Shooters. Camera Commandos & Reminiscences of D-Day Normandy

Transcription

1 Shooters Camera Commandos & Reminiscences of D-Day Normandy 1 of 16

2 A Note to Teachers from the Producer, James O Regan In this study guide, you will find resources designed to help make use of two products dealing with the Canadian Army Film and Photo Unit during WWII, Shooters (a DVD) and Camera Commandos and Reminiscences of D-Day Normandy (an ebook). Availability of these resources may be found at the end of this kit. Included is a timeline of the unit s activity and context from 1939 to As well, there is a synopsis of the DVD, an excerpt from the introduction to the ebook, a bibliography as well as work sheets for media literacy and Canadian social studies with questions and discussion topics. The Producer James O'Regan is a Canadian actor, writer and producer. His award-winning comedy short, Edsville (about a couple that stumbles upon a town of Ed Sullivan impersonators), earned a 14% share and 1.02 million viewers in its CBC prime time premiere. For more background, go to: His father, Brian O Regan, was a despatch rider (motorcycle) and driver (jeep) with the unit during WWII. Originally, the film was to feature Brian, but he died before shooting could begin. James researched, wrote, interviewed, directed, script and paper edited, narrated, and produced the film, and edited and published the ebook, and now markets both across Canada and internationally. Production Timeline October 1998, Project Beginning (Working Title "A Walk Along the Beach") February 1999, Brian O Regan dies March 2001, Veteran Interviews in Vancouver and Victoria June 6, 2002, Rough Cut September 7, 2004, Video post complete November 4, 2004, Audio post complete November 2004, Production Release Date April 19, 2005, DVD (on demand) Release Date November 11, 2005, First Broadcast, CBC's Country Canada (digital network) December 12, 2005, Theatrical Premiere, Barney Danson Theatre, Canadian War Museum, Ottawa May 14, 2007, ISBN assigned to Shooters by Library and Archives Canada September 20 and after, 2007, PBS Premiere, variously with Ken Burns' The War 2 of 16

3 Time Line for the Canadian Army Film and Photo Unit, of 16

4 Synopsis The Canadian Army Film and Photo Unit (CFPU) was the last such unit formed by the allied armies. But, they were the first in scooping the world on the major events in Europe: the invasion of Sicily, D-Day, the Liberation of Paris, the Elbe River Link Up of the Allied armies, the first feature documentary shot while under fire, and only footage shot of action leading to a Victoria Cross. This documentary has its own first. Viewers will see, for the first time, original colour footage of the D-Day operation. They will see clips of the unit's first production Wood for War about the Canadian Forestry Corps at work in Scotland, as well as clips from the CFPU's own newsreels, both never before seen on television. Through fresh interviews with veterans of the CFPU and its archival newsreels, viewers will see the story from the men who shot the film: Charles Roos, the first allied cameraman ashore on D-day; the late Al Calder, who parachuted over the Rhine and shot that operation; Michael Spencer, the unit's first editor, who worked on the feature documentary above; and, the late Lew Weekes, who shot the liberation of Paris. This history takes on a personal flavour through three highlights. In the first, James O'Regan relates a small detail in the Invasion of Normandy on D- Day: a despatch rider, O'Regan's father Brian ( ), played a small but key role that had helped the world first learn of this mighty event from the CFPU. In the second, we see how Brian became the first Canadian to enter Dieppe after the Invasion. In the third, we see how Brian became the subject of a world scooping photo at the Elbe River Link Up between the US and Soviet armies. Featured Players The cast of characters in this documentary include veterans of the unit interviewed (Mr Charles Bud Roos of Victoria, BC, Mr Al Calder of Victoria, BC, Mr Lew Weekes of North Vancouver, BC, Mr Michael Spencer of Montreal, QC), veterans on audio tape - Mr Ken Bell of Gibson s Landing, BC and my father, Brian O Regan of Ottawa, as well as myself as off-camera interviewer. As of March 2008, only Michael Spencer survives of the original cast members. Of the unit itself, only a few remain among us. 4 of 16

