Hundreds gather to honor life and legacy of Halyna Hutchins
The candlelight vigil was hosted by several film and television organizations, including the New Mexico Film Office.
The candlelight vigil was hosted by several film and television organizations, including the New Mexico Film Office.
The candlelight vigil was hosted by several film and television organizations, including the New Mexico Film Office.
Hundreds of people gathered at New Mexico's Civic Plaza for a candlelight vigil honoring Halyna Hutchins Saturday evening.
The cinematographer was among two people shot when actor Alec Baldwin discharged a prop firearm on the set of “Rust” in Santa Fe on Oct. 21. Hutchins died from her injuries at the hospital.
"On Thursday morning, all of us got up and went to work like we always do," Rebecca 'Puck' Stair, a film worker, said. "One of us didn't come home, and that's not right.
The emotional night in downtown Albuquerque was filled with hugs, tears and prayers.
Several speakers, including a representative of Hutchins' family, were in attendance.
"Somebody's gone. A young, talented [woman] not even from this country. She's made her own life and learned a lot," Bill Horn, a film worker, said.
Many local film and television workers showed out in full support of one of their own.
"It could have been any of us," Jilli Oyenque, a film worker said. "Any of us that have to go to set, and especially when there’s safety issues."
For Stair, the vigil brought on too much emotion.
She said she knew the woman on the set of "Rust" who called for help.
"The voice that you hear in the 911 call, that’s someone I know, and it’s just terrifying to hear those words come out of that mouth. I know that person, you know? We’ve worked together in the past," Stair said.
She added, the tragic day the shooting happened, was a scary moment for her and all her peers in the film community.
Even while working on her own movie set in New Mexico.
"I run the security for the set," Stair said. "My construction coordinator called me and said, 'did you hear about this shooting? I need an extra guard on set.'"
Many film workers said safety on set has always been a big concern.
"Safety is a big issue, and it was one of the many issues, but tragically it’s taken somebody’s life," Oyenque said.
In addition, film workers say more needs to be done to prevent similar tragedies from happening again.
"We need a good, clear investigation. We need to find out exactly what happened and what didn’t happen. And then, if there’s people responsible, they need to be accounted for," Stair said.
In honor of Halyna.
"Keep her name alive and just remember her as she was," Horn said. "This is a lesson we should never have to learn."
Groups of film workers, including members of the IASTE Local 480 union, are further advocating for gun safety on film and television sets.
