Pittsburgh Arts, Regional Theatre, New Work, Producing, Copyright, Labor Unions,
New Products, Coping Skills, J-O-Bs...
Theatre industry news, University & School of Drama Announcements, plus occasional course support for
Carnegie Mellon School of Drama Faculty, Staff, Students, and Alumni.
CMU School of Drama
Wednesday, September 15, 2021
Accident On Set Of Netflix Movie ‘Me Time’ Leaves Person Seriously Injured
Deadline: The set of Netflix’s upcoming comedy feature Me Time starring Kevin Hart and Mark Wahlberg at Sunset Gower Studios in Hollywood was the scene of a major accident Tuesday morning.
9 comments:
Logan
said...
This incident can go to show that mistakes can happen anywhere and everywhere, even in situations where safety is stressed and extensively practiced. The part of the Article that I found interesting is that Netflix did not feel the need to comment. I understand that corporations want to stay out of the public eye of criticization, but I feel they made a mistake by not speaking on their work conditions and the condition of their employee. Also, that IATSE is investigating the incident, at around the same time that IATSE is planning a strike against the film and TV industry. I’m wondering if this had an impact on the plan for the strike. Fairly off-topic, but I find it odd that the title of the article includes the names of famous actors (Kevin Hart and Mark Wahlberg), presumably to draw more attention to the article. It sort of downplays the events of the actual worker that got injured. There is only one Paragraph that mentions the injured worker, but The TV show and the actors are mentioned multiple times. On the other hand, the famous names could be included to draw more attention to the unsafe work conditions and shed light on what goes on in a move set.
Even when safety is treated as the number one priority on a set, there is always the possibility of an accident. Something like this reminds of a nightmare I always thing about when up on the high steel grid above the Chosky stage. For us, it feels like there is very little danger when working somewhere like the tension grid, but the steel grid is another story in my opinion. What worries me are the large gaps where the cables drop through the grid and connect to the batons. More specifically, these gaps concern me when we are moving the chain motors over them. The motors barely fit through the spaces, and are always getting stuck on the steel. All it will take is one person not realizing how close to the gap they are, making on wrong step, then falling thorough. This story seems like it may be a perfect example of a true accident. I can only hope that negligence is not found to be a cause.
This is one of most technicians worst nightmares. We've all had the fear of falling at least once. I was shocked at the minimal detail in the article as they seemed to release the information without knowing much more. Seeing that Netflix declined to comment was a major red flag for me because that makes people believe that there was some fault involved. Looking into the accident more from other sources, what DJ said came true. The accident occurred because the crew member was not wearing a safety harness. He sustained fractures to his arms and legs and when paramedics arrived on scene the crew member did not have a pulse, CPR and a defibrillator were used to restart his heart so he could be transferred to the hospital where it appears that he remains in critical condition. I also think that it's unfortunately not uncommon for these kinds of accidents to occur in the theatre and film industry. Crew members can get to the point where they're so comfortable doing something, the safety precautions start to slip away. This accident is a good reminder for us all to take that extra step and remember the safety habits that were taught to us. It also reminds us to look out for one another. If someone else had mentioned that he needed to be wearing a harness if he was going to be up on the grid, this situation could have been potentially avoided.
Unfortunately, working in show business is not the safest thing in the world. There's danger to be found at heights as well working with dangerous chemicals and equipment. If there's a lack of rigor when it comes to paying attention to safety on set, mild hazards can become incredibly dangerous. This incident is an example of when things can go wrong. Hopefully this wasn't due to an oversight, and was an event out of anyone's control. Still, I can't help but feel for the technician who fell and was injured. I'm sure that's many people's worst fears when it comes to working at heights. If Netflix or the studio is responsible, I also hope the technician gets the money from them that they should have spent making sure their sets were safe. It's vital that we as workers in the industry prioritize our own safety first, before the needs and wants of any giant corporation.
This article was really not much more than the headline. This of course is just another reminder that what we do can be dangerous and the necessary precautions need to be taken. Above 18 feet, the chance of death grows exponentially. 30 feet is a pretty far way to fall and I certainly hope the technician is ok. I get the feeling that “safety” is something that we all need to take seriously, but it’s hard to because the people who come up with safety rules always seem partially removed from the real workplace. My boss this summer said the goal is to be safe, but putting too many unnecessary rules in place creates safety fatigue and people are less likely to do the simple things, like wearing safety glasses. Another small thing of note was I didn’t realized studio spaces tended to have grids, but I guess that makes sense for an easy lighting position.
This is so scary, and I truly hope the technician recovers and is okay. We do horribly dangerous things for the average person all the time, and sometimes safety measures are not enough to prevent accidents from happening. I hope that the owners of the lot are able to figure out something that can help protect future employees from the same fate. The person who fell is so, so lucky that other people were around to help. My high school tech director told me about a tech director at another school who was working alone after hours and fell from the cat walk. Because no one was there to call 911, they unfortunately passed. If I took anything away from this article, it is that you should NEVER work alone, because without others there to support you in a potentially life-threatening situation, very bad things could happen. An abundance of caution is never a bad thing.
