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EXCLUSIVE UPDATE 5 PM: Paramount just weighed in with me to say that the injured extra was not involved in the stunt, 
that her car was not involved in the stunt, that a “freak accident caused her injury”, that she and her car were more than 500 feet from the stunt, that she was struck by a flying metal object whose welding had come apart and not by a steel towing cable, that the stunt from Tuesday had to be repeated Wednesday because of a “timing issue” and not because it had failed, and that “nobody has done movies more safely than Michael Bay”. The studio, however, could not explain why its version of events was so at odds with the local police and media reports. “We feel horrible that anyone was injured and will take all appropriate action,” a Paramount exec told me.
9:30 AM: Safety questions on Michael Bay’s set are being forwarded to me after an actress employed as a movie extra was “critically” injured during a Transformers 3 stunt that went wrong in Northwest Indiana. According to news reports quoting local police, the movie was filming a stunt involving multiple vehicles and drivers and flying cars when a metal object struck Gabriella Cedillo’s personal 2006 Toyota. It went through the windshield and hit the 24-year-old driver who was not a stunt professional or member of the stunt personnel. The Toyota hit the inner median concrete barrier wall and had extensive damage to the driver’s side. UPDATE: WLS-TV reports a similar tow-rig setup broke the day before.
Cedillo was airlifted to the hospital with a serious head injury. News reports quoted another extra as saying that Cedillo’s Toyota was being towed by a second vehicle and that the steel cable between the two vehicles broke, then whipped around, and sliced through the woman’s car and cut her head. Sources on the Indiana set told media outlets that extras like Cedillo were paid $25 for the use of their personal cars. I received this email from a confidential informant: “An extra doing stunts in her own car with a tow rig? Holy shit is somebody’s head gonna roll over this one. SO many things against industry standards, don’t know where to start! Bay should be starting to sweat right about now. 30yrs of motion pictures and never seen stunts fuck up this bad.” (Photo: T3 set in Chicago.)
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Bay’s safety first? Quit bullshitting. He insists on moving so fucking fast that all caution is routinely tossed to the wind.
Transformers 1: Car flips into and destroys a facade on Universal backlot. Crew members, who haven’t been cleared film it from the facade next to it.
Transformers 2: An engine block is blown out of a car landing feet away from crew members.
And on, and on, and on. As much as it sickens me that this has happened, it doesn’t shock me in the least.
I was there when that stunt went bad on Transformers 1. That was a crazy day. 1st a stunt car flipped about 4 times higher than they had intended. The very next take the picture car’s gas tank was slit open by a piece of debree and in seconds the whole tow truck was inside a fireball. No one was hurt, but it was nuts.
I was there when that stunt went bad on Transformers 1. That was a crazy day. 1st the car flipped about 4 times higher than they had intended. The very next take the picture car’s gas tank was slit open by a piece of debris and in seconds the whole tow truck was inside a fireball. No one was hurt, but it was nuts.
Thank you!
Having been on a MB set and seen first hand how he works I am not at all shocked by this. Where do you even come off saying he is safety first? He is a man hell bent on making his film, his way. I could give countless examples on the first Transformers that because we were losing light or he was cranky things were rushed and near injuries were avoided. Stop trying to defend this man; no one who has been through it would believe you.
Countless, how about start with one?
Except the fact that you fail to link any of these accidents to Bay being “careless” or “rushed”. I don’t like Bay either, but you’re allowing your hatred to blind you to rational thought. Simply taking accidents from previous films and linking them for your own agenda doesn’t make them anything more than accidents.
This kind of stuff does happen all the time and if we’re gonna blame Bay for this then we should Blame Chris Nolan for the stunt driver’s death during the Dark Knight and maybe blame Matt Weiner for Jon Hamm’s broken hand and stitches in his head when a piece of Mad Men scenery fell on him
a few years ago. This is almost never the director’s fault and these productions are all heavily insured.
You’re comparing the use of an extra in a car during an obviously dangerous scene to the death of a professional stunt driver or scenery falling on an actor? You’re an idiot.
