producer and told him I was too tired and didn’t want to work the Saturday. He looked at me for a few seconds. I was a good actor and a bad liar. He went to say something, nodded instead and rescheduled. We do a lot of things on sets that would otherwise be illegal. It can be thrilling. It’s a privilege."
This was in response to the tragic shooting of a film photographer on a film set by Alec Baldwin. The shooting is being investigated, but so far appears to have been accidental and unintentional. AP NEWS COVERAGE of ON-Set misfiring of a gun that killed director of photography on the set of Rust
BTW there is a lot on this on Twitter - enough to demonstrate to me at least that Baldwin and his fellow producers cut some corners, and did not follow safety protocols on set, nor did they take measures to ensure their film crew was safe and well rested. There's one thread where a crew member is complaining about how crew members couldn't find a place to sleep that was close by, and that the producers refused to find one or pay for rooms, outside of a motel that was doubling as a homeless shelter. (This thread horrified Claudia Black.) Another thread made it clear that the Assistant Director wasn't attending safety meetings and pooh-poohing them as a waste of time. And wasn't taking the fire arm safety seriously. And another thread makes it clear how odd this was, and out of the norm - meaning normally strict safety protocols are followed and there's no way this would have happened if those safety protocols had been followed.
I'm in an industry where we have to take a four-hour safety training course each year in order to be near or on the tracks. And I'm inundated with safety protocols. We have Safety Meetings once a month. So I can well imagine what a film set that utilizes stunts and fire arms would require or should. Also recently the union representing television, theater, and film crews went on strike in part due to the lack of appropriate safety measures on film and television sets.
Days before the actor fatally shot Halyna Hutchins, a cinematographer on the set of “Rust,” a gun used in the production inadvertently went off at least two times, ex-crew members said. The incidents prompted a complaint to a supervisor about the safety practices on the set, which was outside Santa Fe. The crew members were among several workers who quit just hours before the fatal shooting over complaints about working conditions and unpaid work.
According to an affidavit, Baldwin was told that the gun was safe before he fired it, and an assistant director “did not know live rounds were in the prop-gun” when he gave it to him.
According to Twitter feeds, the assistant director didn't know because he didn't attend the safety course. The Fire Arm specialist, put the guns on the prop table. The AD picked up one and handed it to the actor, who then fired it, killing Hutchins and wounding the director.
Per the Times:
Here is an overview of what we know, and what we don’t know, as of Sunday morning.
What we know
* The shooting happened during a rehearsal for a scene in “Rust.” Mr. Baldwin fired the gun, striking the cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, in the chest and the director, Joel Souza, in the shoulder. Ms. Hutchins, 42, was airlifted to a hospital in Albuquerque, where she died. Mr. Souza, 48, was taken by ambulance to a hospital in Santa Fe and was released on Friday.
* Mr. Baldwin has cooperated with the investigation, including going to the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office after the shooting to provide a statement and answer questions. No criminal charges have been filed against him or anyone else.
* The Sheriff’s Office has obtained a warrant to search the building where the shooting happened, examine the gun for biological evidence and review video footage from the film cameras and other recordings. A spokesman for the office said he expected more information to be available next week.
* In an affidavit accompanying the office’s request for a warrant, Detective Joel Cano said that an assistant director on the set had taken the gun off a cart — where it had been placed by the film’s armorer, or weapons handler — and handed it to Mr. Baldwin, who pulled the trigger shortly thereafter. According to the affidavit, the assistant director called out the words “cold gun,” indicating that it was unloaded and safe for Mr. Baldwin to handle.
* Days earlier, a handful of crew members had walked off the set over general working conditions, according to several people involved in the production and a theatrical union official. Crew members had complained to producers about long workdays — often exceeding 13 hours — and delayed paychecks. Some also said the production company had failed to book hotel rooms near the set, meaning that they had to drive about an hour to their homes after long, physically demanding days.
* In a statement released on Friday, Mr. Baldwin called the shooting a “tragic accident” and said he had been in touch with Ms. Hutchins’s husband to offer his support. “There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother and deeply admired colleague of ours,” he wrote on Twitter, adding, “My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna.”
* There were at least two accidental gun discharges on the set on Oct. 16, days before the fatal shooting, according to three former members of the film’s crew. The discharges occurred inside a cabin used as a set location, and Ms. Hutchins was among the production team members inside, the former crew members said. The discharges prompted a complaint to a supervisor about the safety practices on the set.
What we don’t know
* What type of projectile the gun contained. We do not know whether it was live ammunition, a blank (meaning a cartridge without a bullet, but with gunpowder and wadding that can sometimes be ejected forcefully enough to kill) or something else.
* Who loaded the gun, and who was responsible for the false conclusion that it wasn’t loaded. We know from the Sheriff’s Office affidavit that the assistant director called it a “cold gun” when handing it to Mr. Baldwin, but we do not know whether he made that assessment personally or whether he received bad information from someone else.
* How the protocols that are supposed to prevent firearm deaths and injuries on film sets failed.
[Right now various folks in the entertainment industry are petitioning that firearms be banned from film and television sets in the future, and they rely on special effects. I can't blame them. And why not? Also, it does make me wonder about the violence in our films and television series - and how easy it is for stuff to go wrong.}
2. There's two intriguing new comic series coming from BOOM! - involving the Angel and Buffy verses.
* Angel Goes Hollywood with New Comic
Set to launch in January, BOOM!'s new Angel comic follows the fan-favorite vampire with a soul as he juggles being a television star with being a monster hunter. The eight-issue series comes from writer Christopher Cantwell (Iron Man, The United States of Captain America), artist Daniel Bayliss (WWE The New Day: The Power of Positivity, Labyrinth: Coronation), colorist Patricio Delpeche (Origins) and letterer Becca Carey. The first issue features a main cover by Nimit Malavia, as well as variant covers by InHyuk Lee and Jahoy Lindsay.
