This October I will be embarking on a new venture... writing (and Directing) a World War II film that will be shot on a microbudget!!!
I am based in England, so locations and infrastructure in rural areas will be more in keeping with Europe during that time-period. I have a friend who is a collector of WWII uniforms and weapons, and his prize possession is an M8 Greyhound armoured vehicle!
So I have access to a number of items that won't eat into the budget too much.
Because this will be shot on an extremely low budget, the writing will have to be strategic to get the most out of the recourses I have available to me.
I have a basic outline that still has to be approved by the Producers, but if all goes well I will begin writing imminently.
Does anyone have any advice, experiences, anecdotes, or any other comments about how to properly and respectfully bring a WWII film to life?
Craig
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Since budget is tight, make story tight...believe or not, not all war movies should be Saving Private Ryan...check such one location, minor characters pieces as "The Wall" and "Mine"...use snipers - mano-a-mano battle...many ideas emerge, once u know your subject...
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I have a WW2 script set in Poland but you could shoot it in UK. Allready to go...
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The script I have planned is going to be a contained tank crew who go on a solo mission. The action will have to be minimal in order to save on the budget, so it will be the relationships of the crew members. All the weapons are deactivated so the muzzle flashes and hits will be done in post.
But planning each shot will be the top priority so there will be no wasting time on set and giving the vfx artist everything they need to make it as realistic as possible.
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Lemme give u hand right now...live ammo don't flash...ever... it just bursts high pressure of air and smoke sometimes...what flashes is maneuver rounds (not having a bullet head on them) 99% movies get this wrong purposely or not...
Useful to have an advisor on war/military movies...
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Indeed, Kiril. The guy who owns the M8 is the advisor for the film. He's an enthusiast and full of stories I will include in the writing process.
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Replicas and deactivated originals.
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Best of luck, Craig! Do you have any WWII reenactors over there? We have them here - some even own their own tanks! I had a friend who had one. They might help with your background. Cheers
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Thank you, Jerry. There are reenactors around, people who own WWII uniforms and equipment. Anything we are short of we'll have to hire as there are companies who specialise in period accurate uniforms and weapons.
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I would say just make WW2 the setting and make it about people. But you have your story. So you have done it.
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Indeed, Craig. It won't be a war epic by any stretch, but the people are what's most important.
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A sneaky still from the film...
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https://youtu.be/R73sHSOtogw
Trailer is now live!
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Great trailer! Looking forward to seeing it! Congratulations!
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/video/detail/B0CGZWWQHP/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r
The full feature is now available to view on Amazon Prime!
Great! Just added it to my prime list!