Director’s Statement
Director’s Statement
From the moment we decided to make “Unconquered” I was on my honor
Not just to Dot and Dave, but to those whose every day is a battle to shed the chains of impediment.
It has been the driving force for half my life. I cannot count the blessing I have received whilst striving to bring light to those less fortunate.
Telling the truth of Dot and Dave’s story haunted me. These were elite, battle hardened soldiers, part of a brotherhood that few may enter. They honoured me with their stories and from then I had to weave a concise memoir that captured the whole 360 in just twenty four minutes.
Even as shooting began I felt I was not getting to the heart of their story. It was early days but I was still an outsider walking on eggshells. As the shoot progressed they began to trust me, at least a little. It was the second day, we were sharing a soup in that freezing hanger and I went for it….. “How deep can I go?” Dot and Dave were puzzled…”How much of the dark stuff can I tell?” They just gave me the thousand yard stare . . . and said “ Go for it!”
The Preperation
I learned from an early age, producing plays at school and later creating my music shows, that the key to any hope of success is preparation. Even though “Unconquered” is a short, it has many scenes and moods that took every waking hour to figure out the “How to”. Then as we all know, this is only the end of the beginning… You then have to find the locations, props and clothes and all those little things that make it live
It became an obsession…. Being set against a military backdrop, every aspect had to be authentic
I drove an entire day through the wilds to buy two pairs of army boots, something you would blink and miss in the scene but by this point, I was consumed . . . a fully committed crazy film maker.
Beginnings
The opening scenes of Dave’s parachute failure and Dot’s truck crash in Africa were always going to be internal, seeing the events unfold in their minds eye. Asking them to relive those tragic moments was very challenging.
We’ve all seen great military action in iconic movies, so our only chance was to tell the story in as original way as possible through sound and visual effects. Of course, we couldn’t help ourselves when we came across a military truck that was almost identical to the one in Africa…we got very lucky when a totally unplanned camera move made our truck appear to overturn…They say God loves a trier.
The Production
The 10 day shoot began in St Athan Wales, where the Rugby, Gym, and Boxing scenes were filmed in two huge military aircraft hangers.
The Track scenes were shot at dawn at the Herford leisure complex.
The Pub scene was shot at my friend Alan Clarke’s pub, the Baxter Arms in East Yorkshire. Other than the short Physio scene, this was our major dialogue piece. It was a tough day ….Dot and Dave, were soldiers, already in virgin territory as actors, were now being asked to deliver a highly charged emotional scene, that was not just physical but very wordy. We all learned much that special day but still had time for a pint.
The time available to shoot the Battlefield scene was governed solely by the amount of Napalm we had for the burning building and vegetation. Though we were done and dusted in just ninety minutes the prep took many weeks.
The most challenging scene is where Dave wheels into the ocean. It began at 3am in the North Sea at Flamborough North Yorkshire in March. The roaring sea did its best to overwhelm us. I was way out there in the life boat tractor on the bullhorn alongside Dave Thorpe on B camera, and though the tractor was twelve feet high, the waves came crashing over the top of us and took out the lights.
Luke was on main camera, waist deep in the action, his back to the waves …Dave was hurled out of his chair many times then dragged under by the tide and thrown onto the beach. We were all worried about him but he had the time of his life and keeping a smile off his face was not easy.
He reckons he’s now going to take up wild water swimming.
The Crew
It never occurred to me until we were doing the final credits, that apart from Wayne Sables and Dave Thorpe the rest of our crew had a disability.
George Fretwell (C-cam & Archive) was my first call. We go back almost forty years and George and his business partner Howard Johnson had always been there to help turn my early dreams into short films, and videos. Throughout my career, we have remained friends and indeed they have been a touchstone on “Unconquered”
Strangely, I had completely forgotten that George had a prosthetic leg, just as with my dear pal Kevin Davis, our dialogue coach, who was born with spina bifida . . . Still only in rare moments do I see the chair.
Alex Young
As a pal of one of the crew, Alex came aboard as a helper. Very quickly he became a vital element in the team, doing all the Rugby stunts and being by Dave’s side as he wheeled into the North Sea in the dead of night. This despite suffering from daily Cluster Headaches, a violently painful condition that required injections every day on set, Alex was always prepared to go the extra mile.
Gary Sutcliff
A friend who initially came along just for the ride was immediately thrown in at the deep end, rigging, driving, and set management. Throughout the long days of stress and occasional chaos, Gary’s Aspergers was invisible…. Well almost!
