ATLANTA — In March 2014, the Academy Awards flashed a banner in tribute to a woman who had just lost her life on a Georgia film set.
Sarah Jones was killed during a horrific accident on the set of Midnight Rider at age 27. Ever since, her parents have been working behind the scenes to create a stronger culture of safety on sets.
“She had her sights set high," says Sarah's father, Richard Jones. "She wanted to walk across that Academy Awards stage one day. She had already figured out how she was going to do it.”
Sarah grew up in South Carolina but found behind-the-scenes film work in Georgia. On her first day with Midnight Rider, the director asked her crew to set up on a CSX train track in Jessup, Ga. They weren’t cleared to be there.
“If they had stopped for a moment," says Richard Jones, "taken the breath and thought about what they were getting ready to do, they would not have done it.”
A train came through. It struck Sarah and killed her.
“It was criminal," her father says. "I mean literally, legally, every sense of the world. What they did was criminal.”
The director pleaded guilty. The Joneses filed wrongful death suits, the last of which was finally settled last month. They also established a mission to change a culture…
"We saw so many people after Sarah’s death asking us to be their voice," Richard Jones said, "and we felt it was something we needed to do”
In the days after the accident, crews across the country made Slates for Sarah, a call for workers who feel unsafe to speak up. In the five years since, the Joneses have visited sets across the country, particularly in Georgia. They’ve established internships to empower aspiring film workers.
One recipient, Anna-Marie Aloia, said, “If I hadn’t had the training, I think I would have been real hesitant to say anything about anything. You don’t want to make a stink. You don't want to get fired."
Representing the Sarah Jones Film Foundation, she feels free to speak up ... and encourage others who are relatively new to the business.
“A director wanted to put a camera on a roof," Aloia recalls. "And the ADs were like, ‘No, it’s not approved. It’s not safe.’ And the director said, ‘Oh, can’t we just do that?’ And the AD said, ‘Hey, we don’t want another Midnight Rider.'"
The evidence is anecdotal. The Joneses haven’t pushed to get any laws passed. Instead, they focus on convincing from the inside. They keep driving hundreds of miles, amplifying their message, and hoping the story of Sarah will prevent anything like it again.
Said Richard Jones, “There is just no reason anyone needs to die making entertainment.”
For more on the Sarah Jones Film Foundation, check out safetyforsarah.com.