A physician turned documentarian warns of the dangers and safety issues on movie sets in Safe Sets: Dying to Work in the Film Industry. Co-writer and co-director Paul Heinzelmann shines a light on movie set hazards and encourages the industry to take safety more seriously.
The film opens with the death of emerging cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust when a mistakenly loaded rehearsal gun was discharged in the hands of actor Alec Baldwin. As a set medic on various productions in Boston, Heinzelmann shares his experiences with dealing with various ailments and injuries on set and notes how he created his position from a genuine concern for cast and crew and how there is no real effective industry standard for safety in Hollywood.
Safe Sets discusses five safety issues that need to be addressed by the three power brokers in Hollywood: Studios, Unions, and the Government. These issues are stunts, exposures, accidents, addiction, and sleep deprivation.
Regarding stunts, Heinzelmann notes that there is no certification to be a stunt person in the United States, as there is in other countries. He tells the story of Joi “SJ” Harris, a professional motorcycle racer. Her first job as a stunt person was as a stunt double for Domino in Deadpool 2. Though a highly qualified bike racer, Harris was inexperienced and untrained as a stunt person. She was killed in her first stunt.
Safe Sets then covers the lives lost or endangered on film sets, including how lead squibs put the Breaking Bad cast and crew in danger of lead poisoning to save a few pennies versus using non-lead squibs. On the set of Midnight Rider, camera assistant Sarah Jones died from being hit by a train when the director decided to shoot on a bridge without permission. Production assistant Luke Scott died from drug addiction as he was constantly chasing the next elusive Hollywood job, and Brent Hershman died from a car accident while falling asleep behind the wheel of his car after an 18-hour workday on set. Everyone who died didn’t want to be “that person” who went home early while everyone stayed. Everyone is replaceable in Hollywood.
“Safe Sets discusses five safety issues… stunts, exposures, accidents, addiction, and sleep deprivation.”
The documentary ends by showing how all of these issues brought up by Heinzelmann affected the set of Rust and how they could have been avoided. In this case, a crew-person was held accountable and imprisoned for the tragedy, while the producers (and the actor) got off scot-free.
As someone who watches movies daily and is not part of the Hollywood system, I find it hard not to agree with everything Paul Heinzelmann says in Safe Sets. The reality is that there are dangerous jobs in the world, and making movies is not and should never be one of them. Safety should be top priority with all the money spent on a movie. Just look at where money on a film is allocated, and safety is low on the list compared to lead and co-lead actor salaries.
Safe Sets: Dying to Work in the Film Industry is a must-see film that hopes to wake Hollywood up to the problem. Overall, this is excellent information, but I’m not sure how mentioning COVID protocols and the final strike negotiations is helping spread the message.
The one conspiracy theory the film gets right is Hollywood’s demand for fast and cheap, two factors that make its sets truly dangerous. It is hard not to see how much these films make and wonder if a few hundred thousand dollars would absolutely make a difference.
Safe Sets: Dying to Work in the Film Industry is an important exposé of Hollywood’s artistic blind spot when it comes to safety. Paul Heinzelmann’s first-hand accounts and the tragic stories he recounts remind us that no movie is worth a life. Eye-opening and enraging, this documentary is a must-watch for anyone who believes the glitz and glamour of film should never come at such a high human cost.
"…safety should be top priority with all the money spent on a movie."
