The Cinematography Podcast Episode 305: Rachel Mason
Rachel Mason‘s documentary, Last Take: Rust and the Story of Halyna, is not a sensationalist recounting of tragedy. It’s a deeply personal exploration of the life and untimely death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, whose life was tragically cut short on the set of Rust. Rachel, a friend and fellow filmmaker, centers the narrative on Halyna herself, weaving together interviews with her friends and colleagues to illuminate her legacy beyond the sensationalized headlines.
Rachel and Halyna became friends through their children, who were classmates at the same daycare. This shared experience blossomed into creative collaboration, with Rachel and Halyna working together on music videos, gallery installations, and performance art pieces. Following Halyna’s death, her widower, Matt Hutchins, entrusted Mason with the task of creating a documentary, out of a desire to counter the overwhelming media frenzy. “At first, the idea of doing a documentary about Halyna made literally no sense,” Mason recalls. “She’s the person I wanted to make films with. Suddenly I had to recognize, no, she has passed on, and someone’s got to tell the world who she was.”
Rachel dove into Halyna’s filmography and personal film archives that she had stored on hard drives. Halyna’s detailed notebook for Rust, filled with ideas and references, offered a profound insight into her creative process. While Rachel wanted to create a beautiful biography about her friend, she recognized the need to confront the media’s portrayal of the shooting. “The media portrayal of the way things unfolded became part of the film, because all the different people involved got distorted in the media. That became part of grappling with this story and trying to find the truth by going back and meeting the real people who were there.”
As Halyna’s friend, Rachel gained the trust of Halyna’s colleagues on the film, who shared their memories of her. Halyna’s own words from her notebooks and in messages and emails add to the narrative. Rachel also had to sit through the trial of the armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, which was one of the of the hardest things she had to do for the documentary.
The decision to complete Rust after Halyna’s death sparked ethical debates within the film community. However, her family, including her mother, strongly supported the project. Rachel, who was granted exclusive access to the set during filming, believes that finishing Rust was essential. “Halyna wanted the world to see her work. She was so ambitious,” Mason emphasizes. “I have no doubt, Rust was gonna be the film that all the other directors would see a new, up and coming superstar. This would have taken their breath away. She would have gotten calls—she would have been a high level DP.”
You can see Last Take: Rust and the Story of Halyna on Hulu.
Find Rachel Mason Instagram:@futureclown
Close focus: The Studio Profit Report– studios are still looking to lower costs to increase profits, with some studios posting profit growth, while others declined.
Ben’s short end: Ben and friend Scott Weinberg make a podcast called Horror Movie Yearbook that goes through every horror movie in a given year.
The movie Bob Trevino Likes It is a great indie gem reminiscent of films from the early 2000’s.
Illya’s short end: The Facebook group Crew Stories is a great community for those who work in production.
If you’re going to NAB in Las Vegas this April, The Cinematography Podcast will be doing TWO live interviews for the BEA convention! Come be a part of the live audience- free with your NAB badge!
Sunday, April 6, 2025 9:00am-10:00am
Wicked cinematographer Alice Brooks
Las Vegas Convention Center, West Hall
Room W312/313
Monday April 7, 2025 4:15pm – 5:15pm
Hacks and Chef’s Table cinematographer Adam Bricker
Las Vegas Convention Center, West Hall
Room W307
Sponsored by Hot Rod Cameras
Check out the new Betty Luminous Reflector at Hot Rod Cameras! The Betty Luminous is the most human flattering, full spectrum light reflector. It has a beautiful fresnel-like directionality while maintaining a gentle gaussian fall off, ideal for lighting human skin.
Sponsored by Aputure: If you’re going to NAB in Las Vegas this April, be sure to check out APEX 2025: The Aputure Experience at Vu Studios. You can register here for their free 3-day lighting and virtual tech summit.
Sponsored by Greentree Creative: If you enjoy The Cinematography Podcast and you’re interested in growing or starting your own podcast, contact Alana Kode at Greentree Creative. Greentree Creative can help you with all of your digital marketing needs including podcast launch and creation, advertising, social media management and content creation.
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Podcast Credits:
Producer: Alana Kode
All web and social media content written by Alana Kode
Host and editor in Chief: Illya Friedman
Instagram: @illyafriedman @hotrodcameras
Host: Ben Rock
Twitter: @neptunesalad
Instagram: @bejamin_rock
Editor: Charlie Nix
Composer: Kays Al-Atrakchi
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