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Who was Halyna Hutchins and what was her cause of death?
Before her death, she was working as a cinematographer for the western drama Rust
THE LATE Halyna Hutchins is credited as a cinematographer for many films and TV shows.
While working on the set of Joel Souza's Rust, an accidental shooting unexpectedly ended her life.
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Who was Halyna Hutchins?
Born on April 9, 1979, Halyna Hutchins née Androsovych was a Ukrainian cinematographer from Horodets, Zhytomyr Oblast.
Halyna is credited for the cinematography of 30 movies and TV projects.
She also directed and acted in two different short films.
After graduating from Kyiv University, she began working in the United States.
She later graduated with her cinematography degree from the American Film Institute.
While living in the US, she met Matthew Hutchins; the two married in 2005.
Matthew described his and Halyna's first year of dating as "a whirlwind," they tied the knot three months into their relationship.
Halyna and Matthew had one child together, a son named Andros.
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What was Halyna's cause of death?
On October 21, 2021, 42-year-old Halyna succumbed to a gunshot wound sustained from an accident on the set of Joel Souza's Rust.
The accident was caused by a prop gun that accidentally went off after it was picked up by the film's lead actor, Alec Baldwin.
Alec Baldwin accidentally shoots and kills crew member with prop gun on set of new movie Rust
During the incident, Souza was also shot but the wound wasn't fatal; he was released a day later.
Halyna was rushed to the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque.
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However, she was pronounced dead after she was transported to the hospital.
While remembering the circumstances of Halyna's death, her husband Matthew recalled to : "A member of the production team told me that Halyna had been shot, my heart sank right away.
"It was completely inexplicable to me that it could’ve happened at that moment, and the first thing I thought, I sat down and I said, 'I have to get my son,' because I had to be with him...
";...And so I rushed home and on the way, decided that we had to go to Santa Fe.
"When I got through to the doctor and spoke with him, and he detailed exactly what had happened and that she didn’t survive, I was heartbroken.
"And I knew that I had to tell my son right away when I saw him."
Matthew added: "I just had to be very direct and blunt because going to pick him up and go to to airport to go to Santa Fe, I didn’t want him to think that we were going to be seeing her and having fun together, and getting his hopes up.
"I told him, sitting together, that his mother had been shot and died.
"And, of course, he didn’t believe it right away. He didn’t want to believe it.
"I think that that kind of news you just have to say multiple times so that it can be believed.
"And so he believed it and we cried together then. I believe that she is still with us in our hearts."
Regarding the accident, Alec Baldwin stated: "There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother and deeply admired colleague of ours.
"I am in touch with her husband, offering my support to him and his family.
"My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna."
Who was charged for Halyna's death?
On January 19, 2023, Baldwin and Hannah Gutierrez-Reed were charged with involuntary manslaughter.
Both the Emmy Award winner and Gutierrez-Reed were colleagues of Halyna who worked with her on Rust.
The two parties pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The charges against Baldwin were dropped on April 20 of the same year.
On January 19, 2024, Baldwin was indicted for involuntary manslaughter again.
On March 6, 2024, Gutierrez-Reed was found guilty.
What is the role of a cinematographer?
A cinematographer, also known as a Director of Photography, is in charge of the lighting, framing, and color of every shot in a project.
The responsibilities can vary depending on how large the production is.
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On a larger film, cinematographers will be focused on the composition of a shot.
In low-budget films, cinematographers might be asked to help with the setup of a shot or post-production and can even act as the camera operator while filming.
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