Rust Production Staffer Made Custom Shirts Mocking Camera Crew's On-Set Complaints: Report
Jae C Hong/AP/Shutterstock
One production member on the set of the film Rust reportedly had custom T-shirts made to mock the camera crew's on-set complaints, according to a recent report by The Los Angeles Times.
Per the outlet, camera crew members who lived in Albuquerque asked production managers for hotel rooms, as they did not want to travel about 50 miles each day to the film's troubled set in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Though hotel rooms were initially provided during the first week of production, members of the camera crew were then told during the second week that they would no longer receive such accommodations and would be required to travel from their own homes to the set, Lane Luper, the A-camera first assistant, told the LA Times.
The outlet also reported that after the crew made their request for the hotel rooms, their asks were mocked by the Rust production office.
The LA Times reported that someone on the production staff even ordered "custom black long-sleeve T-shirts" that had sayings such as "Error 404: Housing Not Found" and "ABQ is an hour away" printed on them.
RELATED: Halyna Hutchins Was One of Few Crew Members to Stay Behind on Rust Set Following Reported Walkout
Last month, the LA Times previously reported that around six camera operators and their assistants walked off the set of Rust in protest of tiring working conditions, long hours and long commutes. This walkout came before cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot by a prop gun that was used by Alec Baldwin. (Baldwin, 63, also injured director Joel Souza during the on-set incident.)
"Corners were being cut — and they brought in nonunion people so they could continue shooting," an insider told the outlet at the time.
A production source previously told PEOPLE that crew members working on the movie "didn't feel safe" on set in New Mexico and were "concerned and angry" that the possible International Association of Theatrical Stage Employees strike — which was averted after IATSE reached a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) for a new film and TV contract — meant to address harsh working conditions never happened.
RELATED VIDEO: Sheriff Says Alec Baldwin's Been 'Extremely Cooperative' During the Rust On-Set Investigation
"They all made it clear they didn't feel safe and that they had to spend a long time to get to set, so everyone was tired even before they got there," the insider says. "They were concerned and angry that the proposed union strike that was meant to address these issues never happened."
When asked last week about weapons safety on the set, a spokesperson for the movie's production company, Rust Movie Productions, LLC, told PEOPLE, "The safety of our cast and crew is the top priority of Rust Productions and everyone associated with the company. Though we were not made aware of any official complaints concerning weapon or prop safety on set, we will be conducting an internal review of our procedures while production is shut down. We will continue to cooperate with the Santa Fe authorities in their investigation and offer mental health services to the cast and crew during this tragic time."
The Rust film set has been shut down following Hutchins' death, with production indefinitely paused, according to the production company, Rust Movie Productions, LLC.
"The entire cast and crew has been absolutely devastated by today's tragedy, and we send our deepest condolences to Halyna's family and loved ones," the company said in a statement last month. "We have halted production on the film for an undetermined period of time and are fully cooperating with the Santa Fe Police Department's investigation. We will be providing counseling services to everyone connected to the film as we work to process this awful event."
So far, no charges have been filed. The investigation into the incident remains ongoing.
