Brandon Lee in 1994 film 'The Crow'
Brandon Lee in 1994 film 'The Crow'
Brandon Lee in 1994 film 'The Crow'
Brandon Lee in 1994 film 'The Crow'

Fatal film set accidents: from Brandon Lee to Alec Baldwin


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Never mind movie magic. Film and TV sets can be dangerous places.

Thursday's fatal incident in New Mexico on the set of the coming Western Rust shows that accidents can – and invariably will – happen. At Bonanza Creek Ranch outside Santa Fe, Oscar-nominated actor-producer Alec Baldwin discharged a prop firearm, killing the film’s cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, 42, and injuring its director, Joel Souza, 48.

A prop firearm discharged by veteran actor Alec Baldwin on the set of 'Rust' killed the film's cinematographer and injured its director. AP
A prop firearm discharged by veteran actor Alec Baldwin on the set of 'Rust' killed the film's cinematographer and injured its director. AP

Production has halted, while counselling services are being offered to the cast and crew. “My greatest fear is that someone will be fatally hurt on one of my sets. I pray this will never happen,” wrote Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn on Twitter, as he expressed his condolences to Hutchins’ family.

The very idea that someone might lose their life this way – in the service of making entertainment – is an unbearable thought. The moment news of Hutchins’ death began circulating, actress Shannon Lee tweeted: “No one should ever be killed by a gun on a film set. Period.”

The daughter of famed actor and martial artist Bruce Lee, Shannon was making a pointed reference to the death of her older brother, Brandon Lee.

In March 1993, Brandon was filming The Crow, the film that was set to be his breakthrough movie. During a scene in which his character walks into an apartment and is killed by assailants, Brandon was accidentally shot in the abdomen and died several hours later.

At the time, the investigation into the incident revealed that a lead tip from a real bullet had accidentally become lodged in the firearm being used for the scene. Earlier in the film shoot, live ammunition had been converted into a dummy round for a close-up of the gun’s chamber. Two weeks later, when it came to Brandon filming his scene at the apartment, a blank was loaded into the same gun and fired. But unbeknownst to the crew, the lead tip was still inside the weapon, fatally wounding Brandon.

It left his family devastated, a feeling shared by Michael Massee, the actor playing the thug who pulled the trigger in the scene. “What happened to Brandon was a tragic accident … I don’t think you ever get over something like that,” he later commented. Brandon’s death was ruled as an accident due to negligence, after a two-month investigation and no criminal charges were pressed. It was, in the end, a tragic chain of events that led to his death.

On any movie set, safety procedures are rigorous. A licensed armourer, or firearms expert, is on hand to oversee the safe handling of all replica weapons present. Risk-assessments – industry standard briefings that detail any potential hazard – are produced daily. Many armourers even take the extra precaution of making their own blanks by purchasing their own cartridges and using the minimum amount of propellant required to operate the weapon.

As careful as these step-by-step safety guidelines are, there is no accounting for freak incidents. In 1984, actor Jon-Erik Hexum was on set, on the 20th Century Fox lot in Los Angeles, filming television series Cover Up when he shot himself in the head with a prop gun blank and died.

The actor, tragically, was fooling around with the weapon, pretending to play Russian roulette. When he put the gun to his temple and pulled the trigger, the blank cartridge caused a small explosion, driving a bone fragment into his brain and causing severe hemorrhaging.

Firearms are not the only cause of deaths on movie sets. In 1988, British actor Roy Kinnear fell from a horse while filming The Return of the Musketeers. Although he was rushed to hospital and treated for a broken pelvis, he suffered a fatal heart attack the next day. During the filming of music biopic Midnight Rider in 2014, camera assistant Sarah Jones died on a railway track in Wayne County, Georgia. A train struck a hospital bed placed across the track. Hit by debris from the bed, Jones was knocked into the train’s path and killed instantly. The film, which starred William Hurt, was never finished.

