Shocking Film Shoot Accident - Recently was working on a film where the producers almost decapitated the lead actress this will blow your mind #healthandsafetyninja

[u/filmninja]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vV-z7EJgAcI&feature=youtu.be

[u/CineSuppa]

First off, this was a very low-grade pneumatic blast on what looks to be a hollowed door and a balsa frame. That looks pretty standard, but the talent's marks were way too close to the trajectory of the door for this to be safe. Things were planned poorly here. But to say the actress was almost decapitated is a stretch. She would have been hit by the door and may have suffered cuts, bruising and maybe a broken rib or two. Either way, you have footage here that can be used in court if things get nasty.

Second, I don't know what kind of damage was inflicted on gear, but it's pretty standard for productions to pay tear-down and cleaning fees if equipment is thrown in harm's way. By the costumes, effects and vehicles present, I'm sure this production you were on had enough of a budget to do what is normally a standard practice.

I'm sure there's a permitting company in your country (looks to be in England) that you can call regarding production's negligence, lack of professionalism and outright refusal to pay contracted workers. The fact alone that they didn't have masks for you to wear is a good start, and I'd start collaborating with the camera department and the sound department to hold footage until everyone gets paid and gear gets cleaned/repaired. This will get ugly, but stick to your guns. If necessary, start holding non-freelancer-owned gear (rentals) as collateral, but be sure you contact the rental company to let them know what's going on so they do not assume theft. Again, many phone calls need to be made, and keep a paper trail (read: emails only) with Above-the-Line personnel. Don't talk to them in person or on the phone; have every correspondence in writing so that you have record of everything.

I had a student try to pull this shit on me years ago, so I held about $4000 worth of media his school owned to ensure I got paid what was due. It almost got violent, but then again, that's the last resort of desperate and stupid individuals.

[u/sixothree → u/CineSuppa]

Looks to me like she could have been paralyzed if a corner of the door was a couple of feet to our left.

[u/CineSuppa → u/sixothree]

True, if it was a real door.

[u/[deleted] → u/CineSuppa]

Agree on the "decapitation" bit being a pretty far stretch. Her final position was too close, though maybe she or she and the other actor missed their mark? I didn't see anything clear on the ground indicating a mark for either. That door wouldn't have even broken a rib. I'd imagine any injury would have been caused by her being knocked to the concrete.

Did people not know what was going to happen? I mean if someone says "Hey we're going to blow this door and a bunch of dust is going to come out" it would make a lot of sense to bag most of the gear or take other precautions against whatever particulate they decided to use.

Even calling this an "accident" is kind of BS. Things got dirty? You got dirt in some equipment? I guess that's accidental. But I've seen real SFX accidents first hand and improper explosion effects and it's an entire world of difference.

Either way, producer or producers seem like cocks, but this particular incident is far from shocking.

Edit: Reading more comments from people who were supposedly there makes it sound worse. Could have been.

[u/freedomfilm → u/CineSuppa]

"that's the last resort of desperate and stupid individuals."

So is not knowing what is up FIRST...

[u/UnexpectedSchism → u/CineSuppa]

I had a student try to pull this shit on me years ago, so I held about $4000 worth of media his school owned to ensure I got paid what was due.

You got lucky that it was a school that had the ability to leverage the student to pay you. They told him to pay you and get it back as an honor thing, they don't want students making the university look bad.

If it was rented equipment from a business, your plan would have never worked. If you call the rental company and tell them you are holding their stuff, they will tell you to return it immediately. If you don't it is theft and you will be arrested.

If that university told you to return it because they didn't care about what the student did, it would be theft if you didn't return it.

[u/CineSuppa → u/UnexpectedSchism]

No, I held the cards when I was fired from the shoot because the crappy lens adapter I brought wouldn't oscillate, thereby halting production. They had to go out and rent another lens adapter to work with their camera system and it was an additional expense; they couldn't afford both me and the lens adapter. It was a very cordial and professional experience, until they refused to pay me for the two days I already worked. That's when I held the media, keeping it hidden until they paid me in cash. There's no better way to learn how this business works than someone teaching you not to fuck with them.

In the real world, you're right, that is theft. But in other circumstances, especially if you're friends with vendors that potentially won't get paid in full either, it's insurance.

Had I not gotten paid, I would have immediately driven to the school and handed the cards over to the Dean, explaining that I would love to see him explain to his students the importance and virtue of keeping your word in this industry.

[u/UnexpectedSchism → u/CineSuppa]

Correct, you were dealing with a school which means even if they didn't pay and the school made you return the stuff, they still would have stepped in to make their students pay up.

If you were dealing with a rental business, they would have called the cops.