Film Is Immortal. Filmmakers Are Not.

The Death of a Camera Assistant Has Become a Rallying Cry for On-Set Safety—and a Reminder of the Risks We Take to Get the Shot

Less than two weeks ago, I found my Facebook feed flooded with remembrances of 27-year-old Sarah Elizabeth Jones, a second assistant camerawoman who was struck by a train and killed in a terrible set accident in Georgia. My mind reeled for days. In my 10 years as a camera assistant in New York, from 1981 to 1991, I was endangered many times. But I was lucky enough to survive a similar set accident during my time doing Sarah’s job.

I was working on a commercial, ironically, for an insurance company. We …