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CT•Ranger
Colonial Militia
USA
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]:
October 14 2002
Status: offline
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 Posted - November 03 2004 : 07:11:15 AM
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"The Press Club of Western Pennsylvania Luncheon to Feature Filmmakers of Epic PBS Movie About the French and Indian War, Starring Western Pennsylvania
Monday November 1, 4:47 pm ET
PITTSBURGH, Nov. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- The Press Club takes you inside the filming of a sweeping PBS docudrama -- "The War That Made America" -- shot over the past year throughout Western Pennsylvania. Commemorating the 250th anniversary of the French and Indian War, this film will recreate 18th century America and the most important piece of real estate in that era, the forks of the Ohio that would one day become Pittsburgh.
The Nov. 17, 2004 luncheon presentation will feature project director Geoff Miller and film director Eric Stange, who will discuss the historic accuracy and logistics of this $15 million film.
The public is welcome to attend the lunch and program at noon, Nov. 17, at the Allegheny HYP Club, at historic 619 William Penn Place in downtown Pittsburgh. Cost is $20 for Press Club members and $25 for non-members.
For information and reservations, contact the Press Club's Linda Parker at 412-281-7778."
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YMHS,
Connecticut•Ranger
Thomas Thacher
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42ndOfficer
Pioneer
USA
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]:
August 29 2004
Status: offline
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Posted - November 03 2004 : 3:59:49 PM
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Did they talk about giving out stacks of small pox infected blankets to the natives at Ft.Pitt during Pontiac's War instead of the two blankets and one handkerchief as described in "The Papers of Henry Bouquet?" The directors did this because it looked cool. So much for historical accuracy. During the siege,Capt.Eucayer established a smallpox hospital outside the fort(Music Bastion)under the drawbridge to quarentine those who were afflicted from the rest of the fort's population.I can see taking a couple of items from there and giving them to the indians,but think about it,where would they have stored stacks of infected blankets without them infecting the rest of the population? |
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CT•Ranger
Colonial Militia
USA
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]:
October 14 2002
Status: offline
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Posted - November 23 2004 : 8:24:43 PM
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"The story of the French and Indian War is being retold for a national audience with the excitement of Hollywood drama, but also with the strictest attention to historical accuracy. "We tried to bring the value of Hollywood filmmaking to documentary,'' explained film director Eric Stange. "But we had scholars and historians involved in every aspect.'' Stange and project director Geoff Miller presented a few scenes from "The War That Made America'' and spoke about the challenges involved in making the film last during a recent luncheon at the Pittsburgh Press Club. "The War That Made America,'' which includes local stories such as Jumonville's Glen, Fort Necessity and Braddock's defeat, will be shown nationally as a prime-time television series in Fall 2005 over all 349 PBS stations. Afterwards, the film will be available on video and DVD.
The principal filming took place between May 26 and July 2 in Westmoreland and Somerset counties. No filming took place at any Fayette County sites because, co-executive producer Deborah Acklin explained, they did not want to damage them. She noted that a replica Jumonville Glen and Fort Necessity was created. In all, the film covers the years 1754 to 1763. The four-hour film, which is a collaboration between WQED and the French and Indian War 250, will be shown on television over several nights, but Acklin said that PBS will decide whether to show it in four one-hour segments or in two two-hour segments.
However it is to be shown, the preview whetted the appetites for those who are enthusiasts about the French and Indian War. Scenes included the surprise and confusion felt by the French in the skirmish at Jumonville Glenn, a young George Washington giving orders at the rain-filled day of battle of Fort Necessity, British Major General Edward Braddock being critically wounded at the Battle of the Monongahela and transported back east to Fayette County along the road that bears his name.
The $15 million project approaches the subject as the impressive story it is. "One of our biggest challenges was to do visual justice to a war on a grand scale. These were the biggest armies ever amassed in North America,'' said Stange. "The forts were big. The forests were big, deep and primeval. The cannons were big. We had to look at ways to make it look and feel big.'' Filmmakers make use of HDTV and CGI (computer-generated imagery) to enhance scenes. For example, Miller and Stange showed a scene in which five boats with soldiers set out on a lake to do battle. But with the help of a computer, the final product will show the lake filled with boats and soldiers. The film also plays as a story rather than a typical documentary with lots of action and no talking heads - i.e., historians who set up a scene or explain the background. "The story is to be told by someone we call the presenter and we have a list of 12 to 15 actors we're pitching it to,'' said Miller, citing such preeminent actors as Daniel Day-Lewis, star of French and Indian War feature film "Last of the Mohicans.''
Officials are also in the process of selecting a composer to create a score. The film employed more than 300 people, including actors from the Screen Actor Guild, a European army of 45, extras and technicians. Aiming to be as accurate as possible, the actors had a boot camp where they learned to be 18th century soldiers. A historian from the Tower of London came to explain deportment of the time. Native Americans actors portrayed Native Americans. The actors speak in Native American languages as well as French before switching to English so the audience can better understand.
Officials kept a rule that a historical reference must be found for anything a character spoke to the camera. There are a few composite characters, but they never interact with anybody the audience would know. Women were worked into the story as camp followers, who, historically, were usually wives or girlfriends, cooks and laundresses. |
YMHS,
Connecticut•Ranger
Thomas Thacher
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Press Luncheon to discuss "The War That Made America"
