Last week, footage of Jonathan Majors and his co-star, JC Kilcoyne, accidentally falling through a window while filming a scene started circulating online. I watched the clip with very little context, and my first thought was, hmm, where was the stunt coordinator? Did no one else see how close they were to the window? And when Jonathan said, “did we get the shot?” and someone responded “yes,” followed by him saying, “use it,” I thought — just like an actor, ready to do whatever it takes to get the shot. Now, of course, I’m generalizing with that statement, but in general, the cast and crew on a production — especially an indie — are willing to walk through walls (literally), and in this case, a window, to get a shot.

A lot has come out since the video started circulating. I’m not sure if it is clear whether falling through the window was an accident or if they didn’t have the correct breakaway glass in the window. It doesn’t matter for the purpose of this post. I want to talk about safety on set — not necessarily a sexy subject, but it is one that will absolutely save you headaches, finances, and injuries.

For an independent film, “Safety on Set” should be of absolute, paramount importance. I’ve noticed that sometimes, when filmmakers are working with low and micro-budgets, one of the areas they tend to cut is safety. And by safety, I mean filming scenes that involve stunts (vehicle stunts, fight scenes, or falling scenes), pyro techniques (explosions, fires, smoke, fireworks, etc.), or weapons (blank-firing firearms, knives, swords, bows) with a professional stunt coordinator, special effects coordinator, or weapons wrangler, respectively. Although I highly recommend rethinking firearms on set — use non-firing prop guns instead. 

Just because your budget is low doesn’t mean you should sacrifice safety. In addition to Jonathan Majors accidentally falling through a window (writing that sounds crazy), there have been numerous accidents and deaths on sets in the past 15 years (RIP: Halyna Hutchins (2021), SJ Harris (2017), John Bernecker (2017), and Sarah Jones (2014)). That should be an indication of how easy it is to get hurt, even when a film has a so-called big budget.

And that’s because safety isn’t about money — or isn’t just about money — it’s about proper planning and putting the safety of the cast and crew above getting the shot. As the producer of a project, you will be held liable (fines and possibly jail time) if someone gets hurt or, God forbid, dies on one of your sets. I speak from experience when I say it’s really easy to get caught up in the moment and let safety go out the window. Especially when you’re doing something that seems really cool or when getting that shot would mean so much toward the production value of your film. But at the end of the day, the risk is not worth it. Fortunately, for me, no one has been hurt on any of my sets, but here are a few scenarios where things could’ve gone really bad and how you should handle safety on your set.

I’ve mentioned before that on a short film, I let my enthusiastic actor go method on the roof of a 3- or 4-story building, with the actor precariously walking back and forth on a ledge, “acting” drunk and erratic, while his co-star attempts to coax him off the ledge. It was the actor’s idea, and I — the producer and director — held my breath the whole time, but I allowed it to happen. We shot fewer takes than our average because I was so worried, and I cut the scene short. Oh, and it was dark outside. I should never have allowed it. To film a scene like that, we needed to have some type of safety harness, nets, or something in place to ensure that the actor would not fall off the roof and break his neck. Alternatively, I could have rewritten the scene, or we could have used camera tricks and shot it in a way that seemed scary and unsafe, which would have required pre-planning.

In another instance, while filming on location, we had to transport the cast and crew from our hotels to the set. One location in particular was over an hour away. That meant, in addition to a 12–13 hour shooting day (if you count lunch), we had over 2 hours of driving. So that amounted to a 15-hour day, leaving most of the crew with less than a 9-hour turnaround time. But the most egregious and unsafe part was the toll on the drivers. They had to have the vehicles gassed up and ready by wheels-up time every morning, which added even more time to their day. They were also part of the crew, so they worked the day in addition to driving. This was unsafe for them and especially unsafe for them to be driving the crew on so little sleep.

Fortunately, we recognized this issue early on. We made several swift changes that rectified the situation and ultimately had a great shoot.

Finances can never be a reason to skimp on safety — someone’s life could literally depend on it.

Quick tips for maintaining a safe set:

1. Proper planning — during prep, your producer or LP needs to identify anything in the script that might be considered a stunt or special effect, or that might require additional support, such as a stunt coordinator or special effects team. Meet with the team and figure out the safest way to film the scene. In some cases, you may only need a stunt coordinator and not stunt doubles. Or they may suggest a different way to shoot the scene where you won’t need any additional crew.
2. Build in enough time in the schedule to shoot the scene properly. Accidents happen when people rush — not just on film sets. Allotting the time to film the scene properly and get the takes you need will help prevent accidents.
3. Rehearse beforehand. If possible, plan a previs day where the cast and crew come together to rehearse the scene in as much detail as possible. Of course, some things will need to wait until the day of, but it makes the day run smoother with everyone knowing ahead of time what to expect.
4. Commit the plan to paper — in an email or via storyboards of the previs rehearsals, etc. Anything that will avoid confusion that can sometimes pop up when you’re recalling something from memory as opposed to referencing a written plan.
5. Have a safety meeting. You should hold a brief safety meeting at the beginning of every day that is essentially a recap of what the shoot day will entail. Use this time to discuss any stunts or pyrotechnics that will be filmed that day, and always mention if weapons or animals will be on set (also send that info out the night before with your call sheet). Identify who the point person is in the event of an emergency and what the rally point is where cast and crew should meet.

It may sound like a lot to do for a $15K movie, but trust me, it’s a lot less than what you might have to do if someone gets hurt or dies on your set and you have to defend yourself in court — just ask Alec Baldwin. That comment is in no way blaming him for that incident. I wasn’t there, but none of us want to be in that position.

If you’re serious about making films the right way — from prep to production to distribution — I break all of this down inside my Movie Making Masterclass.