by Etan Vlessing

Warner Bros. Television has partnered with the International Cinematographers Guild (IATSE Local 600) to give filmmakers an internship and TV series training to honor Sarah Jones, the camera assistant who was struck and killed by a train last year while filming Midnight Rider.

The Sarah Jones Opportunity, a memorial internship and training program, will see Georgia-based filmmakers receive a paid internship and camera training at Sim Digital in Atlanta. They will then work for a month in the camera department on an Atlanta-based Warner Bros. TV show like The Originals or The Vampire Diaries, where Jones once worked on the camera crew.

The program’s first participant, Chelsea Craig, has joined the ICG local 600 after completing her internship and workplace training on The Vampire Diaries. Sarah’s parents, Richard and Elizabeth Jones, said in a statement: “We are honored that you have chosen to recognize our daughter, Sarah Elizabeth Jones, with this internship opportunity for future students looking to excel in camera work.”

The Sarah Jones Opportunity is part of an ongoing memorial campaign by IATSE and Georgia film community to honor Jones. Her death on Feb. 20, 2014, while the Midnight Rider crew was shooting on a train trestle, sparked an industry-wide call for on-set safety.

A subsequent criminal trial led to director Randall Miller, producers Jody Savin and Jay Sedrish, and first A.D. Hillary Schwartz receiving varying sentences for their roles in Jones’ death. The application process for The Sarah Jones Opportunity will begin in the coming months.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/warner-bros-tv-partners-iatse-790748