And that doesn’t mean safety shouldn’t exist for professionals. But seriously…
Were the FUCK was the stunt coordinator, heads will roll, probably not Mr. Bay’s though. He’ll send flower’s.
Kenny Bates is the stunt coordinator.
Kenny Bates is very experienced and very safe. I worked for him and MB on Bad Boys 1 & 2 and Pearl Harbor. He is one of the most meticulus detail orientated men that I work with. I was not on this set however knowing how the press works a determination should only be made after all the facts are accounted for. Also pray for this womans recovery.
This is a terrible accident, it sounds like the extra’s injury is serious.
But there are a lot of people here who are throwing blame around without the full benefit of the facts and (sometimes) a misunderstanding of how huge film sets like this work.
Someone (or someones) on the production crew is culpable for this accident, especially since there are reports the same sort of accident happened the day before. It may take some time and investigation to make it clear who that is, but I’m certain the majority of this crew (including Bay, who I seriously doubt was in a position to make any technical decisions about the details of this particular element of the scene being filmed) feels absolutely terrible, despite most of them likely doing their jobs safely and well.
Bay is a safety-conscious director, as mentioned above. On the other hand, there are credible reports of him treating extras badly in the past, so…jury’s out on that one.
And the $25 fee for using their own car? Yeah, it’s non-Union for sure. But it’s not necessarily crazy or unfair. I’m sure she also got paid for the day on top of that. Yes, it’s a multi-million dollar production, but money goes fast. How many cars were there, how many extras, how many days? If you’ve ever budgeted a feature film and then tried to actually produce it on that budget, you’d know that every single line item must be squeezed as much as possible to stay on budget and have a chance at earning the investment back.
All of which is no excuse for dangerous, shoddy work on a complex action set. I’m just pointing out that her getting paid $25 is beside the point, as is the fact that it’s a Michael Bay shoot, really.
I sincerely hope she is able to recover fully and gets a fair settlement as well.
Again, the idea that Bay is a safety conscious director is so laughable to me I don’t know what else to say. You clearly have never worked on one of his sets, and if you have you must be his assistant trying to save his rep, which if that’s the case why bother?
Well, you’re wrong on both counts. For what it’s worth, I have worked on one of his sets, and I am certainly not his assistant nor trying to save his rep. Did you read the next part I wrote about how he sometimes doesn’t treat extras very well? I don’t even like the guy, nor his movies particularly…but an accident involving an extra and a malfunctioning piece of equipment is simply not the director of the film’s fault.
Well, for what it’s worth you’re wrong on both counts. I have worked on one of his sets, and certainly not as his assistant. I don’t really like Bay’s movies, although I admire their technical skill. Personally, I think he’s kind of a dick.
But you clearly don’t know what you’re talking about. As others who have first-hand information have stated here, Bay is on board with safety first. Him being a taskmaster, a dick, a screamer, or wanting to work as fast as possible are not mutually exclusive of following all standard safety procedures.
Regardless of that, safety isn’t Bay’s job on set. Neither are the details of background. And he certainly shouldn’t be expected to be in charge of cables and rigging. Get a clue, man.
And, really, with a handle like “Bay is evil,” are we supposed to take you seriously?
Welcome to the ups downs for motion pictures. I hope she gets well soon. I also hope that safety will be put first before anything regardless of the project.
You people are morons. These shows don’t cut corners and background cars BRING their vehicles and rent them out all of the time. They SEEK to rent them out. Most background performers (non SAG) look for any $$ bump up and most times it comes from vehicle rental or carrying firearms.
Mistakes happen. If you think that they used CHEAPER tow cable then you obviously don’t work in the business and have never produced a film with stunts.
These sequences are triple checked and have dedicated Stunt meetings to go over the sequence.
Get a clue. It was a mistake.. and yes, we all get that everyone hates Michael Bay, probably because he makes more money than we all do and probably will in our lifetimes. Grow Up.
She was given $25 extra bucks. She was an extra. She was not a trained stunt professional.
My family works with her in Chicago. She was 24. She wants to be an actress and the part-time job she currently has is to support her family and pay for school.
