Alec Baldwin shooting

KHNC

WKR
Joined
Jul 11, 2013
Messages
3,618
Location
NC
Alec Baldwin fan here. I don’t agree with all his politics but like his fIlms.

have been in LA around some “entertainment“ people the last few days that I have known for years back to when I played a little bit in proximity to the movie industry. Most very left leaning anti gun. Lots of spirited discussion about this.

I asked one lady that thought Baldwin should be charged if she would feel the same if he was driving a car on set and the brakes failed, would she charge him? it would be a hard ask to expect an actor to inspect the car Brakes, right? Film sets are complex. Lots of moving parts for even small films. Through in guns, pyrotechnics, moving vehiles, mechanical set pieces and there are a lot of things that could hurt or kill you on a movie set. No way the guy in front of the camera is responsible for all that. The responsibility was primarily the armorer and it sounds like she was a dumpster fire. Maybe the Assitant director or some others could be blamed. You might be able to run that all the way up the flag pole to the producers since theRE seems to have been some signs that the armorer was incompetent that were ignored. IMO there is no way an actor can be held responsible for for the final check on a firearm. I would go so far as to say that idea is flawed because most of them aren’t expert enough to perform the checks. Maybe for a cowboy revolver but imagine if they hand Keanu reeves all the 6 guns he’s going to shoot in a John wick scene and say “it’s your job” or if they ask Arnold to clear and check that minigun he uses In the terminator. NO way that is on the actor. There are people on the set whose only job is handling the weapons and there are other people to oversee those people.
May have already been stated, but Keanu Reeves is VERY VERY proficient with firearms. Not a good example. Look up the range training videos out there of him. Incredible for a hollywooder.
 

Actual_Cryptid

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Sep 16, 2021
Messages
200
#1 rule of handling firearms, treat every firearm like it is loaded. End of discussion
How do you make that work on a movie set where you are going to point a gun at someone and pull the trigger to film a gunfight? Answer, you don't, a gun on a film set as a prop is treated differently.

Quick point, a movie doesn't have "a producer." A movie has all kinda of producers. EPs are typically people who funded it, gave some consideration (paid for ads, let you use their farm, an actor or director who reduced their fee for a small budget film). The line producer is the one that handles day to day and hiring/firing. There's also production staff who handle day to day and have power. Baldwin was not it in charge of anything, as much as people really want to see him at fault. It's like blaming James Hetfield if someone gets hurt by pyrotechnics as a Metallica show.

Next up, read any of the discussions with propmaster (actual propmasters) and there's a common theme. No set armorer is having the actor check the gun. Some might allow or require an actor to be part of the check, but the person responsible for checking equipment is the armorer and typically the AD. I was reading a writeup from an IATSE armorer who mentioned that he would take a gun back and recheck it I'd an actor decided to open the cylinder/slide/remove a magazine without being told to, same as a rigger would recheck rigging if an actor started messing with it and a technician would recheck pyrotechnics if an actor decided to check the fuse. That's because the actor is not trained to handle it, doesn't know what power blank is being loaded (if any) until they're told by the armorer.

If I go rappelling I'm responsible for checking my my own gear, but on a film set that goes to the AD, the stunt coordinator and the riggers. I am responsible for my own car, but on a film set the actors aren't checking the brakes and oil on the car, that's the stunt coordinator's job. Same principle applies throughout, because when you start doing something that is more dangerous than driving to work or shooting on a one-way range, you have to observe a different set of safety protocols.

Alex Baldwin, I promise you, doesn't know the difference between a film dummy (inert primer, no powder), a blank, and a live round. Requiring every actor to check a prop gun would result in more NDs from people not super familiar with their operation.

So, listen to what the expert armorers from IATSE are saying. The fault lies with the AD, the armorer, maybe the director and the line producer as well for allowing the set to operate in an unsafe manner. The people who's job it was to ensure things were operating safely didn't do that, but if I pick my car up from the mechanic and it turns out the brake rotors weren't reinstalled, it's not going to be my fault when I rear-end someone, it's gonna be the mechanic who was paid to service my brakes.
 
