'There’s no movie that’s worth a life': Manitoba film community reacts to death on Alec Baldwin set
A member of Manitoba’s film community is issuing a reminder about the importance of safety on film sets in the wake of a fatal shooting during the production of an Alec Baldwin movie.
According to law enforcement, Baldwin fatally shot a cinematographer and wounded a director when he discharged a prop gun on set during the filming of the movie "Rust" on Oct. 22.
Halyna Hutchins, who was 42, was the director of photography for Baldwin's latest movie, a Western which was being filmed in New Mexico.
According to law enforcement statements provided to CNN, Hutchins was shot at around 1:50 p.m. Thursday local time and was airlifted to hospital but died of her injuries.
Joao Holowka has worked in the film industry in Manitoba for over 20 years as a chief lighting technician.
He said the tragedy on the set of “Rust” goes beyond the film industry.
“Someone once said, ‘if it’s important enough to run for it, it’s important enough to wait for it,’” Holowka told CTV News Winnipeg.
“So safety first, it’s not a cliché. It’s a lifesaver device. You wait. You don’t run. You don’t take shortcuts. There’s no shot, there’s no frame, there’s no scene, there’s no movie that’s worth a life. Safety first always.”
The gun Baldwin used was one of three that a firearms specialist, or "armorer," had set on a cart outside the building where a scene was being rehearsed, according to court records. Assistant director Dave Halls grabbed a gun off a cart and handed it to Baldwin, indicating that the weapon was safe by yelling "cold gun," court papers say. However, it was loaded with live rounds, according to the records.
Holowka said the film industry has the mentality of making anything possible, but there are and should be limits.
“We are very much a ‘can do’ attitude industry. There’s nothing that we cannot do, with one exception; if you do not feel safe, walk away. It’s just a movie.”
- With files from CNN and The Associated Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
It could take years to catch up on child vaccinations in Ontario post-pandemic
Ontario is still playing catch up on routine vaccinations that many children missed during the pandemic and public health officials are warning that it could take years to solve the problem.