Fatal film accident sparks movement

Sarah Elizabeth Jones died doing the job she loved. The South Carolina native was working as a second camera assistant when she was killed on set Thursday. Her friends and the film community are rallying to remember Jones in a movement called Slates for Sarah. Hundreds have shared photo tributes since the group started on Monday.

"She was really just an easygoing [person], loved to have fun and really enjoyed what she did kind of person," says her friend, Eric Henson. He and Jones were on a set in New Orleans when this photo was taken.

Crew members from the TV show "Glee" shared messages of "RIP Sarah Jones."

Jones worked on the set of "The Vampire Diaries" in Atlanta as a second camera assistant. Part of her job included marking the start of a take with a camera slate. Her co-workers shared this tribute in remembrance of her.

Buses of crew members from "Vampire Diaries" and other productions filming in Georgia were on their way to Jones' memorial in Columbia, South Carolina, on Wednesday afternoon.

The cinematography department at Full Sail University shared this tribute for Jones on Tuesday. The colorful tape is standard issue on film sets.

Within a day, the movement to honor Jones had spread beyond the United States. Workers at a camera rental house in Berlin were moved to share this photo tribute.

Crew members from the set of the TV show "Nashville" honor Jones. One of her duties as a camera assistant was to mark shots with a camera slate.

"I've had a lot of people saying, 'I haven't seen something like this in 30 to 40 years in the film industry,'" said Henson. "The solidarity of people coming together has really been incredible."

The Del Mar Theater in Santa Cruz, California, changed its marquee in honor of Jones.

Workers from the set of "Downton Abbey" shared their condolences. By Wednesday afternoon, more than 30,000 people had "liked" the Facebook group.

Crew members from "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" paused to remember Jones, as well as Brent Hershman. Hershman was a crew member who died in 1997 when he fell asleep at the wheel and crashed his car after a 19-hour day. His death spawned a large conversation about working hours and workplace safety.

Even the crew on the set of "Sharknado 2" shared their message of remembrance.

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• The film industry is remembering a camera assistant who died on set


• Hundreds of stars and crew members have shared slates for her


• Sarah Elizabeth Jones, 27, was hit and killed by a train on set Thursday

(CNN) -- The film community is coming together in a touching way to honor one of their own who died on a movie set.

Sarah Elizabeth Jones, a 27-year-old camera assistant, was on the set of musician Gregg Allman's biopic "Midnight Rider" when she was struck and killed by a freight train near Savannah, Georgia, on Thursday.

Her death rocked the local film community, leaving many questioning who was to blame for the accident. A group of friends set up a Facebook page on Monday in tribute to Jones with a simple call to action: "Sarah Elizabeth Jones, friend and family to so many, made every day awesome. Show your slate love here along with all the good stories of her life."

Film crew members from various countries immediately began sharing photo tributes, holding clapboards with messages of remembrance for her. It's become a movement with more than 800 images shared on the Facebook group Slates for Sarah, which was created on Monday. As of Wednesday afternoon, more than 30,000 people had liked the page.

Petition for slain camerawoman's honor

It's a fitting tribute, as Jones' primary job on set was to operate the slate at the beginning of each take. Jones, an Atlanta resident and member of the International Cinematographers Guild, used her "spunk and determination" to climb up in the industry, according to her obituary. The word about the tribute is spreading through her comrades, the behind-the-scenes workers in the industry.

Her friends and co-workers are also trying to do the near-impossible: They're asking the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to add Jones' name to the In Memoriam list displayed during the Oscars this weekend. CNN has contacted the Academy for comment.

Eric Henson, one of the people who helped start Slates for Sarah, worked in the camera department with Jones on two seasons of "The Vampire Diaries," as well as a few movies. The two became friends after meeting on set five years ago, when Jones moved to Atlanta, he said.

Henson was on the set of "The Vampire Diaries" when the crew learned about her death, just hours after it had happened. He said the producer wrapped after they heard the news.

Buses of crew members from "Vampire Diaries" and other productions filming in Georgia were on their way to Jones' memorial in Columbia, South Carolina, on Wednesday afternoon. Jones was a native of West Columbia.

"We were all devastated," Henson said. "The beautiful thing about this kind of work is that you spend 12 to 13 hours a day with someone, and it becomes a family situation. Something like this happens and you see how close knit we all are."

"It's given us an opportunity to look at how we make films and how to make it a safer environment."

Eric Henson, friend and coworker

When Henson and a group of Jones' friends saw a few people posting clapboards in honor of her, they decided to create a page to house all of the memories and messages for Jones. He and others have been trading off shifts to post photos and respond to the outpouring of supporters.

"I've had a lot of people saying, 'I haven't seen something like this in 30 to 40 years in the film industry,'" Henson said. "The solidarity of people coming together has really been incredible."

Jones' death has also been a wake-up call to the community, launching discussions about changing the industry.

"That's part of what Slates for Sarah has become," he said. "It's a really tragic situation, but it's given us an opportunity to look at how we make films and how to make it a safer environment."

Jones and others were filming on train tracks at the time of the accident, according to a police report from the Wayne County Sheriff's Office. Jones died and seven others were injured during the accident.

Gregg Allman, the focus of the movie Jones was working on, shared his condolences. "I am so terribly saddened by the news of the tragedy that took the young life of Sarah Elizabeth Jones on the film set," he wrote on his website Saturday. "My thoughts and prayers go out to her family, friends and colleagues during this time of mourning."

Actors who worked on set with her, notably stars from "The Vampire Diaries," as well as crew members from TV shows "Glee," "Scandal" and "Downton Abbey," are among the hundreds who have shared messages of "RIP Sarah Jones."

Even people who had never met Jones were moved to share their own tributes from places as far away as South Africa, Israel and Germany. Members of cinematography crews also shared messages of peace and love, saying "your death will not be in vain."

"From the heights of the mountains she hiked, to the depths of the oceans she dove (and never without a camera to record her experiences), the gift of her presence was felt far and wide," read Jones' obituary.

Jones' life has touched hundreds in the industry, as seen through the outpouring of the Slates for Sarah movement. It's a legacy her friends are proud of.

"We're all extremely sad but all really proud that Sarah can have this kind of effect on everyone," said Henson.