I may not work in “the business” to the same level as you apparently do, but I have enough sense to know that something like this could be done by a professional, it just costs a lot more than $25 and a non-union extra paycheck. I’m not saying someone maliciously made this budget decision, but it was a budget decision.
I don’t hate Michael Bay because he makes more money than me. I don’t hate him at all. I don’t even necessarily hold him responsible, and I understand that someone else probably made the decision. What upsets me is that he allowed this to happen on his shoot and that someone else authorized it.
“Get a clue?” “Grow up?” I haven’t heard such cold, absolutely heartless words used to address such a terrible, AVOIDABLE tragedy.
Hmmm … if it’s true that the same problem had occurred the day before, doesn’t it seem like there was some human miscalculation involved (and not just defective cables)? And, if it had happened once already, why would any performer be in the risk zone for the second attempt?
Correction…the same stunt failed the day before, but in a totally different way.
A movie is crazy-expensive to make, a stunt-filled movie even more so. The reason (in many cases) for the expenditures is to make damned sure things don’t go wrong, and that people don’t get hurt.
No matter what Paramount says, or whatever the truth is about what broke, something broke – something that shouldn’t have broken – and someone got seriously hurt because of that. When you pay a ridiculous PREMIUM for materials and products that won’t fail, somebody is in charge of making sure they don’t fail. Maybe it should have been a brand new cable for each take. Maybe whatever it was should have been welded properly, checked and re-checked and re-welded properly. The bottom line is, somebody didn’t do their job, some corner was cut, and someone got hurt this time – seriously hurt.
Don’t try to mitigate this fact with “mistakes happen”.
And why was the car being towed on a cable and not a ball hitch?
Why not a chain instead of cable
Don’t you watch Mythbusters? Their car gags are done with cable and these are two experieced effects guys and even their welds break. If I was the welder of the plate that failed, I would be feeling suicidle right now.
I heard from a set guy on Bad Boys 2 that Bay personally ordered an original Shelby Cobra wrecked in a scene. Since I only saw the movie once, I don’t recall seeing it.
In Transformers II, I recall the scene where the doubles for the stars jumped and then were blasted by an explosion that went off too soon. Unless he was playing Eli Cross and ordered it, it was the effects guy that got it wrong, not the director.
Though I am in no way defending the guy. I like the action in his movies, but I hate the childishness of them.
Perhaps it is time to quiet down the childishness and take action so theses movies gets taken with more maturity and the folks working in them, on them and looking at them being less considerated as toys and instruments.
I hope that lady recovers well. We kinda loosing everyone’s out of sight when we considers a movie is a only one man made movie. But perhaps, it should learns a lot if for one of them, it would be what happends for better understanding.
Precision driving is the term used and union member extras use their own cars all the time to do this because there’s a big “bump,” meaning extra $. There is no training, no certification, no checking up. An extra is asked if they’ve done “precision driving” before the fact. If they say yes, they are told what to do and do it in their own cars at their own expense (gas) and are paid for it. The chance of tragedies like this happening occur ALL the time. Time for the unions to go to war for their members on this and other “stunt” related work that is relegated to non-trained extras so they can make their health and pension and feed their families. Time to pony up some money so the background, atmosphere and stand ins are on par with the other crew members. Many, many times I’ve seen A.D.’s do this also along with extra work, stand-in work, off camera V.O.’s and everything else the production companies need done in order to save time and a buck. How many limbs will break, lives ruined and tragedies occur until someone stops the bleeding. Literally! This shit happens every day and I’ve seen it for over 25 years and I’m totally appalled and disgusted that this happened. My prayers to all involved and their families. Especially the ones who at fault. They’ll need them the most.
Um, why would you assign an extra to a stunt in the first place, when you have stunt people for the job? I thought Bay ran a tight ship here.
My thoughts and prayers are with Gabriella Cedillo and her family. I hope a lesson is learned. Recovery first, Lawsuits second.
Amen to that.
WOW!!!! Completely irresponsible. Bay dude, what happened? Heads will roll. Some serious moolah is gonna be paid in damages to that woman — at least in the high 8 figures.
