this post was submitted on 12 Aug 2023
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For the incident in question at least, wasn't he directed to do so for a cinematic shot? Being the reason why the bullet hit 2 people filming (behind the camera).
As in it was the armorer's job to make sure the weapon didn't even have debris that could make a blank dangerous (being loaded with live rounds is a much bigger mistake).
And if he was not supposed to pull the trigger, then it likely should've been completely empty.
Alec was also the producer, and responsible for hiring the sub-par armorer.
He was "rehearsing" in between shots, low key horsing around.
From wikipedia:
While the trio behind the monitor were repositioning the camera to remove a shadow, Baldwin began explaining to the crew how he planned to draw the firearm.[8] He said, "So, I guess I'm gonna take this out, pull it, and go, 'Bang!'"Link to quote: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rust_shooting_incident#:~:text=While%20the%20trio%20behind%20the%20monitor%20were%20repositioning%20the%20camera%20to%20remove%20a%20shadow%2C%20Baldwin%20began%20explaining%20to%20the%20crew%20how%20he%20planned%20to%20draw%20the%20firearm.%5B8%5D%20He%20said%2C%20%22So%2C%20I%20guess%20I%27m%20gonna%20take%20this%20out%2C%20pull%20it%2C%20and%20go%2C%20%27Bang!%27%22%5B
There shouldn't be a loaded gun anywhere near a film set. That's the problem, not him practicing his scene between camera rolls
So he was rehearsing with a gun that wasn't supposed to have live ammunition? Is that your argument here?
My point is that clearly safety on set was flawed, and not just Baldwin's doing. It sounds like where the gun was pointed was in the script, so some precautions behind the camera likely could've prevented that as well.
Also that quote doesn't really mean anything, especially not without someone telling him that he's not supposed to fire. If it was a continuous scene and pulled the trigger before being scripted to do so (different camera angle with nobody at-risk) I might see it being partially his fault, but even still that does not change the fact that he was told it was safe and someone else put real bullets in the gun before that.
Edited for clarity/less repetition.
It was in between takes. No script. He was just going over the scene in his head and shot someone. He definitely shouldn't have fired then. And, whether he thought it was loaded or not, pointing a gun at people is threatening and shouldn't have been done. It's total bullshit they dropped the charges against him.
The armorer definitely should have some fault, but no one would have been shot if Alec Baldwin hadn't pointed the gun at them. He was directing the barrel in the location of people. He had his finger on the trigger.
I kind of get that, but if he hadn't pulled the trigger between takes, then when it came to actually filming the take, the real bullet would've just been shot then, right?
I understand it's a bit weird to fire in between takes but it would've been fired one way or another, unless I'm misunderstanding something about the situation
If he'd fired it during the actual take it wouldn't have been pointed at a person though. They have clear lanes to fire blanks since they spew out powder and dust, and if anything gets lodged in the barrel it can become a projectile. It's why they use dummy weapons when 'firing' with another actor in the scene.
Oh I didn't know they used clear lanes for blanks and dummy guns for "firing" at actors. Thanks for informing me