Alec Baldwin was involved in a disaster on the sets of ‘Rust,’ when he accidentally shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. As a result, the cinematographer died. Gun control and regulation have been a hot topic in the world. Hollywood is taking matters into its own hands and deciding safety plans.
There is significant discussion about how big film and television studios should reconsider gun safety policies. This is hardly the first time that shows have been chastised for depicting violence. After a tragedy, Hollywood’s lengthy relationship with weapons is brought to light. As one example, Megan Boone (The Blacklist star) states, after the Parkland high school shooting her character “will never carry an assault gun again.”
The safety of our cast and crew is important
Alexi Hawley, the showrunner of ‘The Rookie,’ penned an internal memo following Hutchins’ death. He describes this as an emotional process. He says, “it is now policy on The Rookie. All gunfire onset will be AirSoft guns with CG muzzle flashes added in post. There will be no more ‘live’ weapons on the show. The safety of our cast and crew is too important. Any risk is too much risk.”
‘Mare of Easttown’ director Craig Zobel reveals, after the Rust incident, all gunshots on the popular HBO series are digital. He says, “There’s no reason to have guns with blanks or anything on set anymore. There are computers now.” Eric Kripke, showrunner for Amazon Prime Video’s The Boys, tweets: “No more guns with blanks on any of my sets ever. We’ll use VFX muzzle flashes. Who’s with me?”
Meanwhile, the late cinematographer Halyna Hutchins’ father has spoken out about the awful event. He says “We still can’t believe Halyna is dead. Her mother is going out of her mind with grief. But I don’t hold Alec Baldwin responsible. It is the responsibility of the props people handling the guns.” However, we expect a blanket prohibition on “live” weaponry in all Hollywood productions. That is because violence is so deep into the narratives of most stories?
