A film production company on Tuesday admitted health and safety breaches over an accident on the set of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" that broke the leg of star Harrison Ford.
The actor was struck by a hydraulic door on the set of the Millennium Falcon — his character Han Solo's spaceship — at Pinewood Studios near London in June 2014. He was airlifted to a hospital for surgery.
During a hearing at Milton Keynes Magistrates' Court in Britain, prosecutor Andrew Marshall said the door "could have killed somebody" had an emergency stop button not been hit. Britain's Health and Safety Executive said the metal-framed door struck Ford with a power comparable to the weight of a small car.
Foodles Production Ltd, which is owned by the Walt Disney Co., admitted two breaches of health and safety law, although its lawyer, Angus Withington, said Foodles would contest the level of risk involved.
The company will be sentenced next month.
Production on the film was suspended for two weeks after the accident to Ford, who was 71 at the time.
"The Force Awakens" is the seventh installment in the space saga and has taken more than $2 billion at the worldwide box office since its release last year.
Filming is underway on the eighth Star Wars film, directed by Rian Johnson and due for release in 2017.
SMPTE elects board officers, regional governors
SMPTE®,the home of media professionals, technologists, and engineers, has revealed the board officers and regional governors who will serve terms beginning in January 2025.
Three new officers--Richard Welsh as SMPTE president, Eric Gsell as SMPTE executive VP, and Polly Hickling as SMPTE Education VP--have been elected for a two-year term from Jan. 1, 2025, to Dec. 31, 2026. One SMPTE officer, Lisa Hobbs, will be continuing her service as SMPTE secretary and treasurer for another two-year term. Additionally, Raymond Yeung will be stepping into the role of standards VP on Jan. 1, 2025.
“SMPTE’s membership has spoken,” said SMPTE interim executive director Sally-Ann D’Amato. “These officers have been tasked with an important responsibility, one each of them is prepared to tackle head-on. These next two years are looking bright for SMPTE!”
In addition to the officers, 10 regional governors were elected by the Society to serve two-year 2025-2026 terms.
These include the following regional governors, re-elected to continue their service:
Asia-Pacific Region Governor
Tony Ngai, Society of Motion Imaging Ltd.
EMEA - Central & South America Region Governor
Fernando Bittencourt, FB Consultant
United Kingdom Region Governor
Chris Johns, Sky UK.
USA - Central Region Governor
William T. Hayes, Consultant
USA - Eastern Region Governor
Dover Jeanne Mundt, Riedel Communications
USA - Western Region Governor
Jeffrey F. Way, Open Drives
Also elected were four newcomers to the SMPTE Board:
Canada Region Governor
Jonathan Jobin, Grass Valley
USA - Hollywood Region Governor
Allan Schollnick, Voxx... Read More