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GENERAL ENGLISH · BREAKING NEWS · UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)

FATAL
SHOOTING IN
HOLLYWOOD
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1 Warm up
Look at the pictures below and discuss the questions in pairs or small groups.

picture 1 picture 2 picture 3

picture 4 picture 5 picture 6

1. Have you ever had an accident or injured yourself at work?

2. Do you think companies should be held responsible if an employee is seriously injured in the
workplace?
3. Do you enjoy watching action films? Can you think of an action movie with a particularly exciting
scene?
4. When watching movies, do you prefer CGI (Computer Generated Images) or practical effects?

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2 Vocabulary in context

Part A: Match words with the correct definitions.

1. As a police officer, sometimes you have to draw your weapon.

2. Reports in the media suggest that the football team has been in disarray since the manager left.
3. The school holds an annual fundraiser for the homeless.
4. The sale of firearms has been banned in many countries.
5. After the Queen died, the prince was pronounced King.
6. Several bankers faced charges after they were found to be committing fraud.
7. The news story sparked debates about safety in the workplace.
8. At school, we were allowed to use prop swords when acting in school plays.

a. an event organized for the collection of money for a particular purpose, especially a charity
b. an object used by actors in a play or movie
c. a state of confusion or disorganization
d. cause something to begin, especially an argument, fight, or discussion
e. formal statements saying that someone is accused of a crime
f. guns that can be easily carried
g. state something officially or formally
h. take something out of a container or pocket, especially a gun or knife

Part B: Read the short text and match the phrases in bold to the correct definitions.

The government’s new high-speed rail service has been halted indefinitely after reports of
poor working conditions. Rail staff walked out on Saturday evening, and a strike had been
organized. An external investigation drew attention to a number of occupational safety issues
that have resulted in a series of accidents. Commentators have suggested that charges could
be brought against the government because of the unsafe working conditions.

1. stop doing something without a fixed date for resuming

2. all aspects of physical, mental, and social health and security in a workplace

3. stop working or leave your job because of a disagreement with your employer

4. make something notice something or someone

5. formally accuse someone of a crime

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3 Listening for accuracy

Part A: Listen to the report. Decide whether each statement is true, false, or not given.

1. Director Joel Souza was badly wounded in the incident.

2. Two years ago, Hutchins was declared a "rising star" by a magazine.
3. Baldwin was photographed later that day on the phone to his lawyer in a car park.
4. Production of the movie will continue after a short delay.
5. Hutchins’s family set up a fundraiser through the website GoFundMe.

4 Listening comprehension

Try to recall the recording. Fill in the blanks with one, two, or three words from the recording and
then listen to check your answers.

1. Alec Baldwin has said he felt after the accidental killing.

2. The shooting occurred because the gun appeared to have been loaded with a .
3. Sadly, Hutchins was declared to be after being flown to a New Mexico hospital.
4. Reportedly, Baldwin went to the Santa Fe county office to speak with investigators.
5. There had been disagreements about for the crew, as well as safety concerns,
leading to some workers walking out.
6. A for female cinematographers has been announced by the American Film Institute.

5 Reading for general understanding

You are going to read a text (page 5) about accidents and safety in the film and television industries.
Scan the text quickly and find out which paragraph best matches the following subheadings. There
is one subheading for each paragraph and two additional headings that are not related to the article,
which should be marked as "not given."

1. Condemnation leads to change

2. Stunt workers walk out over safety concerns
3. Tragedy on set sparks fresh debate on prop guns
4. Could Hutchins’s death have been avoided?
5. Stunt work: a common source of accidents on set
6. Major Hollywood directors to ban prop guns on set
7. The accident that brought the debate into the mainstream

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6 Film and firearms vocabulary

Look at the bolded words in the sentences below. Match the following words with the definitions,
keeping context in mind.