5 Glossary Arriflex: A German manufactured camera that allowed the cinematographer to see through the lens instead of a view finder to get an exact idea of what would be filmed. These cameras were mechanized so that there was no need to manually wind up the camera motor. C.O.: An abbreviation for Commanding Officer or the head of a unit. Dope Sheet: A sheet of paper with a form that each cinematographer would fill out with the details of the reel of film that he had just shot, including his name, date, location and synopsis of the action in a shot list detailing every time he started and stopped the camera. Eyemo: The model name for a Bell and Howell camera that was the most popular workhorse for the unit. Newsreel: Usually one reel of film that lasted minutes, shown in cinemas in most countries of the world. Before TV, the public would see the news once a week along with shorts and a feature length movie. Pinewood Studios: A famous British commercial movie studio that still exists today ( 2 nd Div.: A short form of Second Division of the Canadian Army Expeditionary Force (CEF). This division took part in the Invasion of France, the liberation of Belgium and Holland and the entry into Germany. The Scheldt: An anglicized and shortened name for an estuary of the Scheldt River in Belgium and Holland that contained a series of fortified islands, held by the German army, that were liberated by the Canadian army. Scoop: This is a trade name for a picture or news story that is the first to be published, thereby beating the competition. Shrapnel: Bits of flying metal and debris that is ejected when a bomb or other explosive device blows up. Shrapnel wounds and kills more so than the power of the explosion or the concussive force. Tripod: During the war, a wooden three-legged, adjustable stand which held a camera in place. 5 of 16

6 The two icons below denote either the film, Shooters, or the ebook, Camera Commandos and Reminiscences of D-Day Normandy. Shooters Camera Commandos Applications to Curricula Media Literacy Before Viewing 1. How many ways can people today receive their news? Distinguish among them in relation to the way each gathers news; the personnel involved and estimated costs in each; the ability to be update the news; and the means of distributing the news. 2. Describe how to film a news event. What is the point of view of the camera and of the camera operator compared to the whole reality that may be the subject of the film? 3. At home, do you watch TV news? Alone? With your family? Which is the better way to watch the news? After Viewing 1. Why do you think most war footage was in B&W? 2. Where and how did Canadians receive their news during the war? 3. If tripods were extremely important for good newsreels and for motion pictures generally, discuss the use of hand-held cameras on CITY TV, MuchMusic and in music videos. Is it possible that a jerky camera technique supplants actual content? 4. What was the composition of a typical CFPU field unit? How does that compare to a modern ENG news team? 5. How did a CFPU field unit work in the field and what did they do with their film? 6. Describe how to film a news event. 7. Compare the uncut footage of the landing at Juno Beach with the way that excerpts of the footage were used in the newsreels in the documentary. Why did the editors choose those excerpts? What role did they play in the newsreel? 8. What difference does it make if a large audience sees the news at the same time in the same place? 9. Compare the work these cinematographers and photographers did with today s paparazzi. 6 of 16

7 Homework 1. How heavy were the Eyemo cameras and tripods? 2. What were the major technological shifts in news gathering in the 20 th century? 3. Describe the technological conditions of news gathering during WWII. 4. Who controlled the newsreels distribution within Canada during WWII? 5. Who controlled the editorial content of Canadian newsreels during WWII? 6. Who controls Canadian news content today? 7. Who controls dramatic content in Canadian theatre and TV today? 8. Michael Spencer eventually became a bureaucrat with the Canadian government and was tasked with developing the first Canadian film funding agency for the Government, the Canadian Film Development Corporation, now known as Telefilm Canada. He also acted as its first chief. How did Mr Spencer s wartime experience shape his development of federal funding for the film and television industry in Canada? You may wish to consult his book, Hollywood North: Creating the Canadian Motion Picture Industry (see bibliography). Canadian Social Studies Before Viewing 1. Name three events during WWII for which the Canadian Armed Forces are famous 2. How did Canadians get their news during WWII? After Viewing 1. Name three events during WWII for which the Canadian Armed Forces are famous. 2. How did Canadians get their news during WWII? 3. How would a combat cinematographer and a civilian cinematographer train a recruit differently? 4. If you had to film an event at your school, what would you do to develop your shot list? 5. In your opinion, were the American newsreel editor justified in stealing Canadian footage of D-Day at Bernieres-sur-mer and renaming it as US footage? How could they have done it differently and still imply that the troops were American? Would that have been justifiable? 6. Compare censorship as described in the film with censorship in Iraq or Afghanistan today. Is it important to censor news with current instant 7 of 16

