On Alec Baldwin and "Rust"

Alec Baldwin the Actor was not responsible for the gun having live ammunition. The actions he was supposed to do that day, drawing a weapon and pointing it at the camera and pulling the trigger, are in fact a traditional part of film lore. In fact that is the closing image in "The Great Train Robbery" of 1903. It is an actor's responsibility to hold production to the contract and the contract does state that a certified Armorer will distribute and collect all firearms used on set and will demonstrate to the crew and actors that the weapon is not loaded with live ammunition and may be handled safely as instructed. Any potentially dangerous condition on a set, such as the use of firearms or a live flame, is reason for a Safety Briefing by the Director and the Assistant Director with all cast and crew present.

As I said it was Baldwin's responsibility as an Actor to ask that the Armorer be present and do their job but frankly I doubt that their not doing so and instead the Assistant Director handing him the weapon would be considered a criminal act on Baldwin's part. After all the Actor is there as an employee and as such is taking orders. Unfortunately for Baldwin though he was not simply there as an Actor. He was also the film's Producer. It was his job as the Producer to hire the Armorer and the Assistant Director, and for that matter the Actor who should have had the briefing that would have revealed if the weapon was safe to use on set, and see to it that they provided a safe work place. For his failure as the Producer, who was the Employer and the Manager present, Baldwin should in my opinion be held responsible. 

An actor is not working as a soldier or law enforcement officer whose job it is to safely handle firearms. It is not the actor's job to handle live ammunition. It is the actor's job to handle a prop and make it appear to be real. You may see an actor appear to do dangerous or even impossible things but it is not real. You may believe that you saw the actor jump out a window and land on a roof 30' away or fall 4 stories into a dumpster and then run away. They didn't. The actor jumped just far enough to be out of the frame of the camera and then you saw a Stunt Double who is trained and qualified to do so fall 20' or 30' and you do not see the double land on a cushion. In fact you know that happened because it is hard to enjoy the illusion if you are really afraid that it is real, unless you are one of the few who seeks seeing people hurt.

Nevertheless a film set is a dangerous industrial workplace. People do get injured or killed on set. Tragedies have happened including on the "Rust" set and the deaths of Vic Morrow and two children on "The Twilight Zone" set, and too many others. Safety rules and procedures have been developed over decades and hundreds of skilled professionals work to create the illusions. For his failure to follow those rules and properly employ and manage those professionals I would hold Alec Baldwin responsible. It was his job.

-----
Instapundit: THE ESTABLISHMENT STILL SUPPORTS HIM, THOUGH: Alec Baldin May Be Criminally Charged.
https://www.emilypostnews.com/p/alec-baldwin-may-be-criminally-charged

Posted by Glenn Reynolds at 10:51 pm
https://instapundit.com/544699/#respond