USC could not say Thursday which aspects of the movie shoot had been approved before the death of Peng Wang.
USC film students who were shooting a movie in the Imperial County desert apparently did not follow all of the school’s rules for safety and other considerations — including the use of an ATV — before a crash on a sand duneChapman third-year graduate student Peng “Aaron” Wang, 29, from China, had volunteered to be the cinematographer for a production in the Imperial Sand Dune Recreation Area.
“Under our policies, any shoot taking place more than 50 miles away from our campus, or involving the use of all-terrain vehicles, would have required very specific approvals from the school. We are unaware of any such approvals having been requested or provided in this tragic matter,” the USC statement said.
On the second page, the document states in boldface, capital letters, “Remember – under no circumstances is it permissible to film or tape scenes which put yourself, your cast, your crew or the public in harm’s way. No shot is ever worth an injury to death. Safety first.”