1. Sometimes a bullet gets stuck in the barrel of the gun, which can cause an explosion.
2. In the film industry, blanks are used in prop guns to create light and sound effects when a weapon
is fired.
3. Police discovered that several rounds of ammunition had been discharged from the machine gun.
4. She worked as an armorer before becoming a cinematographer.
5. They used dummycartridges during filming and added special effects later to make it look like real
bullets were being fired.
6. One particularly dangerous stunt resulted in several minor injuries, and filming was suspended.
7. In medieval times, projectile weapons such as longbows were used in warfare.
8. They met on the set of the new Avengers movie and got engaged last month.

a. ammunition for a gun that contains no explosives; used to check weapon function or for crew
training
b. an action in a movie that is dangerous and is usually performed by someone skilled
c. an object that is thrown or shot forwards with force
d. a person who is responsible for maintaining weapons on a film set
e. a place where a movie or TV series is recorded or where a play is performed
f. containers filled with explosive powder that do not contain a bullet
g. the long part of a gun that is shaped like a tube
h. to fire a gun

Discuss these questions in pairs.

1. Have you ever visited a film set? If not, would you like to?
2. If you were an actor in the movies, would you do your own stunts?
3. Do you think all types of projectile weapons should be illegal for personal use?
4. Should blanks and dummycartridges continue to be used in films and television, or would it be
better to use imitation guns and add effects later with computers?

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UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)
FATAL SHOOTING IN HOLLYWOOD
Prop guns in the film world
An accident waiting to happen?
1.
The fatal shooting of Halyna Hutchins has sent
ripples through the film industry and beyond. The
incident, which Alec Baldwin described as a "tragic
accident," has resulted in an investigation that could
have broader implications for safety within the
entertainment world. Already, there have been
suggestions that shortcuts were taken during the
production of the movie Rust, of which Hutchins
was Director of Photography. There have also been
questions asked about the usage of prop guns in
general, reopening a debate dating back to 1993,
when actor Brandon Lee was shot dead on the set
of The Crow.
2.
Lee’s death propelled the topic of gun safety on film
sets into the public eye. In this instance, the prop
gun was loaded with poorly-made dummy cartridges
which had been created from live ones. Due to
carelessness and ignorance of good practices, a real
bullet became stuck in the barrel of the gun, which
went unnoticed during safety checks. Even though
the rest of the bullets were replaced by blanks, the
live round was forced out of the weapon during a
crucial scene in the movie, resulting in Lee being
struck in the stomach. He died in the hospital.
3.
Despite the media attention and debates that
followed, there have been a number of on-set
accidents over the years. According to The
Associated Press, between 1990 to 2014, at least
194 serious accidents, including 43 deaths, occurred
on television and film sets. Most commonly, these
involved stunt doubles, such as Harry O’Connor, who
lost his life when he hit a bridge in Prague. In 2015,
Olivia Jackson, a stuntwoman working on the movie
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, crashed into a piece
of camera equipment during a motorcycle scene.
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Although she survived, she suffered various serious
injuries, including nerve damage around her spine.
4.
Potential injury or death may be an inevitable risk
in the life of a stunt double, but for crew members
like Halyna Hutchins, human error may be to blame.
There have been suggestions that Hannah Gutierrez-
Reed, the armorer responsible for overseeing all
weapons on set, was inexperienced, with reports
of complaints about the way in which she handled
firearms. During the filming of The Old Way,
Gutierrez-Reed’s first movie as a lead armorer, actor
Nicholas Cage walked off set when she discharged
a gun without warning. The assistant director,
Dave Halls, had also received complaints, including
allegations that he had ignored safety protocols. Prior
to the fatal shooting of Hutchins, Gutierrez-Reed
placed three prop guns on a cart. Hall later selected
one of these - a .45 Long colt revolver - and handed
it to Baldwin.
5.
After the Rust incident, members of the film industry
spoke out against the use of guns as props in movies.
Shannon Lee, the sister of Brandon Lee, said that
"with all the special effects that are possible and all
of the technology, there is no reason to have a prop
gun or a gun on a set that can fire a projectile of
any sort." There has already been action taken: Alexi
Hawley, showrunner of television series The Rookie,
announced that live guns would be banned on set.
Instead, Airsoft guns would be used, with special
effects added in post-production to create the illusion
of gunfire. Perhaps the film and television industry
is finally ready to move on from prop guns to safer
alternatives.
Sources: BBC, The Guardian, Associated Press, Los
Angeles Times
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7 Vocabulary

Before you carefully read the article on weapons used in the movies, scan through the text again to
find a word that means the following.