Luke Wade
I didn’t know Luke but had seen a short pop promo of his online. I was immediately taken with his cinematic eye and asked him to join the team on B camera. Within a day he became our main camera and DOP and indeed has been by my side throughout as Editor, Colourist, VFX, and Wingman.
Luke’s own physical challenges only became apparent in the final stages of post production when his Auto Immune illness really kicked in and sidelined him for a while. Fortunately, I am blessed to have him back alongside me.
Jerry Ward (Military Advisor and Inspirator)
Whenever I feel a bit sorry for myself (very rare) I just put myself in Jerry’s shoes. Words cannot convey the feeling I have for him and the way he faces life. To tell his story would take longer than our film but please stay in the theatre for the credits….it might just help you as you face your own challenges.
Kevin Davis (Dialogue Coach)
Not only a great actor and writer, Kevin once again brings great inspiration. Born with Spina Bifida in 1960, back when society and social care knew little of how to manage sufferers.
Kevin crawled for the first 4 years of his life until he got his wheelchair. Like Dot and Dave, he made his way in life through the love of family and his one true passion . . . Sport.
Kevin won the Paralympic Sabre title in 1984, became World Champion, and was awarded his sport’s highest honour, Master of Arms.
The Music
Boy oh boy…. Early on in the production. The military brass asked to see a rough cut of where we were at. They just needed reassurance that we were on the right track and keeping the integrity of both Dot and Dave and the tenants of the military.
We were in the middle of shooting and the score wasn’t something I had thought about. We put together a 10 minute trailer and used temp music from some of Hollywood’s legendary composers and orchestras. It all played wonderfully and the military were happy and gave us the green light to continue.
On the first day of post it hit me…We couldn’t possibly get the rights to the wonderful music we had used in the trailer, so it was down to me to put my musician’s hat back on and try to come up with goods.
I’ve had a fair amount of experience writing Title Tracks for films but to score a whole film . . .
I got lucky….the main theme came to me fairly quickly and ticked many of the emotional beats that were vital for character of our story.
Dot is English, so something that echoed the traditional military feel was important. This aligned with Dave, a Scotsman, needed a more ethnic quality using ancient Gaelic instruments and themes.
The Training scenes were a little easier but I still wanted to have something more memorable than just driving cello’s.
My dear friend Richard Cottle, who has been with me from the beginning of my recording career came aboard to do the orchestrations and arrangements for the cues.
I had recorded “Military Man” for my album “The Mission” and it just seemed to fit the bill for the big face off between Dot and Dave at the Baxter Arms….The first line of the song is . . .“ I was standing in the bar room when trouble walked in the door”.
I wrestled with the idea of including ‘St Elmo’s Fire” for so long time. It is kind of sacred as it was written as the anthem for Rick Hansen and his “Man in Motion” world tour. His dream was to circumnavigate the globe in his wheelchair. After two years, two months, and two days Rick achieved his dream. His ambition was to raise funds and awareness and relegate the wheelchair to something you would only see in a museum Since those heady days the campaign has built I cord, the world’s leading facility for spinal research, and aligned with the Christopher Reeve foundation, has brought many ground breaking treatments and outcomes. Many disabled people whose lives were destined to be spent in a wheelchair have been able to walk again.
To date, the Rick Hansen foundation has raised over $275,000.000 for spinal research and our work continues.
“Unconquered” was created on that same principle and we hope to raise awareness and funds for the Hoplite Fund, for the well being, research, and rehabilitation of military service personnel as they battle to overcome physical and mental injuries. . .It seems only right that “St Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion)” is there to echo the dream once more.
The Cost
A musician boy to man. Born in an era of giants, where just to compete demanded total dedication, sacrifice, and practice. I have loved it and been fortunate to realise some of my dreams.
Filmmaking is a different beast. In the heat of battle, it takes every last ounce of energy and concentration. As writer, producer, and director it consumed every braincell.
To wear so many hats was certainly not my choice. Finding someone, anyone to share the vision and be prepared to walk the walk for the long haul was like searching for a needle in the hay.
I was lucky . . . Over the ten day shoot the crew gave their all, much of it for love and expenses, and more often than not, just for love. There were just the six of us on set each day with all hands to the pumps.
Post was the hungry child that always needed “more”. Just as with music, time is the most important element, and Luke and I we have spent much of it polishing the gift we know we had been given.
“Unconquered” has been the challenge of my life . . . I wouldn’t have missed a minute of it.
Sincerely
John