8 communications technology? What suggestions could to develop to account for operational security with or without censorship. 7. The sergeant cinematographers held the honorary rank of a full colonel. What would have happened if they had not been given that rank? Homework Hints 1. Why was the Canadian Film and Photo unit the last such unit to be formed among the allied armies? 2. Why was a combat camera unit felt to be a valuable asset in the field? 3. Why were civilian cinematographers not allowed in battle? 4. Why were there no female combat cinematographers? 5. Name the top 10 battles in which Canadians participated during WWII in Europe. How much coverage did each receive in newspaper and newsreels and on radio? 6. How did combat camera crews and war correspondents mix in the field? 7. Watch the news tonight and describe the shot list of one news item. How would you have done that story differently? Obtain a copy of Camera Commandos by Brian O Regan or review the Sarah Klotz Article in CMR: education.htm#bibliography Research war correspondents biographies, autobiographies and books written. Alberta Curriculum Addendum Social Studies (20-1) Both Shooters and Camera Commandos address elements in Alberta s new Social Studies curriculum (20-1) by illustrating how participation in WWII served Canadian national interest. Two aspects are clear: Canadian sovereignty and international recognition. The unit recorded history in the making, showing the successes of Canadian forces, promoting Canada s exploits around the world, thereby increasing its stature among the nations. Shooters and Camera Commandos provide detailed case studies of major actions highlighting the significant actions of Canadian Armed Force in the Allied victory, including the invasions of Sicily, Normandy, the liberation of Dieppe, Paris, and Holland, the Rhine River Crossing and the link up of Western allied and Soviet armies. Shooters especially provides graphic evidence of these actions, the means in which news was captured and disseminated to troops and to the public in 8 of 16

9 Canada and world-wide, as well as its affect upon all of them. As Al Calder says in the film: he was there to take pictures and for no other reason. As well, below are case studies, analyses and questions on the following curriculum milestones: Case Study of economic development in Canada as a result of participation in WWII. In Shooters, we see how Wood for War, the unit s first film about military forestry operations in Scotland, came about. This film showcased Canadian soldier-foresters. If skilled workers like these were serving in the armed forces, what affect did that have on domestic forestry industries? In which way did these Canadian skills help in the war effort? Case study of WWII affect on society and social attitudes in Canada. The film unit s editor, Michael Spencer, would have been aware of the complaint issued in a memo by Gord Sparling about how American editors controlled the news that Canadian s saw during the war. We see, in Shooters, how US editors abused Canadian footage in their newsreels about D-Day. How did that knowledge affect Michael Spencer s eventual relationship with big Hollywood studios as he developed Canadian film policy in the 1970s? The CFPU shot their newsreel film to promote Canadian troops in action. The fact that the unit sent both a photographer and a cinematographer, as a team to cover the action, saved the day for history in the correct identification of Canadian troops at Bernières-sur-mer. While the Hearst Newsreels misrepresented the footage, claiming it showed US troops in a newsreel released the week of June 11, 1944, the New York Times correctly identified the troops as Canadian on June 8, Most Canadians saw the newsreel. Few read the New York Times. Discuss the fairness and effect of that newsreel as seen by Canadians. Canadian newsreel footage and photos were used in newsreels and newspapers around the world. The CFPU had a better rate of use than American film units. Immediately after D-Day, the US population complained about lack of US pictures, even complaining about too many Canadian film. Of course, the truth is that only one US reel of the invasion survived the day. Yet, before and after the war, American newsreels were the most popular and most widely distributed. If Canadian newsreel footage was the best, why weren t Canadian newsreels the most popular? 9 of 16

