Hello everyone, first off I just want to pay my respects to those serving in every branch of the United States armed services. I am a recent graduate from the University of Miami and have been working on a script based on a neighborhood in Iraq (Nasiriyyah in specific) and the relationship between a squad of soldiers and the neighborhood locals. Think crash meets Jarhead. Anyway, I am in dire need of information on how things are over there in reference to certain situations. I don't need extremely detailed responses as I don't want to take up too much of time from anyone. The film opens with a soldier trudging through the desert, so I ask, 1. (most important of my questions) do any of you vets or current soldiers have any stories or experiences of getting lose in the desert in Iraq? What was it like to be lost? Were you scared? Were you searching for your squad and were there any miscommunications?
2. what were you scariest moments? please, only respond with what you feel comfortable in telling, I understand that war can be hell so I don't want to invade into that realm as it must be very personal. I am also a story teller, I feel the need to tell (or show) the citizens of this country what it's like for soldiers.
3. The film focuses on a fictional Alpha Squad in the USMC who post up in an empty government building, is this realistic? Do army and marine military personnel usually post at a forward base or do some stay inside of a cities?

Anyway, thank you all for your time and thank you for serving this country.
For the Marines in this forum, Semper Fi.

Are you just writing a script or are you going to write a screenplay?

Make a movie about the Army.

It's actually a screenplay, I'm sorry if I wasn't clear on that.

Okay,

If I may. As I am a big fan of movies, I am willing to discuss this with you, because so far, I have yet to see anything outside of a precious few documentaries to display anything accurate on this conflict. "Home of the Brave" has to be one of the most pathetic attempts yet. It was obvious that very little research was put into that piece of crap. Anyway, avoid the following in telling your story. I know this is your story, but you are speaking on a subject that I have lived and breathed, so you owe me and everyone else with boots on the ground to at least try to get it right. Copy that?
1. If your characters walk aound with dogtags sticking out of their shirt your wrong.
2. Berets have a unit crest on them, and they are worn with a certain flair, not like some pizza chef.
3. Not everybody has an issue with shooting chidren or women in certain circumstances, sometimes it is necessary, get over it.
4. PTSD, doesn't hit you the next day.
5. Don't preach, about how much you hate the war. Nobody gives a ****.
6. IEDs are not nuclear explosions.
7. Balad is in more of a swamp than the desert.
8. You don't get lost. Period. You get turned around, but if your on your own your dead. Period.
9. Stay away from all stereotypes, everybody has a little of all types of character in them. Everybody gets scared, Everybody gets angry, Not all black folks are from the ghetto, not all Hispanic folks are from LA. Not everybody from Kentucky is a raving hillbilly idiot. You understand. Most Iraqis are really not that trustworthy, that is one you can use though.
10. Have a good story to fill in between firefights, this helps.
There you go. If you have any questions feel free to contact me.
Carl "DOC" Ruemler.
10.

Copy that,
It is very important to me that I get this right for the very reason you mention. I am not attempting to create a pretty picture with this film. I'm trying to convey the fact that the situation over there, as I know it, is a complicated one and despite positive efforts on both sides, the ideology of violence and hatred still manages to birth.
As for your notes, thank you so much, they are of incredible help. I am looking to do quite a bit of research, I've read "The Last True Story I'll Ever Tell" about a National Guardsman who was called up in '02, some of his accounts are pretty astonishing.
If you're willing, I'd love to ask a few questions whether in this post or through email. Let me know.
Sincerely,
Ryan

Iam more than willing to help. Aslong as the story gets told in away that reflects reality.
Soldiers are real people, not cardboard cut outs like so much of Hollywood.
You can contact me onmy thread "Random Musings" or my email carl.ruemler@us.army.mil

I hope you are successful at getting finished and getting this sold.
DOC

People do not get blown backwards, azz over teakettle, or thrown out of windows by bullet impacts. They either lurch from the instant pain, or fall down like a sack of poo.

Grenades to not go high incident like a 500lb aerial bomb. They go bang really loud, with about as much smoke and fire as your Mom's car backfiring badly (they do toss up the dust though). They do not send cars into the air. They do not fill a building with fire, to billow out of every window on every floor. They do not knock down buildings.

Weapons recoil, lifting the muzzle. Yes, even handguns.

Cannon and Howitzers to not make pretty puffs of white smoke when fired. They thunder off with flame and black smoke, and rear up like a mad bull. Mortars to not go "booop" when fired, they go "BANG".

There are others, but I gotta drive the truck to the chow tent right now.

quote:

Originally posted by STARSnBARS:
People do not get blown backwards, azz over teakettle, or thrown out of windows by bullet impacts. They either lurch from the instant pain, or fall down like a sack of poo.

Grenades to not go high incident like a 500lb aerial bomb. They go bang really loud, with about as much smoke and fire as your Mom's car backfiring badly (they do toss up the dust though). They do not send cars into the air. They do not fill a building with fire, to billow out of every window on every floor. They do not knock down buildings.

Weapons recoil, lifting the muzzle. Yes, even handguns.

Cannon and Howitzers to not make pretty puffs of white smoke when fired. They thunder off with flame and black smoke, and rear up like a mad bull. Mortars to not go "booop" when fired, they go "BANG".

There are others, but I gotta drive the truck to the chow tent right now.

Most of that stuff will be out of the realm of his control. He is a screenplay writer. The guys that have control over the things that you are talking about are the foley crew, SFX crew and post and ultimately the director. And, all of those things are industry standard and will never change to be more realistic. It is kinda like every time there is a full moon in a movie, you will always hear a wolf. Even in places where there would never be one. Or, you will often hear a Wilhelm Scream during particularly action filled deaths. It is just film norms.

This isn't going to be a shoot em' up type film. Violence and gun fights are going to occur sparingly. In fact, as it's written currently, there isn't one gun fight in the film. The film portrays the escalation of terrorist mentalities and despite efforts on both sides (local and U.S. military) violence finds a birthplace.

So in other words it's another film supposedly about the war that barely shows the troops fighting the war. Most of the Iraq War movies so far (Lions for Lambs, Home of the Brave, etc...) have bombed because they were trying to push some message rather than acknowledge the valor of our troops. Hollywood needs to do a "We Were Soldiers" type film instead of "Platoon" about Iraq. After 6 years there has been plenty of good subject matter. Special Forces in Afghanistan (right after 9-11) and the 2004 Battle of Fallujah are a couple of good examples.

The Marines weren't in Nasiriyah long, they were replaced by the Italian Army in late 2003.