1. resulting in the loss of life (para 1):

2. something that expands outwards through something (para 1):
3. the effects that actions or decisions will have on something in the future (para 1)
4. push a subject into general conversation (para 2):
5. the long bone running down the back of a human (para 3):
6. being in charge and making sure that a job or an activity is done correctly (para 4):
7. accusations or statements about something without proof (para 4):
8. a system of rules or acceptable behaviors, particularly in the workplace (para 4):

8 Reading comprehension

Part A: Decide whether the following statements based on the text are true, false, or not given.

1. Hutchins was producing the movie Rust at the time of her death.
2. The Crow was a movie released in the year 1993.
3. Brandon Lee died after being struck in the stomach by a dummy cartridge.
4. Stuntman Harry O’Connor was working on an action movie.
5. Olivia Jackson was fatally wounded during the filming of Resident Evil: The Final Chapter.
6. It has been suggested that the woman in charge of weapons on the set of Rust was inexperienced.
7. The Assistant Director of Rust chose a real gun from three prop weapons and passed it to Alec
Baldwin.
8. Some members of the film industry think prop guns should still be used on set.
9. The television series The Rookie will no longer use live guns on set.

Part B: Now, complete the short text with collocations (a pair of words that often go together) using
words from the article.

1
The world has been shaken by a series of accidents on film and television sets.
2 3
injuries to doubles have been blamed on human error, leading to
4
questions being raised about protocols. Additionally, recent deaths have led to calls
5
for prop guns to be banned, with taken by one television showrunner already.

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9 Talking point

In pairs, discuss the following questions.

1. Would you watch a movie knowing that a member of the cast or crew had been killed in the
production or had suffered a serious injury?
2. Having read the article and listened to the recording, do you think that charges should be brought
against Gutierrez-Reed or Halls?
3. How can we ensure safety for stunt doubles and workers on film and television sets? Do safety
protocols need to be altered in order to protect workers in the entertainment world?
4. Do you think action should be taken against Alec Baldwin for the death of Halyna Hutchins,
bearing in mind that he was partially responsible for producing the film Rust?
5. Should Rust be completed and released, or should the project be abandoned?
6. Should compensation be paid to the family of Halyna Hutchins by the producers of the movie?

10 Extended activity/writing homework

Choose ONE of the writing tasks below.

• Essay

Read the essay topic below. Write an opinion essay of 250-300 words. You should choose a position
– supporting or disagreeing with the statement – and provide evidence for your answer, as well as an
introduction and conclusion.

Guns have no place on screen in the 21st century. Aside from safety issues, they encourage
real-life violence.

• Letter of complaint

Write a letter of complaint to the production team following a series of health and safety breaches
on a film set you’ve been working on. Your letter should include suggestions for the future, as well as
mentioning the issues you’ve had during your time on set.

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Transcripts

3. Listening for accuracy

Newsreader: Actor Alec Baldwin has spoken of his “shock and sadness” after he accidentally shot
and killed Halyna Hutchins, Director of Photography for the film Rust.

Newsreader: For the scene in which Baldwin’s character draws a gun and aims it at the camera,
the actor was given a firearm, which he assumed to be a prop. Tragically, the weapon
appears to have been loaded with a real bullet. Director Joel Souza was also struck in
the shoulder, but his injuries are not life-threatening.

Newsreader: Following the shooting, Hutchins was flown to the University of New Mexico hospital
by helicopter but was pronounced dead on arrival. She had been declared a “rising
star” in 2019 by the American Cinematographer magazine.

Newsreader: Baldwin was photographed later that day on the phone in the car park of the sheriff’s
building, visibly upset. He is reported to have gone to the Santa Fe county office
“voluntarily” to speak with investigators. No charges have been brought against him.