10 Analyze Canadian nationalism during WWII The tradition in the Canadian Armed Forces is to recruit and deploy regiments and the like from a particular region. Such units have distinctive badges, flags and colours, and are located in a headquartered location. The CFPU was not a regiment and was not allowed a regimental badge. Nevertheless, it devised the shoulder patch that you see in the film and within this kit. Its members came from across Canada and from multiple regiments. Discuss whether its pan Canadian origins promoted a sense of Canadian nationalism within the unit and within the forces that it served to portray. The veterans of the film unit compared themselves to American film units. Is there a sense of healthy competition and pride at scooping the Americans? Does Al Calder s remarks about the Americans not believing that any other country was a good as America sound accurate? Does it still ring true today in your opinion? Is an American life valued over the life of any other nationality? Is that a rationale thought? Is it a good or bad side of nationalism? Did the film unit s own newsreels, seen by the army everywhere in various theatres of operations, provide a sense of pride in the Canadian army and other forces? Does pride of comradeship and nationalism go hand in hand? Analyze the motives of nation and state involvement or not in international affairs. Why did Lester B. Pearson (Camera Commandos, 4), future Prime Minister of Canada, insist on a photographer to cover the arrival of the first Canadian division in England? Did his initiative in hiring a photographer without permission demonstrate an acute need? How did the forces of nationalism shape and continue to shape Canada? WWI saw the emergence of Canada as a sovereign country. How did Canada enter WWII? What did the establishment of Canada s own film signify in the thinking of military commanders and of the public back home? Evaluate the challenges and opportunities associated with CFPU s promotion of Canadian national unity. Discuss the timeline in the establishment of the CFPU. Do you see shifts in urgency or policy in its development? 10 of 16

11 It is always a grave decision to send young people of to war. This is especially acute when sending unit member into harms way for the sake of a picture. Yet these cinematographers and photographers were keen to go. Why? What did they hope to achieve within the armed forces public that they served and the public back home? Would you do the same thing if asked today? Discuss the positive and negative consequences of pursuing a national interest in war. The CFPU suffered 18 members wounded and six killed in action. Did they risk or lose their lives for a good reason? As an audience, do you feel proud of the accomplishments of the Canadian forces in WWII, and of these cinematographers and photographers in particular? Would the loss or the lack of these images make a difference in how Canadians see themselves? Discussion and Comprehension Questions Applicable to Both 1. When did the Canadian Army Film and Photo Unit come into existence? 2. How many members were in the first unit? 3. Who was the unit s boss? 4. Why did the unit grow so slowly? 5. Where did the members of the unit come from? 6. Where did they take their training? 7. Who trained them? 8. What was the first production of the unit called? 9. What was the most important thing for a cinematographer to do when he shot his film? 10. How many cinematographers and photographers were in the unit? 11. How many died and were wounded? 12. What was the name of the last member killed and where did it happen? 13. What is a scoop? Why is it important? 14. Why did the Germans think the Canadians would seek revenge for Dieppe? 15. Why was it important to have a cinematographer and a photographer on the same team to cover the same event? In a scrum on Parliament Hill today, how many media are represented? In you opinion, how effective 11 of 16