Any accident, especially one that results in hospitalization, is always a tragedy. I sincerely hope the crew member who fell is making a good recovery. This incident really goes to show the importance of sticking to safety guidelines, because the danger is always there even if you are the best of the best and have been working in the industry for years. It can be tempting to disregard a safety measure for something quick, like grabbing something you may have forgotten in the box boom. You may think it’ll take no more than a minute to climb up, grab your item, and get back down. But to put on a harness and then take it off would quadruple the time of the task. However, if your hand slips when you are at the top of the ladder and you fall down, you could be seriously injured or even killed from a fall like that, and with no harness to catch you, your chances of walking away without an injury, or walking away at all, diminish significantly. Just because you are comfortable with a task doesn’t mean its dangers no longer apply to you. I will admit, there are times that I have disregarded safety measures for the sake of time, and I am not proud of it. Incidents like these remind me why I simply cannot do that. I hope the crew member is doing well.
A lot of people don’t realize how dangerous the theater and TV/Film industries are, and it’s important to remember that even when safety is the number one priority, accidents can still happen. Unfortunately, people get injured all the time and it’s everyone’s job to do their best to be careful and try to keep the workplace as safe as possible. Immediately after reading that the person who was injured had fallen, I immediately mentally put myself on the steel grid in the Chosky. Every time I’m up there I find myself walking at a snail pace. Even on a lower grid like the tension grid in the Rauh, I get a little nervous before getting on it every time. Falls can be so incredibly dangerous as landing the wrong way or landing on something or somebody else could potentially be fatal. I really hope that the person who was injured is ok and recovers. Also, I do want to note that I found it a little weird that in an article that’s supposed to be about an injured crew member, the author felt it necessary to include a brief description of the plot of the movie being filmed on set. I don’t have much to say on that. I just found it odd and a little inappropriate.
It has been a hot moment since I have watched anything on Netflix. How is the film industry going? Well I couldn’t tell ya, but I hope that this person is ok! I know that every time I go to work in the theater safety is something on my mind. I think that you have to be very cautious when you are working as a technician in any area, not just the shop or construction crew. Lighting technicians put themselves (and others) at risk when we go up to high places or when we are working at height with heavy equipment. You have to be aware of the dangers of working in the entertainment industry. It is still nice to know that workers are covered by some sort of union that is potentially looking out for their safety. I really need to brush up on my knowledge of working under union rules. Soooo much to learn. There is really big business in the entertainment industry! So why are the workers paid so little? Technicians are still under appreciated in the industry which is sad
9 comments:
This incident can go to show that mistakes can happen anywhere and everywhere, even in situations where safety is stressed and extensively practiced. The part of the Article that I found interesting is that Netflix did not feel the need to comment. I understand that corporations want to stay out of the public eye of criticization, but I feel they made a mistake by not speaking on their work conditions and the condition of their employee. Also, that IATSE is investigating the incident, at around the same time that IATSE is planning a strike against the film and TV industry. I’m wondering if this had an impact on the plan for the strike. Fairly off-topic, but I find it odd that the title of the article includes the names of famous actors (Kevin Hart and Mark Wahlberg), presumably to draw more attention to the article. It sort of downplays the events of the actual worker that got injured. There is only one Paragraph that mentions the injured worker, but The TV show and the actors are mentioned multiple times. On the other hand, the famous names could be included to draw more attention to the unsafe work conditions and shed light on what goes on in a move set.
Even when safety is treated as the number one priority on a set, there is always the possibility of an accident. Something like this reminds of a nightmare I always thing about when up on the high steel grid above the Chosky stage. For us, it feels like there is very little danger when working somewhere like the tension grid, but the steel grid is another story in my opinion. What worries me are the large gaps where the cables drop through the grid and connect to the batons. More specifically, these gaps concern me when we are moving the chain motors over them. The motors barely fit through the spaces, and are always getting stuck on the steel. All it will take is one person not realizing how close to the gap they are, making on wrong step, then falling thorough. This story seems like it may be a perfect example of a true accident. I can only hope that negligence is not found to be a cause.
This is one of most technicians worst nightmares. We've all had the fear of falling at least once. I was shocked at the minimal detail in the article as they seemed to release the information without knowing much more. Seeing that Netflix declined to comment was a major red flag for me because that makes people believe that there was some fault involved. Looking into the accident more from other sources, what DJ said came true. The accident occurred because the crew member was not wearing a safety harness. He sustained fractures to his arms and legs and when paramedics arrived on scene the crew member did not have a pulse, CPR and a defibrillator were used to restart his heart so he could be transferred to the hospital where it appears that he remains in critical condition. I also think that it's unfortunately not uncommon for these kinds of accidents to occur in the theatre and film industry. Crew members can get to the point where they're so comfortable doing something, the safety precautions start to slip away. This accident is a good reminder for us all to take that extra step and remember the safety habits that were taught to us. It also reminds us to look out for one another. If someone else had mentioned that he needed to be wearing a harness if he was going to be up on the grid, this situation could have been potentially avoided.