Last edited:

CoStick

WKR
Joined
May 18, 2021
Messages
1,364
I will say people posted on the “Gabby” thread that hundreds go missing why the coverage for her? This is no different, why the interest here?
 

Rob5589

WKR
Joined
Sep 6, 2014
Messages
6,299
Location
N CA
Of course, you should have an accurate reference point. It if sounds like a duck….you clearly know what TMZ is.
I do but, don't partake. I also know what the Nat Enquirer is. My mom loved that rag when I was a kid. They really liked the alien angle back in the 70's and 80's!

The interest is likely the irony. An anti-gun lib, shooting two people and killing one. Can't make that sh$t up, like we say at work.
 

CoStick

WKR
Joined
May 18, 2021
Messages
1,364
I do but, don't partake. I also know what the Nat Enquirer is. My mom loved that rag when I was a kid. They really liked the alien angle back in the 70's and 80's!

The interest is likely the irony. An anti-gun lib, shooting two people and killing one. Can't make that sh$t up, like we say at work.
Not too long ago a big pro gun lady’s kid shot her with her gun from the back seat. Here in Colorado a muzzle loader shot and killed an archer. Is it more shocking that pro gun experienced people have accidents or actors? How many kids find guns in their homes each year and tragedy occurs? It is not shocking a tragedy occurs on a movie set, it is shocking the tragedies that occur outside of Hollywood in gun savvy homes.
 

Rob5589

WKR
Joined
Sep 6, 2014
Messages
6,299
Location
N CA
Not too long ago a big pro gun lady’s kid shot her with her gun from the back seat. Here in Colorado a muzzle loader shot and killed an archer. Is it more shocking that pro gun experienced people have accidents or actors? How many kids find guns in their homes each year and tragedy occurs? It is not shocking a tragedy occurs on a movie set, it is shocking the tragedies that occur outside of Hollywood in gun savvy homes.
Agreed
 

mflo

Lil-Rokslider
Classified Approved
Joined
Dec 24, 2020
Messages
249
Location
NM
I've been avoiding posting in this thread for a while, but I feel like I should... I work in film and TV. I'm a member of IATSE Local 600 (the cinematographers guild) as well as Local 695. This is a tragedy no matter how you slice it, but it's not Alec's fault.

So far, Desk Jockey had it pretty close, and Actual_Cryptid hit the nail on the head. Actors on set aren't even trusted to dress themselves, let alone be trusted to use a firearm safely. The vast majority of actors don't know shit about firearms. Some do. The ones that do, and are good with them (like Keanu) are absolutely the exception and not the rule. The fault for this is squarely on the armorer, and the 1st AD (assistant director).

I don't personally know Halyna, or any of the union crew that walked that morning in protest of the conditions on that production, but I've been on my fair share of productions where crew work 14+ hour days day in and day out - 60 to 80 hour work weeks are COMMON. Crews get worked to the point of exhaustion, and in those circumstances people make mistakes. I'm sure that will factor into the investigation, especially given what I've heard about this show through the grapevine. It also sounds like the armorer was really the prop assistant and then tasked with being the armorer whenever there was a scene involving firearms. This is how someone with such little experience gets that job.

***This is purely speculation on my part, but I have an idea of what probably happened***

Because this was a scene involving #1 (the first listed actor on a callsheet) drawing a revolver and pointing it at the camera (A POV shot for whomever was the target), I'm assuming that the gun may have actually been the focal point of the shot (the object in focus). Because it's a revolver, the camera (and audience) would have been able to tell right away if it was unloaded and empty, so they would have loaded it with "dummy" rounds - cartridges with no powder, and inert primers. My guess is that somehow live FMJ cartidges got mixed in with the dummy rounds. The failure to recognize that is going to fall squarely onto the armorer. But ultimately, the person on set that is responsible for everyone's safety is the 1st AD. These two will be held to account in someway, civilly and/or criminally. I'm sure the producers will ultimately bear civil liability as well for being cheap and cutting corners, but that case is going to be much harder to prove.