We’ll probably never find out, I’m sure they will settle with terms undisclosed.
As I see it and what i’ve seen in my time is if you are offered money then you will do what is asked look at everyone who has a job but doesn’t like it they still do what they are told. As far as her being an extra she was offered money to Drive down a road a different direction from where the action was taking place. So she probably didn’t think there was any safety concerns. I know I wouldn’t have any issues. A mechanical malfunction happened and she was a innocent person in the wrong place at the wrong time and what we have all read her proves that much. I do hope she recovers and is able to live the rest of her life and i also hope she will be compensated for her injurys.
I be willing to bet the Production company and film studio will take care of her even if she signed a waiver. I have seen other extras injured on set even with a waiver signed the were taken care of by the company involved with the production.
I don’t like Bay’s movies. That said, Bay doesn’t spend his time setting the rates for background cars in a scene. If this accident occurred as described—cable snapped between the picture car and the camera truck—then it is likely that there was NO stunt driving at all. Her car was just a background car. All she would have to do would be to stay in her lane. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been driving through Hollywood in the past 30 years and seen a camera truck either towing a picture car or leading a picture car IN TRAFFIC. There not only are not stunt drivers, but the background cars have included moi as I am simply going about my business. Directors like Bay have tremendous power, but they hire others to set up the shot, check safety and hire background extras and cars. Bay may say, “Hey, I want only cars that are 2006 models and newer, and no black or gray cars!” or something, but that’s often it. He’s focused on all his other crap. That said, I would not want to be the idiot in the chain of command on this accident and have to face Bay. I bet if you screw up on a Bay film, you best start putting in applications at Burger King because your film career may just be over.
What a case of humanity not being very human. Here we have a guy in control of a job. And he hired someone to be involved in his job. The person was from all descriptions nearly killed, possibly rendered maimed or permanently injured and almost certainly the recipient of cranial damage and any number of sequelae to boot; and 90% of the people talking here are talking about The Movies. Most of you want to talk about Michael Bay, or if not that, you want to talk about your own job in the movies. Only two or three of you felt human enough to pass on condolences.
Ms. Cedillo, I hope you recover, regain all of your faculties, and are made aware of what has been done to you, so the choice of reactions may be in your own hands. To the Cedillo family: I feel for your pain and grief, and I want you to know you are not alone in this. None of you were at fault and I wish you strength in dealing with this.
To those who were unfazed by this event, consider your deep and pervading level of socially-incubated apathy, and whether it’s healthy for your species.
$25 is the added rate for use of the car on top of the “flat” rate the extras get, probably industry minimum but alot more than $25 bucks. Nowhere in this article does it say that she was performing a stunt. Her car was simply being towed. I would never be one to defend MB or any studio but it seems there to me there needs to be more information here before everyone assumes she was part of a stunt or that this is somehow the director’s fault.
Non-Union extra work is usually about $65 a day, for a 12-14 hour day. Not “alot more” than $25. Does explain why that $25 is appealing, eh?
Ivy, you don’t know what you are talking about. Extras get less than $5 per hour? In America? Please, step away from the keyboard. You are an expert idiot and that is the best compliment I can give you.
Here’s the problem with “Transformers 3.” It’s about the same budget as the last two movies, but a ton more is going to the above-the-line talent – namely producers, director, actors. A lot of the department heads are the same, but instead of the three people they had in their crew for a specific job on the last two films, they were asked to make do with one this go-round. A lot of the crew members who took “T3″ did it for the fat paycheck, but knew going in that it was going to be a shitty shoot once the manpower cutbacks were announced.
And this is from someone who likes Michael Bay and thinks of him as a truly crew-friendly director. Yeah, he’ll get blamed because it was his ship and I’m willing to bet he will accept the blame too. At the end of the day, if you work hard for the guy and give him what he’s looking for, he’s got your back.
Look the stunt person was paid to do a stunt if they got hurt because of their stupidity I say tough cookies. but if they whine aboput the stunt then they are at fault no questions askded some people think their above everything and nothing should go wrong well in the real world something will go wrong every time.
