Tribute to S. Jones
`On 14th Feb, a 2nd AC was killed on a set while shooting on a train track. She was struck and killed and 7 others were injured. There are a lot of questions of course and will be for some time…
…Our position carries responsibility with it and one of those responsibilities is to look out for those in our crew who we know would never complain and just want to hump all day making us look even better.`
From IATSE Local 600 News & Events:
Last Friday night (March 7), more than 500 members of Local 600 and other unions in the Los Angeles entertainment community came together for a candlelight walk and memorial in memory of our fallen sister, Sarah Jones. What an unforgettable image we created walking down Sunset Blvd. from the Directors Guild of America to our national office, hundreds and hundreds of us holding small flames that pierced the darkness, with dozens of others holding signs saying, “Never Forget, Never Again.”
Leading the procession of industry workers and friends were Sarah`s parents, Richard and Elizabeth Jones (who flew in for the event), along with IATSE Vice President Mike Miller, National Executive Director Bruce Doering, and me. For those of us on the West Coast who only knew Sarah by her spirited and dedicated reputation, we learned what we have lost with the passing of this young camerawoman. Sarah`s friends, Local 600 members Amanda Etheridge and Director of Photography Robert LaBonge, described the joy Sarah brought to every set she was on. Sarah`s father brought a hush to the crowd as he reminded us, “We are all Sarah Jones… This is the beginning of a movement for safer sets. There is no reason for another father to give this speech.” We must not let him down.
The events around this terrible tragedy have galvanized our community. It`s not enough to hope to never come together for such an event again. We can and must do more. We must make sure that Sarah`s death will not have been in vain. We should all be safety officers on set, looking out for each other. IATSE VP Miller assured us that we will have the full force of the IA in our demands for stronger safety standards, saying, “What happened on that train trestle horrified all of us – no one should have to die making a movie or television show.”
Sarah was also honored at this weekend`s Society of Camera Operators Awards, where a video tribute was played to the tune of Hall & Oates’ Sara Smile. I also want to take a moment to congratulate honorees from that event, Peter Taylor (“Gravity”), Don Devine (“Mad Men”), J. Michael Muro, as well as all our other Local 600 members who were nominated. It was a wonderful evening where it was also great to see Chris Haarhoff, Bill Coe, Barry Wetcher, Stan McClain and Jack Carpenter greeted with standing ovations for their richly deserved lifetime achievement awards. It was a reminder that in good times and bad, we`re all part of the Local 600 family, a family that takes care of our own.
One final note, I wanted to share a moving ode to Sarah written by Cinematographer John Bailey, ASC on his blog yesterday called Sonatina for Sarah. Read it here.
Fraternally,
Steven Poster, ASC
ICG Local 600 National President