Midnight Rider (partially found unfinished biographical film based on band; 2013-2014)

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This article has been tagged as NSFL due to its discussion of fatal train accident.



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Sarah Jones, the camerawoman killed in the train accident.

Status: Partially Found

The Allman Brothers Band was a rock band formed by brothers Gregg and Duane Allman in 1969. They have left behind an influence and are considered one of the pioneers of Southern rock music. They have had multiple break-ups and reunions, their final break-up being in 2014.[1]

Around 2013, a film was planned based on the band that was named after their 1971 single "Midnight Rider."

Production

In May 2013, Open Road Films announced production of a biographical film about the Allman Brothers Band, based on Gregg Allman's memoir My Cross To Bear, with Randall Miller as director.[2] Gregg Allman and band manager Michael Lehman were to be closely involved in the project.[3]

The Train Accident

February 20th, 2014 was the first day of filming. The crew was taken to a remote location in Wayne County, GA, to film a dream sequence, in which William Hurt, as Gregg Allman, lay on a hospital bed on a train trestle, high above the Altamaha River.[4]

However, the necessary arrangements and permissions to shoot at this site had not been secured, nor were standard film industry safety practices followed.[5] The group were simply advised that they would have one minute to get out of the way of any oncoming train.[6] And during the course of their work, a train was suddenly spotted approaching.

Reaching safe ground meant running toward the train. The crew were told to leave the camera equipment and get to safety, though Miller and another individual attempted to remove the metal bedframe, fearing a derailment. They were forced to abandon the effort, Miller being pulled out of harm's way at the last second by the still photographer.

The train crashed into the bed. Debris and shrapnel were sent flying. Numerous people were injured, six of them badly enough to warrant medical attention. A portion of the bed struck camera assistant Sarah Jones, which threw her toward the train; she was struck by its fuel tank and died instantly.[7]

Aftermath

Production immediately halted after the accident. Multiple court cases ensued, including a wrongful death lawsuit by Jones' parents against the railroad company responsible for the trestle.[8] Randall Miller, assistant director Hillary Schwartz, and two producers were tried for involuntary manslaughter and criminal trespass.[9][10][11] A film production safety campaign was established in honor of Sarah Jones, called "Safety for Sarah".

Despite the controversy, and despite Film Allman LLC announcing the suspension of production, Randall Miller still intended to go forward with the film.[12][13] William Hurt pulled out about two months after the incident.[14] Gregg Allman begged the producers and directors to drop the project out of respect for Sarah Jones, and eventually filed a civil lawsuit to this end; the matter was settled out of court, and the movie shelved.[15]

Availability

Not much has surfaced of Midnight Rider since the train accident (though the actual accident itself was filmed and unfortunately can be found quite easily).

The only surviving footage available online is the dream sequence, a portion of the script included in the video, and a "rock video" filmed the day before the accident, intended to be a bonus feature on the DVD.

This is most likely the only footage of Midnight Rider that will ever surface due to the controversy surrounding it, and the film will almost certainly remain unfinished for the same reason.

Gallery

Footage of the dream sequence and bonus feature.

References