12 are the media when they compete in a scrum? Do they get in the way or w a story or do they uncover it well? 16. How many steps did it take to get the film news from the war to Canadian cinemas? 17. During the war, newsreels were often accused of using rehearsal footage for real combat footage. Why is that a bad idea? How could you tell is footage was real or fake? Why would it be important to have real footage? 18. Today, is it important to tell the truth in media? Should the media report gossip as well as facts? How do you tell the difference between an event and someone talking about an event? 19. Compare the number of pictures found about WWI and WWII in Library and Archives Canada, the Imperial War Museum and the Library of Congress? Do you think it is important for a country to own the record of its own history? Would it be better for a country to be responsible for generating and collecting these records? Why not just use records from anywhere? 20.Currently, the Canadian army has to use the transportation capabilities of its allies to ferry its troops to areas of conflict. How is this the same or different from supplying its own photographers and camera people to the same areas? 21. Given the accomplishments of this unit during war, how could Canadians be come better acquainted with its exploits? Can you explain why you may not have heard of them before now? 22.Which civilian and military personnel were aware of the need for a record of Canadian activities in Europe? Beside insisting that Canadian Armed Forces fight as a national army among allies, what other signs of Canadian national interest appear in Shooters and in Camera Commandos? Today, does the CRTC (Canadian Radio and Television Commission) activities compare with wartime initiatives to Canadianize imagery in the news? 23.Compare the rise of the canadian music industry and the rise of the canadian film industry? Which is the more robust business model? Which has the most recognizable stars? What do you think the differences are? 24.Before the war, what was the size of Canada's navy? After the war? Compare the increases in Canadian manufacturing sectors before, during and after the war. Why was there not a similar increase in Canadian film production? 12 of 16

13 Discussion Topics 1. Shooters features Michael Spencer, one of the founding members of the CFPU as an editor. Spencer eventually became the first head of the Canadian Film Development Corporation, now known as Telefilm Canada. As such, his contributions to the Canadian Film Industry are seminal. In Shooters, educators will find an excellent companion to Spencer's book, Hollywood North: Creating the Canadian Motion Picture Industry. On page 37, Spencer clearly shows that the formation stage of the new film development corporation was concerned solely with getting some features produced - we d face the distribution problems later. Again on page 38, he shows that he was more concerned with the nuts and bolts of film production. This fundamental approach to film development pervaded through the policy and regulations of the new CFDC and continued to its successor Telefilm Canada. It also partially explains why Canadians don t see Canadian movies in Canadian cinemas. 2. Besides curriculum topics like Canada in WWII, film, photography and Remembrance Day, there is also the topic of media literacy. One implication from viewing Shooters is that the cinematographers, due to the state of their technology, had to not only shoot pictures but shoot an order of images, pre-edited in their minds on-the-fly. This comes home very clearly if one knows that Lew Weekes, in describing the filming of the Liberation of Paris from the memory of shooting it, follows the edition of the newsreel almost exactly. When the editor of Shooters and I lined up the newsreel and Lew Weekes' narration, we did not have to edit anything at all - although we did compact it slightly. Lew's story and the film were an exact match. Every time Lew changed the subject in his narration, the film would change. The order of the parade let him establish an order in his head to be sure, but there were no opportunities to shoot footage again. History happened in real time not as in a Hollywood movie where one could pick and choose shots and assemble a story in the edit suite. These cinematographers thought out their stories, anticipating the next outcome as they shot the footage of situations before their eyes. As Al Calder says, all of his footage was used because it was all good with very little wasted footage. That ability is a non linear ability to connect images and story along a line. That ability is a root of media literacy that these cinematographers held in spades. 3. In Camera Commandos, there is mention of the relationship between the NFB and the CFPU. Why was the official government source for photography and film not given the task of shooting the war in combat instead of non combat? The CFPU were soldiers first before they were unit members in the trade of photography. They first received a soldier s 13 of 16

