'Rust' tragedy highlights strain on film crews to 'get it done'

Halyna Hutchins died in hospital hours after being shot on the set of 'Rust'

A surge in demand for new content in Hollywood has led to corner-cutting, which industry insiders say could have contributed to the tragedy on the set of 'Rust' last week

With a surge in demand for new content stretching productions thinner than ever, some film sets are under intense pressure to cut corners to just "get it done," industry insiders said in the wake of the "Rust" tragedy.

The low-budget Western on which Alec Baldwin fatally shot a cinematographer in a tragic accident last week was running behind schedule after crew members walked off the New Mexico set in protest over low pay and poor conditions.

With no major studio attached, "Rust" was funded by a group of small financial companies, and the film was expected to be sold to a streaming service, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

"There is a lot of pressure to get things done -- and after Covid, there seems to be even more pressure because people are trying to get films out, they have deadlines to meet," said Joyce Gilliard, a veteran hairstylist who narrowly survived one of Hollywood's most infamous disasters.

"If the productions, the studios aren't even thinking about safety, then it trickles down to the rest of the staff," she said. "It starts from the top."

While facts are being gathered in the "Rust" case and charges have not been laid, experts warned it is impossible to draw a direct line between cost-cutting and any alleged negligence.

"The failure is always to take the precautions that you should take. And the background here is the cost-cutting sure looks relevant to that," he said.

At a press conference Wednesday, Santa Fe Sheriff Adan Mendoza said it appeared "there was some complacency on this set."

- 'Frenzy'-

Producers rejected his request for an assistant prop master and an armorer, insisting one person could handle both tasks.

Several union camera operators had walked off set the day prior to the shooting, and were replaced by non-union crew who were last-minute hires.

"If the armorer is a union employee, and you can't fire them, the armorer is in a better position to say 'no effing way are we shirking on this, don't you dare do this, shoot this scene until...'" he said.

One gaffer -- or electrician -- who asked to be anonymous told AFP that since productions resumed after the Covid lockdown, he had "never had this much of an issue hiring people." 

"I think that fuels the mentality, 'Oh, just get it done. Get it done. Get it done. Get it done.'"

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