Merle,
Read the article before you comment on it. Also, read some books as well as the article. It will improve you punctuation and grammar.
She wasn’t a stunt person. She was an extra. She was a non-union extra on a $200 Million studio film who was paid $25, and a piece of metal went through her windshield and through her skull, entering her brain. For this she had to be airlifted to a hospital and underwent emergency brain surgery.
Read, read, read, you sad little person.
Sorry to correct you, Paul, but being a witness to the tragedy, you are wrong about that particular injury. Another perfect example of a person not having actual facts…
The Island special features (another BAY flick) shows a seemingly simple stunt where a cameraman and camera on a moving truck are smashed into a wall at high speed.
That’s “bonus” footage. Something they aren’t even trying to cover up.
I truly hope that there is a thorough investigation. I’ve worked in production in LA for years and usually when there is a picture car for background near a precision or towed vehicle, the first set of vehicles are usually occupied by stunt personnel. The fact that this occurred outside of an area that is accustomed to filming would lead to some suspicion about “cutting corners” to save money on the budget. It should always be safety first no matter where a production company is filming. Any director, stunt coordinator and AD who doesn’t follow that number one rule, should not be allowed to work, no matter how successful they’ve been in the past. Let’s all send good thoughts to the young lady and her family.
sadly, a copter pilot was killed on a bay commercial in the past. a terrible accident to be sure, but kind of goes against your whole “safety first director” concept.
B.S. Bay is notoriously NOT a safety-first director.
SAG needs to do more to insure the health and safety of extras, who are just as important to movie production as the highly paid stars. As for the vehicle, if her car was being pulled by a cable, how were the brakes being controlled? Tension needs to be kept on a cable, the “proper” amount of tension. That sounds like stunt driver’s work to me. I wish Ms. Cedillo a speedy recovery!
Hate to say this, but SAG can’t… SAG only takes care of it’s members.
She was NON-UNION. Adn this happened in a Right-To-Work (for less) State. All SAG is gonna do is refer her to the Labor Relations Board of the State of Indiana. There maybe an investigation (SAG/DGA/IA, etc.) but that’s it.
Stop blaming Michael Bay, this is the 1st AD’s fault. The 1st AD is in charge of on set safety and setting the background (telling the extras what to do).
The director will ask for the moon if he thinks he can get it, it’s the 1st AD’s job to say no if he thinks what the director is asking for is not safe.
The AD should have known better than to put an extra so close to the picture car. You should always put trained stunt drivers near the epicenter of a stunt. Always. Background players are meant to be in the BACKGROUND.
After wading through the pile of comments on this item, I found the real answer from “yes I’m an AD”. The 1st Assistant Director is the responsible safety manager on a film set. Between him/her and the stunt coordinator lies any responsibility for this accident. Michael Bay can make any outrageous creative demand he wants to – it is up to others to set limits and create a safe working environment. Having said that, freak accidents do happen….in factories, homes, and yes, film sets. Only those who have all the facts surrounding the incident are able to make an accurate judgement. I’m sure there are many lawyers addressing that question. In any case, ADs MUST draw the line when and where they see fit to protect everyone involved. I do. I’ve paid some consequences for it, but now I am happily employed by a studio that supports and demands a safety-conscious approach. And I have never had to watch someone go to the hospital wondering if I should have been more cautious.
If I may add my two cents, I could not agree more. Perhaps because our job titles are misleading to outsiders, many people do not understand the responsibility of the first AD (and the entire team, including the PAs) to the members of the cast, the crew, and even the general public which may decide to watch us work.
As someone who has also paid a price for resisting the pressure of a director (and a line producer), my heart goes out to all those involved in this accident. Especially to Ms. Cedillo.
This is extremely common in Chicago. Production companies come to Chicago, break laws, misuse and underpay extras, and no one cares. Chicago is not a SAG Background jurisdiction. I stopped working there years ago.
I seriously hope that this young woman is going to be okay. That is the most important thing here. Having said that, the stunt coordinator will take the fall for this, not Bay.