A helicopter crash killed actor Vic Morrow, along with Vietnamese child actors Myca Dinh Le and Renee Shin-Yi Chen
A helicopter crash killed actor Vic Morrow, along with Vietnamese child actors Myca Dinh Le and Renee Shin-Yi Chen

In 1982, actor Vic Morrow and two young children died during the making of Twilight Zone: The Movie, when a helicopter pilot lost control of the low-flying craft during a scene involving pyrotechnic explosions. It spun out of control, crashing into the ground below, killing Morrow and the youngsters instantly. The tragedy led, ultimately, to the creation of the Injury and Illness Prevention Programme, a series of safety guidelines used across the film and television industry.

Sadly, it’s often the case that only with a new incident do safety procedures get tightened. When stuntman Dar Robinson died performing a motorbike stunt during 1987’s Million Dollar Mystery, it became mandatory for ambulances to be present on movie sets. What lessons will be learnt from the tragedy on the set of Rust remains to be seen. For the moment, the industry, along with her friends and family, are left mourning the sad loss of Halyna Hutchins.

First-round leaderbaord

-5 C Conners (Can)

-3 B Koepka (US), K Bradley (US), V Hovland (Nor), A Wise (US), S Horsfield (Eng), C Davis (Aus);

-2 C Morikawa (US), M Laird (Sco), C Tringale (US)

Selected others: -1 P Casey (Eng), R Fowler (US), T Hatton (Eng)

Level B DeChambeau (US), J Rose (Eng) 

1 L Westwood (Eng), J Spieth (US)

3 R McIlroy (NI)

4 D Johnson (US)

MATCH INFO

Barcelona v Real Madrid, 11pm UAE

Match is on BeIN Sports

RESULTS

6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 Group 1 (PA) Dh119,373 (Dirt) 1,600m
Winner: Brraq, Adrie de Vries (jockey), Jean-Claude Pecout (trainer)

7.05pm: Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Taamol, Connor Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.

7.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (Turf) 1,800m
Winner: Eqtiraan, Connor Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.

8.15pm: UAE 1000 Guineas Trial (TB) Dh183,650 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Soft Whisper, Pat Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor.

9.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Hypothetical, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.

9.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,000m
Winner: Etisalat, Sando Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe

Red flags
  • Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
  • Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
  • Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
  • Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
  • Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.

Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching

Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

'Munich: The Edge of War'

Director: Christian Schwochow

Starring: George MacKay, Jannis Niewohner, Jeremy Irons

Rating: 3/5

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PROFILE OF STARZPLAY

Date started: 2014

Founders: Maaz Sheikh, Danny Bates

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: Entertainment/Streaming Video On Demand

Number of employees: 125

Investors/Investment amount: $125 million. Major investors include Starz/Lionsgate, State Street, SEQ and Delta Partners

THE SPECS

Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder

Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)

Power: 141bhp 

Torque: 250Nm 

Price: Dh64,500

On sale: Now

The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
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Crime%20Wave
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital

THE%C2%A0SPECS
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How does ToTok work?

The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store

To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.

The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.

Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.

 

While you're here
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Voices: How A Great Singer Can Change Your Life
Nick Coleman
Jonathan Cape

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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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'The Lost Daughter'

Director: Maggie Gyllenhaal

Starring: Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Dakota Johnson

Rating: 4/5

Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
  • Flexible work arrangements
  • Pension support
  • Mental well-being assistance
  • Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
  • Financial well-being incentives 
Roll of honour 2019-2020

Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners: Dubai Hurricanes
Runners up: Bahrain

West Asia Premiership
Winners: Bahrain
Runners up: UAE Premiership

UAE Premiership
}Winners: Dubai Exiles
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes

UAE Division One
Winners: Abu Dhabi Saracens
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes II

UAE Division Two
Winners: Barrelhouse
Runners up: RAK Rugby

Company profile

Date started: January, 2014

Founders: Mike Dawson, Varuna Singh, and Benita Rowe

Based: Dubai

Sector: Education technology

Size: Five employees

Investment: $100,000 from the ExpoLive Innovation Grant programme in 2018 and an initial $30,000 pre-seed investment from the Turn8 Accelerator in 2014. Most of the projects are government funded.

Partners/incubators: Turn8 Accelerator; In5 Innovation Centre; Expo Live Innovation Impact Grant Programme; Dubai Future Accelerators; FHI 360; VSO and Consult and Coach for a Cause (C3)

The Baghdad Clock

Shahad Al Rawi, Oneworld

Updated: October 24, 2021, 5:41 AM