But people involved in their projects say that Thomasville Pictures has created unsafe conditions for workers by rushing production schedules, spreading staff too thin, and not following safety standards when shooting in risky environments. BuzzFeed News spoke to 14 people — including portable toilet operators, stunt performers, and managers — who have worked on three other films under Thomasville’s supervision. Most asked to remain anonymous for fear of retribution.

Crew members and industry veterans say Cheney and Smith are emblematic of a flourishing trend in filmmaking in which ambitious projects are shot on shrinking budgets with overworked staffers in states like New Mexico and Georgia, which offer attractive tax breaks and have fewer regulations than California. Workers allege that they were put in a variety of precarious positions; a young production assistant performed as a stuntperson, crew members almost got clipped by live cars while filming, and COVID protocols were not followed during the height of the pandemic.

“The film industry has a systemic issue that needs to come to light,” a longtime industry higher-up who worked with Thomasville Pictures told BuzzFeed News. “The way that these people do business is to take advantage of people who can’t fight for themselves to make these movies. I don’t know how they get away with it.”