"Welcome to Detective TV, starring Angel and his co-star -- Cordelia! But wait, Angel isn't just a celebrity? Nope, he leads a double life… as a real monster hunter for Angel Investigations!" an official synopsis for the new series reads. "Sometimes, though, this double life can get his friends into trouble, and as Wesley recovers from a horrific curse, Angel stumbles into a series of supernatural events which lead to him getting sucked into an unexpected and mysterious world. He soon faces a terrifying enemy, who sees him as a threat..."
Shame they can't reboot that as a television series. Honestly that's the one version of the old vampire as detective they haven't done. I'd watch it. They don't have to make it Angel. Or they could and recast with a hotter actor?
* Buffy The Last Slayer - has a 50 something Buffy fighting vampires in a dystopian future, with Spike, and a sword wielding gray-haired Xander.
Buffy The Last Vampire Slayer #1 is the first of four installments in this latest mini-series from Boom Studios. The first issue comes with the main cover by Ario Anindito, as well as four unique variant covers by artists Dani Pendergast, Jakub Rebelka, Giuseppe Camuncoli (which reveals that Buffy had made her way to London) and Rod Reis, whose cover features an older, sword-wielding Xander. Whether the rest of the Scooby Gang (Xander, Willow and Giles) survived the vampire apocalypse and will once again join Buffy in her fight against darkness has not yet been revealed.
The new variant covers also come with character designs drawn by Jaro of the older, crossbow touting Buffy and the future version of Spike. This version of Buffy doesn't have to worry about high school drama or rival Slayers -- the apocalypse will put all of those stresses into perspective, anyway.
I wish they'd do that as a television series too - on Netflix. They could hire Claudia Black to play a 50 something Buffy, with Marsters as Spike, and recast Ben Browder as Xander.
BOOM! Studios - snatched the rights to Buffy, Angel, and Firefly from Dark Horse and IDW. And have rebooted the stories in new directions. I stopped with the reboots. But the above two takes look intriguing. And I may go back and sample some of the reboots.
[Note - Whedon may have been an asshole to work with, but I still like what he created with various other writers and actors. It's a universe I still enjoy. Also Stephen DeKnight, Marti Noxon and Jane Espenson along with Tim Minear - were all good writers. As were the actors involved, and crew.]
3. A lot of people are dying of cancer this year, or have it. I know of various folks at work who have pancreatic cancer. It's like we either have people die of COVID or Cancer. Or get one or the other.
Peter Scolari - Bosom Buddies, Newhart, and Girls fame - died of prostrate Cancer recently.
And
James Michael Tyler - Gunther on Friends died of
Prostrate Cancer this week.
RIP.
I have two project managers who are recovering from chemo and surgery for pancreatic cancer. We were discussing it at work this past week - how it appears in clusters.
Raise your hand if you don't have cancer in your family. I've numerous relatives who've had it, or died from it.
The world is just not a safe place, is it?
4. I wasn't going to talk about COVID, but alas...got email from my union. (I'm in an international union.) Anyhow - it is supporting the mandate for vaccines at least.
As you are surely aware, employers across the United States are mandating that employees be vaccinated against Covid-19 within the next few weeks. The rail industry is no different. As of October 2021, several carriers have established vaccination mandates and we expect many other railroads to follow.
Providing a safe and healthy workplace is one of our top priorities. In that regard, I encourage every member who is able to be vaccinated to do so. The impact of this virus is far reaching and severe. Unfortunately, many of you have already experienced that in your own families and workplaces. Sadly, my office has received notification of forty-eight members who have passed away due to Covid-19. The loss of life of so many members and the grief their families have endured weighs heavily upon the leadership of this Union.
I have heard from some members who want to know how the union plans to fight against the Carriers’ vaccine requirements. I understand the opposition to the Carriers’ harsh stance in requiring the vaccine. However, the Carriers are allowed to impose these mandates under the law. It would be dishonest for me to lead you to believe otherwise.
Sisters and Brothers, I will not mislead you by telling you we can succeed in challenging these mandates in court or that an arbitrator is likely to reinstate a member who has failed to comply with a vaccine mandate.
"Among those who received two doses of a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine six or more months ago, here’s who is eligible for a booster right now: people 65 and older; those 18 and older who live in long-term care; and those 18 and older who have underlying medical conditions or work or live in high-risk settings. For those who received the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine, anyone 18 and older who was vaccinated two or more months ago is eligible. (Read the C.D.C.’s full guidelines).
The C.D.C. also gave a green light to a mix-and-match strategy, so people who are eligible for boosters can decide to get a dose of a different brand than the one they first received.
Next up for shots: children. F.D.A. regulators said the Pfizer vaccine’s benefits outweigh the risks for 5- to 11-year-olds. Emergency authorization could come as early as next week.
The country has suffered through five waves of the coronavirus pandemic now, depending on how you count."
[I don't tend to supply links to the articles, because most of them are under paywalls.]
no subject
Date: 2021-10-26 08:02 pm (UTC)Apparently indie films are the worst. It explains why the film/television/theater crew union was set to strike on October 28. And why unions are so angry right now. People are cutting costs on safety, and spending money on the wrong things.
Fascinating though. Also makes me happy I'm not in the biz, did flirt with it once or twice.
**
I may check out the new comics - particularly the Buffy one. The idea of a 50 something Buffy, Xander, and an older Spike - appeals to me on a certain level.