Re: THE PATRIOT!!!!!!!!!!!

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: : Well Folks I am back. Tired but otherwise here to answer any question I can. I am sorry I didn�t post last night but I was dead and had to work today.

: : To start with, word has in on the set, Francis Marion is the character that Mel will be playing. "The Swamp Fox". And it is said to be loosely portrayed. The scrip has it as Benjamin Martin. To give you a short summary, very short, Marion was the first to take up guerrilla fighting and thus turned the tide for the Americans in the war against the British. He hide out in the swamps of  SC and would come out, hit the redcoats and return to the swamps, never to be found. "dug in". 
: : Check out:  http://www-benning.army.mil/rtb/history2/marion.htm

: : A quote from some stuff I got on set 

: : "The Revolutionary War brings a South Carolina farmer (Gibson) reluctantly into the fray, against his own pacificist  leanings, along with his son  (Ledger)."

: : Release Date: June 30th, 2000

: : Distributor: Columbia Pictures

: : Production Companies: Centropolis Entertainment, Mutual Film Company

: : Cast: Mel Gibson, will play Benjamin Martin
: : Heath Ledger (10 Things I Hate About You), will play Gabriel Martin
: : Chris Cooper (October Sky),
: : Tom Wilkinson (The Full Monty), will play General Cornwallis, 
: : Jason Isaacs (Soldier), will play Colonel Banastre Tarleton, 
: : Tcheky Karyo, 
: : Joely Richardson, will play Charlotte
: : Peter Woodward

: : 
: : Director: Roland Emmerich (Independence Day, Godzilla, Stargate, Universal Soldier) 

: : Screenwriter: Robert Rodat  (Saving Private Ryan, cowriter of Fly Away Home and Tall Tale)

: : *Did you know that Mel Gibson is in fact an American, born in New York. Indeed, one of his cousins is Charlie Gibson, host of Good Morning America?

: : *A first: The Smithsonian Institute is working with the filmmaker to get it "right". Never before had the institute worked with films.

: : The film will begin production in the South Carolina counties of Charleston, Chester, York, and Georgetown;  beginning on September 7th, 1999.

: : To give you a little more:
: : Casting: Shirley Fulton Crumley (same as LOTM) Good for me. I know her. haha
: : Stunts: Lance Gilbert ( worked on LOTM) I was trained by his father.
: : Riley Flynn, re-enactor coordinator  He has talked to me about moving me to Cadre.

: : Training:
: : I traveled to McConnells SC, ( Latitude: 34.862962,   Longitude: -81.176987 to be exact)  on Sunday night met Riley and set up Sharon�s pop up camper. Met some of the re-enactors and tired to sleep. Didn�t do so well. 
: : Day one:
: : On Monday morning I woke, ( I was set up on the site where training was to be done)reported to the casting tent met with Shirley and began work. We were paired off into companies of 32 men. I was in Red Company. We were sized and began marching. Doing facing movements. About an hour later and after a water break, we were given weapons cartridge boxes, bayonets and hats. We then began the drill. (See: http://www.britishbrigade.org/drill64.htm). Very close to what we used in LOTM. By 9:30 am I was made Corporal and given 2 Platoon, Red Company, Left wing, 33rd Regt of foot. We did this drill all day. It was 97 degrees and full sun. BTW a Brown Bess�s weight is 19 lb. without bayonet. They pulled out 9 people and sent them home because they couldn�t march, do facing movements or do the drill. By 3:00 p.m. we fired for the first time. After cleaning our weapons we were released for the day. Returned to my camper followed by a few other men asking me stuff about LOTM and died.
: : Day two:
: : Woke to overcast skies reported to casting and began work in the rain. 4 men didn�t show. First hour we worked on the drill under arms then moved to a different section of the training field and began working on stunts. Only Red Company and half of White Company. I met Billy (?) and Dave (?) who were the stunt trainers. They taught the Indian core in LOTM and I was suprised that they remembered me. We began by taking our weapons and going through some maneuvers. Bayonet trust, vertical bayonet slash, horizontal bayonet slash, Vertical butt slash, Horizontal butt slash, butt smash, high guard, low guard, right and left guard. Then given a pole we were asked to run full bore into a 4x4 stacked with tires, step back, do a vertical bayonet slash and horizontal butt slash at full contact. Then we were asked to do the whole thing without touching the tires while doing the slashes. Hit and don�t touch. Lunch! The afternoon we drilled and drilled and drilled. We finished the day by marching as full left wing. Red, White and Blue. The best of the day was recognized (drum roll please) 2nd Platoon, Red Company. We cleaned arms and were released. We were soaked from all day rain!! Again I was followed to my camper, voice in bad shape. David Wilson (fellow I met during casting sign up and is now head of  1st platoon, White Company) a man named Josh (?) (in my platoon) and myself went to Chester, SC for pizza. Came back and died again.
: : Day three:
: : Began the day by closing some of the camper, reported to casting and began work. Red and half of White Company began the day by marching and drilling with drum to keep time (first time). This helped soooo much. The sun was out and now and it was 97 degrees again but 75% humidity was added in. YUCK! Lunch was taken and then we worked on stunts. We began that by review then doing the tire routine on each other.  Then we were put into two lines and were asked to run full bore, screaming all the way at each other and stopping just short of knocking the ever loving  _hit out of each other. Then one side would form up and would march with bayonets charged while the other would run full bore at them, thus stopping just short of having a bayonet stuck where we don�t want it stuck. We then marched full left wing and fired as companies in succession and then as left wing. One volley. Can you say "Kaaaaaabbboooooommmmm"? I thought you could. Haha. We ended the training with recognition. Guess what......2 ND Platoon, Red Company the best!!!!!!! Made want to cry. Really.  We cleaned weapons and were released till Monday. I pack up and headed for the mountains. 

: : Right wing will drill Thurs. , Friday and Sat. We all will drill Monday and Tuesday. 200 men strong!!! 

: : I hope this helps and gets me back into good standings with everyone. Smile The wait is over!!!!!

: : Till next time,
: : See Ya�uns ,
: : Eric

: : PS I ain�t got no voice now. 

: 
: So I've been walking 8 miles, several times a week - soon to don the 25 lb backpack to get ready for a 3 day trip to the Smokies.  And I think I'm doing something. But then, I read your story about your week. . . I think I've been humbled!  Are you making enough $ for this type of work?!  Thanks for the detailed report.  Anxious to hear from you again.  Good luck to you!



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