That's my $0.02
 

BigNate

WKR
Joined
Dec 24, 2020
Messages
388
Location
Athol, Id. USA
According to an interview I watched with the actors union, no live ammo is to be on a set. Supposedly 100's of rounds were gathered as evidence. The question I have is; why was the single action revo cocked, pointed in the direction of a cinematographer, and the trigger pulled? That sounds negligent, 100%.

As a side note; Halyna was a good friend of a friend of mine in the movie industry. She was very well liked and admired. May she rest in peace.
So can you confirm Halyna was working on a Hollywood pedo documentary?

Why was this POS waving a gun around, pointing it at these people, and pulling the trigger? They weren't filming at the time. AB is responsible for this. There's a possibility that others may be at fault to some degree. But it was him who pulled the trigger.
 

cod007

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Feb 1, 2017
Messages
259
How do you make that work on a movie set where you are going to point a gun at someone and pull the trigger to film a gunfight? Answer, you don't, a gun on a film set as a prop is treated differently.
Next up, read any of the discussions with propmaster (actual propmasters) and there's a common theme. No set armorer is having the actor check the gun. Some might allow or require an actor to be part of the check, but the person responsible for checking equipment is the armorer and typically the AD. I was reading a writeup from an IATSE armorer who mentioned that he would take a gun back and recheck it I'd an actor decided to open the cylinder/slide/remove a magazine without being told to, same as a rigger would recheck rigging if an actor started messing with it and a technician would recheck pyrotechnics if an actor decided to check the fuse. That's because the actor is not trained to handle it, doesn't know what power blank is being loaded (if any) until they're told by the armorer.

Alex Baldwin, I promise you, doesn't know the difference between a film dummy (inert primer, no powder), a blank, and a live round. Requiring every actor to check a prop gun would result in more NDs from people not super familiar with their operation.

So, listen to what the expert armorers from IATSE are saying. The fault lies with the AD, the armorer, maybe the director and the line producer as well for allowing the set to operate in an unsafe manner. The people who's job it was to ensure things were operating safely didn't do that, but if I pick my car up from the mechanic and it turns out the brake rotors weren't reinstalled, it's not going to be my fault when I rear-end someone, it's gonna be the mechanic who was paid to service my brakes.
I’ll bet when you tell your insurance company it wasn’t your fault they will tell you otherwise and your rates still go up.
When a gun is in your hands, it’s on you. Period.
 

Actual_Cryptid

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Sep 16, 2021
Messages
200
I’ll bet when you tell your insurance company it wasn’t your fault they will tell you otherwise and your rates still go up.
When a gun is in your hands, it’s on you. Period.
So let's go down the list.

If a pilot if flying, loses power because a mechanic didn't reattach the dinglehopper, and crashes killing passengers is it the pilot's fault?

If a stunt driver drives exactly the course prescribed but their brakes fail because of a mechanical malfunction and they lsma into a camera operator, is the driver at fault?

If I flick the lightswitch and my wall catches fire because the previous owner decided to rewire the house on their own, is it my fault because I threw the switch?

No, no, and no. That's not how civil or criminal liability works.

So can you confirm Halyna was working on a Hollywood pedo documentary?

Why was this POS waving a gun around, pointing it at these people, and pulling the trigger? They weren't filming at the time. AB is responsible for this. There's a possibility that others may be at fault to some degree. But it was him who pulled the trigger.
Where is this coming from? People on set confirmed they were filming (haven't seen whether they were rolling or just blocking a shot, if you don't know what blocking is you need to sit this discussion out). I guess from the same source as this documentary claim.
 
Top