The Cinematographers Guild hosted a candlelight vigil to pay tribute to the dead Halyna Hutchins in Albuquerque on Saturday night. Hutchins was shot accidentally by a prop gun on the set of ‘Rust’ when Alec Baldwin was rehearsing the scene.
“She was a mother, a wife, and an accomplished cinematographer. She was beloved, talented, respected, and loving. She was also passionate about her work, and that’s really who all of you are. She was one of us,” said John Lindley, the Guild President.
Apart from that, the president of a labor union in Santa Fe, IATSE Local 480, Liz Pecos also shared her thoughts, “We share the outrage and shock at her life being cut short in such a devastating way. Her death shouldn’t have happened. Everyone deserves to go to work knowing they’ll be able to return home safely. This has shaken all of us to the very core. May her memory be eternal and her life not lived in vein.”
While the industry mourns one of the finest Director of Photography, Hylana Hutchins, vigils and tributes are paid across the country as another vigil for her is planned to be held on Sunday in California.
Apart from her friends and family, people who knew her were also seen sharing their memories with her and how they thought about her.
A worker from Albuquerque told Reuters, “She was so dynamic and when something like this happens, it’s devastating to all of us,” said Sandie Kay.
A former colleague of Hutchins, Lane, expressed that she was lucky enough that she got an opportunity to work with Hutchins while adding, “To work with somebody that is that collaborative and never thought of herself as better than anyone on that set, I would have been lucky to have ever done another move with another person like that or her, and now I don’t get to and it sucks.”
As people expressed their love for Hutchins and what a gem of a person she was, some thought it would be right to raise awareness regarding safety on film sets. A film worker who was among the people holding signs symbolizing raising awareness regarding safety on film sets, Cheryl Lowe told Reuters, “I think that it’s definitely a stark reminder for gun safety on set, and I am with the idea of banning real guns from set if that is possible.”
