The video comes from a camera that was inside the CSX locomotive that was speeding down the track before the accident. Two other crew members as well as film stars William Hurt and Wyatt Russell ran for their lives seconds before impact, but Jones wasn’t able to make it off the trestle safely.
9 comments:
This article made me really angry. The director was so arrogant that he thought he could film the shot even though they did not have permission from the train company. Did he really think that there would not be a train coming at all? he had a train expert with him, and apparently the expert either didn't realize or didn't tell the director that by the time the conductor on a train can see if someone is on the tracks, it is too late for him to stop in time. He probably thought trains can stop fast enough because they do so all the time in movies and whatnot.
It frustrates me that they had such a blatant disregard for safety, and that it wasn't just the one time- they've done similar things in the past to get the shot.
In the end, I just can't stop thinking about how awful the conductor must feel because even though it was not his fault, he still hit the girl.
This is such a horrible tragedy. People getting killed on sets is also so heart breaking. It surprised me there weren't more safety ideas before they started this shoot. Shooting on life train tracks is never a good idea especially if the director has not gotten permission. One think that I do not like about this is the fact that the director is being blamed completely. While the director should have known better so show the producer, the crew member, and the cast. The fact that no one thought to approve this is hard for me to understand at all. This is such a tragedy and so many people have been affected by this lack of communication. Hopefully people have learned from this.
There is absolutely no reason why this tragic accident should have occurred. The amount of negligence is just astounding. No shot is worth the risk of shooting on a live rail road track. Like the train safety expert said, there isn't a freight train schedule so you can never truly know that no more trains will come that day. The only time it would be ok to shoot on tracks is when you have express permission from the railroad company, which they didn't. That being said, they could have taken more precautions even if they knew they shouldn't be shooting. I'm not condoning that it should be done under any circumstances but would it really have been that hard to have had someone a few miles down the track to let them know that a train was coming. Did they really not think of that at all? It seems that all the blame is being put on the producer and even though he pulled similar stunts in the past, I think there are more people to blame. Hopefully the film industry learns from this and it never happens again.
I think this article highlights an important need for management and objective thinkers in the entertainment industry. Yes, directors and designers can have great artistic visions that can really evoke wonder and excitement in well crafted work, but the management side is equally as important at making sure the process is respectable, legally sound, and foremost safe. Although sometimes management may seem unnecessary on a well structured crew, its important to understand how essential a good manager is for a basic organization and safety, or at the very least piece of mind.
I wish a member of the director's crew took a heavier hand at evaluating the situation and in determining that the shoot was completely unsafe. If some took upon themselves that managerial role maybe the shoot could of been stopped and the loss of life and subsequent injuries to the crew could of been avoided.
While this is obviously a tragedy I think this story serves as an important reminder about how artistic vision needs to be complemented with realistic objective perspective to create the best product with minimal complications.
This whole situation is ridiculous. The director shouldn't have put his crew in that kind of potential danger and the crew should have been able to reject the director's instructions. There were so many precautions that could have been put into place to avoid this and it is crazy that not one person stopped to give suggestions for a better way to take this shot. Of all the people on site that day it is hard to believe that no one thought to speak up. The camera assistant's death was the fault of many not just the director. Hopefully the whole industry can learn from this accident.
I really have to agree with Henry on his take from this article, specifically the importance of management in art. Maybe it was due to arrogance, or the determination to get that shot, or plain idiocy (or likely a combination of those factors) but the circumstances for this senseless tragedy were all created because there was nobody there actively thinking about the danger of the situation. According to the article many could sense that something was off about that day of shooting, and the only plan that existed to get out of the way of a train would be to run out of the way in under a minute. This lack of planing and blatant disregard for safety is what comes from a poorly managed production crew.
Now I can understand how the Producer/Director argues that it isn't his job to personally make sure everyone is safe every moment of the shoot, but as the producer it is damn sure his job to make sure that there is someone who is there who's job is exclusively safety. He had received a letter from CSX that morning about how they regretfully couldn't give him permission to shoot on the tracks, and he blatantly ignored that letter, apparently blinded by his goals as a director. I truly understand the compulsion as an artist to be willing to do something dumb for the sake of art and I honestly believe he would have made a different decision if he had a glimpse into the possible outcome of that choice, but because there was no dedicated manager of the situation the lapse in judgement of this one person ended with a senseless death. The take away from this is to always be thinking about what you're doing, why you're doing it, and the potential consequences of the doing what you are about to do.
My thought's are with victims of this unfortunate circumstance.
I think it is both horrible and important that this video was captured on camera. Horrible because this is an accident that could have easily been prevented. Furthermore, nobody should have to have their final moments captured on film to be made an example of. That puts even more emphasis on the fact that this was not a peaceful way to pass. However, that emphasis may be able to be used as an example to future filmmakers. Cross your t's and dot your i's when filming in dangerous locations. A shot is never worth somebody's life. And, although it is awful that someone has to die for this example to be made, now at least there is a well known example of what can go wrong when all the bases are not covered.
The video presented in this report is really depressing. It is really clear that Sarah Jone's death is needless, and that the director has no respect for the safety of anyone on his crew. I understand the need to always want to get the shot exactly how you want it, but there are always safe ways of doing that and bypassing safety to save yourself some legwork is irresponsible, immoral, and extremely immature.
This is really sad. I watched the entire video and the reactions from other productions was moving. when in entertainment where we are so busy and fast paced it is easy to forget to check everything. but we must always do so because the effects could be devastating. the recklessness of the director and other production staff made me very angry. to think that they thought that a shot was worth risking the safety of anyone and furthermore the life of sarah jones is beyond me. hopefully there are not too many people in the entertainment job force like this.
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