For those in attendance, the spirit of “solidarity” was mentioned many times, along with a sense of frustration that the industry is still not paying attention to the impact of long hours, demanding deadlines and low pay among over-worked crew members.
Miller mentioned a frustration that it’s been seven years since the death of camera assistant Sarah Jones on another independent feature shooting on location, “Midnight Rider,” which also led to a discussion about working conditions for Hollywood crews. Lindley said although he didn’t know Hutchins, he has “gotten a very clear picture of who she is by talking to her friends and family. And what’s clear to me is that she was beloved, respected, talented, and loving. She was one of us. She was part of the film family, she was passionate about the work and eager to succeed. And I’ve heard a lot about her bright future. But what’s really clear to me is that she had a very bright present, she had a husband and a son.
“What impressed us when we interviewed Halyna was her determination,” he said. “And then what impressed us in her first year at AFI was her ability to take the criticism of the notes that we gave her, take them seriously without being defensive, and to really grow from those notes.” “We need to start working normal days so we can have normal family lives,” he said. “And the last thing I’d like you to do is start a conversation about functional guns on sets. There is no place for weapons that can kill on motion picture sets. Rubber guns are totally acceptable now and can be made to look as real as they need to.”