14 qualification in arms and combat. If one is recruited now for the army, one is always a soldier before one has a trade or a profession. 4. In the question of soldiers versus civilians in the field, soldiers are trained to fight and to kill. Therefore, in a situation where a cinematographer drops his camera and picks up a machine gun when needed, he can do so. The other matter is the question of censorship. A soldier has his own vested interest at heart. A civilian is reporting to a boss that wants a story regardless of context. He has to sell newspapers. 5. A related question is censorship and technology. When soldiers now have video cell phones in the field and can show images and film of action as it happens to the folks at home, what kinds of issues does that raise? How does that affect the line of command, and the command s ability to control information vital to an operation? 6. All the cinematographers, who were killed in action, were killed by shrapnel or explosives, save for Barnett who was killed by machine gun bullets in a plane. Yet, even there, it was the plane that was shot. Given that Al Calder was able to stand out in the open at the Rhine Crossing (Shooters), why do you think that there was a hesitation to shoot non combatants like a cinematographer? Are cinematographers safer in the field? What is a combatant? What is a non combatant? 14 of 16

15 Bibliography Bell, Ken, The Way We Were, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1988; excellent source of CFPU pictures as well as a short Where Are They Now line about featured members of the unit. Darroch, Lynne, Annotated List of all 106 CFPU Newsreels, (unpublished report for Library and Archives Canada), circa 1995 Donoghue, Jack, PR: 5 Years in the Field, Toronto:Dundurn press, The Edge of War, Calgary: Detselig Enterprises Ltd., 1988 Farrell, Jon, "History in the Taking: Some Notes About the Canadian Army Film & Photo Unit," Canadian Geographic Journal, June 1945, pp : complete with pictures from the unit. Klotz, Sarah, Armed with Cameras: the Canadian Army Film Unit during the Second World War, M.A. Thesis, University of Ottawa,. 2004, 130 leaves "Shooting the War: The Canadian Army Film Unit in the Second World War," Canadian Military History, 14/3, Summer 2005, pp : comes with an excellent bibliography as well as footnotes for image sources. Note that the Klotz article claims that no raw or full footage of the iconic D-Day film exists. Shooters contains the entire two minute and 10 second reel of the iconic D-Day footage, shot by SGT Bill Grant at Juno beach from inside of a landing craft and featuring Canadian soldiers hitting the beach. O'Regan, R. Brian, Camera Commandos & Reminiscences of D-Day Normandy, ebook, jamesoregan.com, 2007 O Regan, James, Getting the Story Home: 50 Years of Canadian Forces Public Affairs WWII to 2000, Ottawa: DND, 2000, 10 minute video ---- How to Sell Films in Canada, an Op-Ed article, Ottawa Citizen, November 13, 2000, p. A Shooters: The Canadian Army Film and Photo Unit , Ottawa: DND, 2004 Shapiro, Lionel, "Camera Commandos," MacLean's Magazine, April 15, 1945, pp. 14, 40, 42, 43 : with one photo. Spencer, Michael, Hollywood North: Creating the Canadian Motion Picture Industry, Montreal: Cantos International Publishing, ISBN X, of 16

16 Web Sites A site dedicated to the CFPU: National Archives Raw A-V Footage: Jean O'Regan Collection: raw camera interviews of Al Calder, Charles E Roos, Lew Weekes and Michael Spencer; these tapes have been granted a designation of historical significance by the Archives. Coming soon: Master tape of Shooters, diverse audio and video elements. All available for research. Dan Conlin Collection: audio of CFPU Reunion proceedings, and interviews with CFPU veterans at 1986 reunion. DND Video and Film Database: Availability of Shooters (DVD) and Camera Commandos (ebook, CD) Shooters may be purchased for education use directly from James O Regan. Simply send an to James O Regan. The price for Public Performance Rights (PPR) is $150 per DVD (plus shipping & GST), PPR included for life of DVD, free admission only and no duplication. Camera Commandos may be bought as an ebook at Powell's Books or at Diesel for around USD$10.oo. If you would prefer a CD version of the same ebook at CDN$14.95 (plus shipping & GST), James O Regan. Either option allows you to read the content on one computer. If you wish to buy a site license for the CD at CDN$30.00, please indicate this in your . A site license allows you to share the resource with your students on an Intranet or similar distribution system for your school. Prepared by James O Regan with the aid of teachers and consultants across Canada. To submit suggestions to make this a better resource, please James O Regan James O Regan of 16