Naval Special Warfare Goes Hollywood
Story
Number: NNS070907-01
Release Date: 9/7/2007 8:14:00 AM
By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Robyn B. Gerstenslager, Naval Special Warfare Group 4 Public Affairs
FORT KNOX, Ky. (NNS) -- A small Hollywood army descended on Ft. Knox’s
Salt River training range Aug. 23-25.
The team, consisting of
producers, videographers, audio technicians, production assistants, agency
representatives, photographers, and even a 1980’s recreational vehicle
came to create a video that would show the world the Navy’s best kept
secret, Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen (SWCC).
Special
warfare recruiting is a top priority of the Chief of Naval Operations.
Commander, Navy Recruiting Command needed a recruiting video that was
tailor-made for the SWCC community and turned to Detroit-based advertising
agency Campbell-Ewald, which has been producing Navy recruiting materials
since 2000.
Campbell-Ewald agents hired Bandito Brothers, a
production company based in Los Angeles, to film the SWCCs in
action.
Over the course of three days, the SWCCs of Special Boat
Team (SBT) 22 and Hollywood professionals battled temperatures of more
than 100 degrees, oppressive humidity, ticks and giant horse flies to film
what will become an invaluable tool for SWCC recruiting
efforts.
“The heat and humidity were a bit stifling, and [the heat]
was compounded by the 40 pounds of body armor we wore while filming,” said
Peter Trucco, Bandito Brothers executive producer. “But, we wanted to put
ourselves in the real environment and experience what the SWCCs have to go
through on a daily basis. We only had to experience these conditions for
three days. These guys deal with these conditions or worse every
day.”
Scott Waugh, a Bandito Brothers director, did his best to
interviewees with his friendly demeanor and stories from his days as a
Hollywood stuntman, hoping to capture on film the camaraderie and
fellowship within the SWCC community.
“I think it went pretty well,
[Waugh] asked a lot of good questions,” said Special Boat Operator 1st
Class Carlos Vargas. “He made it relaxing and as easy as
possible.”
He asked a wide range of questions from, “Why did you
become a SWCC?” to “Would you take a bullet for one of your fellow SWCCs?”
Interviewees never once hesitated to answer the latter with a firm
“yes.”
Trucco was most impressed with the brotherhood that exists
amongst the Sailors of SBT-22, and was honored that they gave him and his
crew insight into the SWCC family.
“There cannot be a weak link in
the SWCC boats or it could have major repercussions on the whole craft,”
said Trucco. “This condition forces all of the Sailors on board to be at
the top of their game and to look out for each individual ... it is a real
buddy system….”
To deliver a product that would adequately portray
a SWCCs talents, Bandito Brothers made sure they arrived in Kentucky
prepared. Before leaving Los Angeles, Trucco and his crew sent 50 boxes
filled with video cameras, microphones, cables, batteries and tripods to
Kentucky.
Upon arrival, he met up with a company which provided
lighting equipment and a 14-foot crane arm to be used with a
gyro-stabilized camera head. The crane was secured to a SOC-R specifically
designated as the “camera boat.” The 16mm camera attached to the crane
allowed for a variety of high and low angle shots of the boats as they
maneuvered up and down the river, sometimes at speeds greater than 35
knots.
Trucco admitted that filming on the water was a bit of a
challenge, but working with the SWCCs in their territory was essential to
the video’s ultimate success.
“The motion of the boat and
countering that movement all the time makes it challenging to film,” said
Trucco. “We were excited by the challenge of filming in the real
environment and respect the rigor and constraints these men have to go
through on a daily basis. For us it is only about getting a shot, for them
the price is a bit higher; it is their lives on the line.”
SWCCs
from SBT-22 are eager to have a recruiting product that is tailored-made
to them – a product that shows how their mission compliments other special
warfare units.
“Whenever anybody sees us, or thinks of us, the
first thing that comes to mind is SEALs, and a lot of times we’re
misrepresented,” said Special Boat Operator 2nd Class Jason
Laska.
Laska hopes that this video will open the eyes of potential
enlistees to this demanding but rewarding job, and it will help bring in
the right candidates for the 26-week, SWCC Basic Crewman Training course
in Coronado, Calif.
Chief Special Boat Operator Rob McKay, said the
coverage is vital to the community because it will showcase the SWCCs
capabilities.
“It lets people know who we are and what we are
about,” said McKay. “Hopefully [it] brings fresh faces…who want to do this
job and be part of something special.”
Special Boat Operator 1st
Class Jeffrey Harris agreed this project is long overdue, although he
sometimes enjoys being part of the “best kept secret in the
Navy.”
“People are just now finding out what our capabilities are,”
said Harris. “Hopefully [this video] gives us the manning that we need to
push on."
In all, Bandito Brothers shot 11 hours of high definition
digital video and film in three days of shooting. The first product is
scheduled to be completed in October.
For more news from Naval
Special Warfare Group 4, visit http://www.news.navy.mil/local/nswg4//.
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