“Because no one should ever die making a movie.” –pledgetosarah.org
When organizing a film or video production during the Pre-Production process, there are many components to plan for: budgets, schedules, permits, releases, gear rental, casting, contracts, distribution plans, and so much more. Perhaps one of the most important requirements of the Pre-Pro stage is planning for SAFETY on set. Doing the work to be sure your upcoming production is safe for cast, crew, and yourself is non-negotiable. If you don’t have time to plan safely, you don’t have time to make this film.
While there are far too many examples of planning gone wrong, in this week’s discussion we will focus on the story of 27-year-old Camera Assistant Sarah Jones. In 2014, Sarah was hit and killed by a freight train on the set of the Randall Miller film ‘Midnight Rider’. The 20-person film crew was shooting on a private train trestle in rural Georgia when a train came unexpectedly barreling down the tracks, and several crew members were trapped without an escape route. The story is a horrific tragedy, but can it be considered an accident?
Step 1. Review the following short articles. Feel welcome to conduct your own additional research as well.
(Read article only, video may not play and is not required viewing)
Step 2. Respond
Post your initial response to the prompts below by Thursday. Then, respond to at least 2 classmates’ post by Sunday. Keep in mind, you may search and use online articles which are not linked above, as long as you cite your sources!
1. Which crew member position(s) do you feel would have held a responsibility toward set safety on Midnight Rider?
2. What is your reaction to the court’s ruling in this case, based on the information made available?
3. List 3 alleged facts from this case which demonstrate an oversight or lack of planning. (You may copy and paste from articles, as long as you cite your source)
4. Cite your sources at the bottom of your post (APA/MLA formatting is required). Required: Students should research and list: at least one source from Full Sail University’s Online Library and one source from a website.
APA/MLA Format:
If you are unsure of the format you can visit Citation Machine at:
APA Website Example: Errington, A. (2015). How long can a spinoff like ‘Better Call Saul’ last? Retrieved from
APA Citation Example: Errington, A. (2011). The Comforting Myth Of The Heroic Unbeliever. Quadrant Magazine, 55(10), 61-66. (There is an option on the right-hand tool column of articles information page for proper citation)
Other sources can come from either reading assignments; reviews and critiques of the Auteur and their works; research via scholarly databases; your own independent research resources (books, magazines or reputable websites) or any combination thereof.
Wikipedia, IMDB, LexisNexis or Google Scholar should not be listed as direct sources. You must list the original source even if it is located as an abstract on the above sites.
Avoid using in-text quotations unless absolutely needed to emphasize a point. If used, they should be kept to a bare minimum.
Using quotes for the majority of the post or not giving them proper indication or citation within the text will be considered plagiarism.
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