IATSE Local 600 (International Cinematographers Guild) and Local 479 (Studio Mechanics) are joining forces with several grassroots film/tv production social media sites for a memorial campaign honoring Sarah Jones, camera assistant. She died one year ago on February 20, 2014 in a fatal train accident on location in Georgia.
The program, “Spirit of Sarah,” calls for production crews worldwide to take a moment of silence for Jones before making the first production shot of the day, now known as “the Jonesy.” They will post their photos and videos and remembrances on social media sites dedicated to promoting safety. In addition to the Facebook pages run by Local 600 and Local 479, the effort includes We Are Sarah Jones, Pledge to Sarah, and PSA: Production Safety Awareness. These sites all support the common goal of “Never Forget, Never Again” by promoting crew safety inspired by Sarah Jones.
In a statement Sarah’s parents, Richard and Elizabeth Jones, said, “As we stand in worldwide unity, it is through initiatives like this moment of silence that we begin to realize the impact of one minute, a mere 60 seconds.”
When Sarah Jones, a member of Local 600, was killed and several other crew members injured, there was a tremendous outpouring of support from crew members worldwide, which is reflected on the Facebook page, Slates for Sarah, now with more than 70,000 likes. The effort also resulted in Sarah Jones’ name being included in the “In Memoriam” segment of the 2014 Oscar telecast. “Spirit of Sarah” is intended to remind the entire production community of the safety policies and resources in place supporting their right to a safe set.
Local 600 has launched SOS: Safety on Set, an initiative to communicate established safety practices and training programs through all member communications including their website, www.cameraguild.com, internal publications, and an app, ICG Safety, which has been available in the iTunes and Android/Google app stores for several months resulting in over 1,700 downloads.
Spokesmen from Local 600 and Local 479 jointly stated, “We are very pleased to support the outpouring of concern over safety, regardless of where it originates, as crews must feel safe on the set. These grassroots groups started in the region where Sarah Jones was working and are dedicated to the vision of Safety on Set that we, as a union, promote 24/7.”
“Spirit of Sarah ” calls for crews around the world to join the safety community in the following ways on February 20:
• Special stickers will be distributed through the Locals and other supporters.
• Before “the Jonesy” is shot, the crew should observe a moment of silence.
• The crew should incorporate the message of “Spirit of Sarah” on their slates for the day. These should be photographed with the crew and captured on video and posted to the social media sites listed below.
These are the social media platforms that are cooperating in this effort for crews all over the world to join in:
FACEBOOK PAGES:
We Are Sarah Jones
A Pledge to Sarah
PSA: Production Safety Awareness
Cameraguild (Local 600)
IATSE Local 479
On all social media platforms use hashtags:
#SafetyonSet, #TheJonesy, #SafetyforSarah
Download the ICG SAFETY app, search “ICG Safety” in the Google Play or Apple Store.
Richard and Elizabeth Jones have also issued the video statement below:
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