Unfortunately, working in show business is not the safest thing in the world. There's danger to be found at heights as well working with dangerous chemicals and equipment. If there's a lack of rigor when it comes to paying attention to safety on set, mild hazards can become incredibly dangerous. This incident is an example of when things can go wrong. Hopefully this wasn't due to an oversight, and was an event out of anyone's control. Still, I can't help but feel for the technician who fell and was injured. I'm sure that's many people's worst fears when it comes to working at heights. If Netflix or the studio is responsible, I also hope the technician gets the money from them that they should have spent making sure their sets were safe. It's vital that we as workers in the industry prioritize our own safety first, before the needs and wants of any giant corporation.
This article was really not much more than the headline. This of course is just another reminder that what we do can be dangerous and the necessary precautions need to be taken. Above 18 feet, the chance of death grows exponentially. 30 feet is a pretty far way to fall and I certainly hope the technician is ok. I get the feeling that “safety” is something that we all need to take seriously, but it’s hard to because the people who come up with safety rules always seem partially removed from the real workplace. My boss this summer said the goal is to be safe, but putting too many unnecessary rules in place creates safety fatigue and people are less likely to do the simple things, like wearing safety glasses. Another small thing of note was I didn’t realized studio spaces tended to have grids, but I guess that makes sense for an easy lighting position.
This is so scary, and I truly hope the technician recovers and is okay. We do horribly dangerous things for the average person all the time, and sometimes safety measures are not enough to prevent accidents from happening. I hope that the owners of the lot are able to figure out something that can help protect future employees from the same fate. The person who fell is so, so lucky that other people were around to help. My high school tech director told me about a tech director at another school who was working alone after hours and fell from the cat walk. Because no one was there to call 911, they unfortunately passed. If I took anything away from this article, it is that you should NEVER work alone, because without others there to support you in a potentially life-threatening situation, very bad things could happen. An abundance of caution is never a bad thing.
Any accident, especially one that results in hospitalization, is always a tragedy. I sincerely hope the crew member who fell is making a good recovery. This incident really goes to show the importance of sticking to safety guidelines, because the danger is always there even if you are the best of the best and have been working in the industry for years. It can be tempting to disregard a safety measure for something quick, like grabbing something you may have forgotten in the box boom. You may think it’ll take no more than a minute to climb up, grab your item, and get back down. But to put on a harness and then take it off would quadruple the time of the task. However, if your hand slips when you are at the top of the ladder and you fall down, you could be seriously injured or even killed from a fall like that, and with no harness to catch you, your chances of walking away without an injury, or walking away at all, diminish significantly. Just because you are comfortable with a task doesn’t mean its dangers no longer apply to you. I will admit, there are times that I have disregarded safety measures for the sake of time, and I am not proud of it. Incidents like these remind me why I simply cannot do that. I hope the crew member is doing well.
A lot of people don’t realize how dangerous the theater and TV/Film industries are, and it’s important to remember that even when safety is the number one priority, accidents can still happen. Unfortunately, people get injured all the time and it’s everyone’s job to do their best to be careful and try to keep the workplace as safe as possible. Immediately after reading that the person who was injured had fallen, I immediately mentally put myself on the steel grid in the Chosky. Every time I’m up there I find myself walking at a snail pace. Even on a lower grid like the tension grid in the Rauh, I get a little nervous before getting on it every time. Falls can be so incredibly dangerous as landing the wrong way or landing on something or somebody else could potentially be fatal. I really hope that the person who was injured is ok and recovers. Also, I do want to note that I found it a little weird that in an article that’s supposed to be about an injured crew member, the author felt it necessary to include a brief description of the plot of the movie being filmed on set. I don’t have much to say on that. I just found it odd and a little inappropriate.
It has been a hot moment since I have watched anything on Netflix. How is the film industry going? Well I couldn’t tell ya, but I hope that this person is ok! I know that every time I go to work in the theater safety is something on my mind. I think that you have to be very cautious when you are working as a technician in any area, not just the shop or construction crew. Lighting technicians put themselves (and others) at risk when we go up to high places or when we are working at height with heavy equipment. You have to be aware of the dangers of working in the entertainment industry. It is still nice to know that workers are covered by some sort of union that is potentially looking out for their safety. I really need to brush up on my knowledge of working under union rules. Soooo much to learn. There is really big business in the entertainment industry! So why are the workers paid so little? Technicians are still under appreciated in the industry which is sad
Post a Comment