Newsreader: Production of the movie - a western that was being filmed in Bonanza Creek Ranch,
New Mexico – has been halted indefinitely, according to its producers. In recent days,
a picture has emerged of a film set in disarray. Disputes about accommodation for the
crew and other matters, including safety, led to some workers walking out. Among
the complaints were claims that a prop gun had previously been fired three times
unintentionally.

Newsreader: In response to the shooting, the International Cinematographers Guild set up a

fundraiser for Hutchins’s family through the website GoFundMe. The American Film
Institute has also announced a scholarship program for female cinematographers in
Hutchins’s name. The incident has drawn attention to occupational safety and has
sparked discussions on the use of guns as props on movie sets.

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Key

1. Warm up

5 mins.
Tell the students they will be reading an article about accidents in the entertainment industry and listening to a
report about the Halyna Hutchins shooting. This discussion activity is suitable for pairs or groups.

2. Vocabulary in context

5 mins.
Ask students to match the sentences with the correct definition for the bolded word. Ask them to complete the
task without dictionaries or the Internet in the first instance, but allow lower-level students to reinforce their notes
by checking sources if needed. For the second part, students should read the short text and use the context to
match the terms and definitions in pairs or individually.

1. h 2. c 3. a 4. f 5. g 6. e 7. d 8. b
Part B

1. halted indefinitely (halt indefinitely) 2. occupational safety

3. walked out (walk out) 4. drew attention (draw attention)
5. brought against (bring against)

3. Listening for accuracy

5 mins.
Individually or in pairs, ask students to listen to the following report and decide if the statement is true, false, or
not given.

1. True. Director Joel Souza was also struck in the shoulder, but his injuries are not life-threatening.
2. True. She had been declared a "rising star" in 2019 by the American Cinematographer magazine.
3. Not Given. The listening mentions that Baldwin was photographed on the phone but not to whom he was
speaking.
4. False. Production of the movie... has been halted indefinitely.
5. False. The International Cinematographers Guild set up a fundraiser for Hutchins’s family through the website
GoFundMe.

4. Listening comprehension

5 mins.
Students should try to recall the recording and fill in the blanks with one, two, or three words from the activity.
They should then listen again to check their answers

1. "shock and sadness" 2. real bullet

3. dead on arrival 4. "voluntarily"
5. accommodation 6. scholarship program

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5. Reading for general understanding

5 mins.
Ask students to skim through the text quickly to match the subheadings to the correct paragraphs. You may want
to do this as a strictly-timed exercise, or you may want to allow them more time depending on the level.

a. paragraph 5 b. not given c. paragraph 1 d. paragraph 4

e. paragraph 3 f. not given g. paragraph 2

6. Film and firearms vocabulary

10 mins.
Explain that this vocabulary is related to the film industry and to firearms in general. Ask the students to read
the sentences and use the context to match the words to the correct definition. Ensure students know how to
pronounce target vocabulary.

1. g 2. f 3. h 4. d 5. a 6. b 7. c 8. e

7. Vocabulary

5-10 mins.
Set a strict time limit to encourage students to quickly scan for the answers rather than read in detail.

1. fatal 2. ripples 3. implications 4. propelled

5. spine 6. overseeing 7. allegations 8. protocols

8. Reading comprehension

10 mins.
Students should complete the task individually or in pairs. For the collocations exercise, ensure that students
focus on the text for context and explain that collocations are pairs of words that we often use together to make
a phrase.

1. false 2. not given 3. false 4. not given 5. false

6. true 7. true 8. not given 9. true
Part B

1. entertainment 2. Serious 3. stunt 4. safety 5. action

9. Talking point

10 mins.
Ask students to discuss the questions in pairs or small groups.

10. Extended activity/writing homework

At least 40 mins.
Students should choose one writing task.
For the essay, ask students to plan, write and check their opinion essay. Write the essay topic on the board to
ensure understanding before the task. Make sure to give the students feedback on their answers.

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For the letter, the teacher could brainstorm some possible things that could go wrong on a film set, such as
accidents, as well as some more mundane disputes, such as payment issues or scheduling conflicts. Students
should structure their letter in a formal manner.

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