The head electrician on the film set of Alec Baldwin’s movie rust is suing the actor and other crew members
ENTERTAINMENT ATTORNEY, MITRA AHOURAIAN on ticker news
The head of lighting is a friend of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. She was accidentally shot dead on the movie set last month.
The electrician has filed a lawsuit against Alec Baldwin and others, alleging negligence that resulted in “severe emotional distress”.
He says the bullet narrowly missed him.
“I still cannot believe that she is no longer with us,” the head of lighting, Serge Svetnoy said Wednesday during a news conference.
“What a tragedy and injustice when a person loses her life on film set while making art.”
Svetnoy’s general-negligence lawsuit was filed earlier Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court.
“This incident was caused by the negligent acts and omissions of the defendants,” the lawsuit states according to the Los Angeles Times.
“Simply put, there was no reason for a live bullet to be placed in that Colt .45 revolver or to be present anywhere on the ‘Rust’ set.”
Who will be held accountable?
Mitra Ahouraian is an LA-based entertainment attorney and founder of her namesake firm, Ahouraian Law and she says this all signs point to Baldwin did not know that the gun was loaded.
“As an actor who’s production companies attached typically, they’re not very involved in the day to day production, it’s more like a credit and a fee and affiliation. So it’s really going to be the production company for the film. But if it does come down to the point of any individual’s being charged criminally, if there’s bound to be some criminal fault there, then that could potentially come into play in the civil lawsuit,” she told ticker news.
I mean, we’re seeing labour shortages and people were complaining about being overworked on this particular movie set. Could this be the reason why here?
How did the live rounds get put into a prop gun?
The prosecutor was on Good Morning America recently, and Ahouraian says she was saying one of the things that they’re most concerned with is figuring out how the live rounds got there to begin with.
“So I think that’s the most important question, and really not what happened at the moment of the shooting, but everything that happened leading up to that,” Ahouraian says.
“I don’t think it had anything to do with, you know, hours and the things that sort of were coming up in the ISC strike because it all kind of coincided at that time.”
But surely a gunshot can be performed without the real bullets?
Ahouraian says it comes down to cost.
“Doing things in post production isn’t always cheap. Sometimes it’s a lot easier to get the shots you need by having the real prop there. But if I was watching and it didn’t look as real and people weren’t, you know, we’re at less risk of dying. I think I’d be okay with that.”
Beijing’s latest show of force sends a stern warning to Taiwan, as the US urges restraint amid escalating tensions.
China deployed planes and ships to encircle Taiwan on Monday in military drills that Beijing described as a “stern warning” to what it called “separatist” forces on the island.
The exercises, dubbed Joint Sword-2024B, mark China’s fourth large-scale war game targeting Taiwan in the past two years.
Beijing, which has not ruled out using force to bring Taiwan under its control, conducted these drills in the north, south, and east of Taiwan, focusing on sea-air combat readiness and blockading key ports.
Practicing an assault
The Chinese military’s Eastern Theater Command said the drills also included practicing an assault on maritime and ground targets, with China’s coast guard conducting “inspections” around the island.
Taiwan condemned the exercises as “irrational and provocative,” deploying its own forces in response. The Taiwanese defence ministry stated it is fully prepared to counter any threat to its sovereignty.
The United States criticised China’s actions as “unwarranted” and warned of the risk of escalation, calling on Beijing to act with restraint. Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te, who has taken a firmer stance on Taiwan’s sovereignty than his predecessor, convened a high-level security meeting to address the drills, describing them as inconsistent with international law.
Tensions between China and Taiwan continue to rise, with China ramping up its military activity around the island in recent years.
Experts discuss the EU’s challenges and opportunities ahead
Euro Bloch is a comprehensive program designed to highlight the breadth of topics and issues within the EU political landscape. It offers insightful analysis within the evolving framework of relations between the European Union and Australia/Asia-Pacific region.
In this episode, Natanael interviews Professor Bruno Mascitelli about the future of the European Union following the June elections. With Ursula von der Leyen re-elected as President of the European Commission, Mascitelli discusses the challenges she may face in her second term and the growing influence of far-right and populist parties in the EU Parliament.
As Hungary takes over the Presidency of the Council of the EU, concerns about its impact arise. The episode also considers the EU’s potential diplomatic role amid escalating tensions in the Middle East and identifies crucial policy areas where the EU must strengthen its stance to compete globally.
