I know the Sarah Jones story has hit our community out here hard.
If you are not familiar with the story see here.
http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-georgia-sarah-jones-csx-gregg-allman-20140221,0,6107161.story#axzz2uS9XsMzZAs Stage Managers we are the responsible party for the safety of our cast and crew...I have a bit of a reputation for being the "safety police" with my current employer. Of course, if I call out a safety issue before it happens then nothing happens...and I am just a pain in the butt. That is OK with me. The problem is getting people to continue to listen to me as I call out so many things that never happen. I use age and experience but when I was younger this was much harder. No one wants to be the Debbie Downer on that new cool idea. There was an incident last year when I was not in rehearsal due to a family emergency. It WAS a moment where someone should have said NO. In fact, NO was said....but overruled. We have come out of that incident stronger and more focused on listening to every member of our team. Because we are a large corporate environment we also have lots of new rules and regulations...oh joy. I now have to write a complete plan for each automation cue before I ever see it in rehearsal. Our process definitely takes longer...but it is also way safer.
Have you been following this story? What are your thoughts? How could a "below the line" (I know that is a movie reference but think someone who does not attend a production meeting) member of your crew truly know they are safe? How do they know the correct permits are drawn? The question WAS asked on this set...it is all about the trust in who is giving you the answer. Movie making is all about "getting the shot" I think in theatre we are much more safety conscious...however, I know, there are times that I have looked back and recognized we were lucky. I have also had moments of, well it is just for a minute (sometimes while I am standing on a shelf...trying to just reach that one light).
Here was a good perspective I really liked that talks about the business and changes to be made.
http://wehaveembarked.com/were-just-making-movies/I hope that this incident spurs us to be safer. I know I will think of it every time someone tells me we are "completely ok" and I have that feeling in the pit of my stomach.
And finally...here is the Facebook page where many professionals are paying tribute.
https://www.facebook.com/slatesforsarahWe lost a light in our community and there was NO reason it EVER should have happened. I hope we can go forward with greater caution in our hearts...and heads...
