The operator who filmed her own death: what was the path of the Ukrainian woman killed by Baldwin in Hollywood

October 21 on the set of the film Rust a Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin accidentally killed the cameraman and wounded the director. The Ukrainian woman was killed. Sources say she may have filmed her own death. The edition told in more detail with the BBC.

“Galina Gutchins was a bright person. Everyone loved her very much. She had great creativity. But above all, she was a wonderful mother,” recalls director Alexey Fedosov.

Galina Gutchins, 42, died of a bullet wound while filming Rust.

According to preliminary data from the investigation, it was Alec Baldwin who fired a prop weapon on the set.

“It happened during the shooting of the shot. Most likely, Galina could have filmed her own death,” suggests director Alexey Fedosov, who has been working in Hollywood for seven years. Of these, there are already five, as he knows Galina.

That is, the camera was supposed to film everything that happened from the moment of the fatal shot until it was turned off after the injury.

In the United States, the 42-year-old filmmaker is left with a husband and little son. Before starting a career abroad, Galina lived and studied in Ukraine.

Alexey Fedosov spoke about how they worked together in California, as well as the working conditions at Hollywood venues.

On the set of one of the short films, Galina Gutchins was the director of photography, and he was the second director.

Working together in Hollywood

“I was very strict with her on set. Sometimes, perhaps, too much. But despite this, she always smiled. Galina was an amazing person, a bright soul who, unfortunately, left us,” says Alexey.

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The director emphasized that she was a non-standard cameraman: she always tried to find the best angle, no matter how she was driven.

“Galina simply smiled and without haste, she continued to do her job very well. She had her own clear vision. It was impossible to customize it,” recalls Fedosov.

Gutchins was a member of the American Operators Guild. According to her colleagues, she was rapidly moving up the career ladder, Galina was well known in the Russian-speaking community of Hollywood.

“Her talent and his human qualities helped her move forward,” says the director. “A female cinematographer is still a rarity in Hollywood.”

About working conditions

According to Alexey Fedosov, a lot of Ukrainians work in Hollywood - these are camera operators, their assistants, and assistant directors. In addition, a huge number of actors, mainly supporting ones, are Ukrainians.

Not so much is known about their Hollywood achievements and successes at home.

“For example, on the set of the film “Ford v Ferrari,” out of 500 extras, about a hundred were Ukrainians,” the director explained.

Alexey Fedosov notes that Hollywood has strict safety rules when shooting films like Rust. There must be a person on the site who is good at weapons and is responsible for the weapon props.

Before shooting scenes with revolvers or rifles, a test shot is taken. In such situations, the police must be present.

“For the beauty of the frame, blank cartridges are used. They give a bright flash when fired. No more. We used them on the set. I didn’t see anything wrong with it,” Alexey Fedosov shares his experience.

Also, in his opinion, such a tragedy can hardly be explained by overwork due to too long filming shifts.

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“For Ukrainians, working conditions in Hollywood are paradise after what they are used to at home. There, my shift on the set of advertising, music videos, and films could last 24-26 hours. In Hollywood, an actor’s shift is 8 hours, a group’s shift is 10-12 hours,” says the cinematographer.

Overtime work is paid at double the rate, and more than 16 hours in a row is conditionally golden time, which will cost the film company very dearly. Therefore, producers try to avoid such long shifts.

According to the director, "the entire film industry is shocked by what happened."

Idle cartridges

The fact that Baldwin fired from props weapons, said representatives of the actor and the police. According to them, it was a pistol loaded with blank cartridges, writes with the BBC.

Photo: Shutterstock

New details of the police investigation were revealed on October 22, when permission was formally requested to conduct the search.

The assistant director took one of the three prop pistols that the weapons specialist had prepared and handed it over to Baldwin. According to the evidence collected, he stated that the pistol was not loaded.

The assistant director, the document says, also did not know that the weapon had live ammunition.

The police files, among other things, indicate that Baldwin's clothes stained with blood were seized as evidence along with a pistol. Other props weapons were also taken away by the police.

The 63-year-old actor was interrogated by the police, but no one was charged about the incident.

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