Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Table Read
A more condensed table read was held last Sunday, which has allowed further fine tuning of the script. The next read will focus on the female content of the screenplay, as we feel that is a lacking part in most wartime films. We wish the roles of women in Forgotten Spies to be significant to the overall plot. We will be going scene by scene to refine them in context, subtext and overall pacing during the next few weeks. If you are interested in doing a part let me know. We are NOT casting but writing the story. It helps when actors show us their interpretation. Thanks. Rory
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
1st Table read
We had 19 people that helped with the table read. Thanks to everyone that contributed.
We have started the 2nd re-write it is going faster than the first the reading helped.
We have started the 2nd re-write it is going faster than the first the reading helped.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Feature Film Synopsis
Forgotten Spies of U-166
In 1939, German operators began espionage activities in Southern Louisiana, and along other areas of the Gulf Coast. These included establishing business connections with the Mob, mapping important land and water areas, and obtaining strategic and engineering information on proposed targets. Of prime interest to them was the Mississippi River Delta area, which was then flowing massive amounts of war materials to Europe.
Soon after, Germans who had lived, or been schooled in America, were recalled to fight for their homeland, as war spread across Europe. However, many of these Americanized Germans were commandeered by the Waffen SS upon returning to Germany, and sent to training camps. There they would be taught the precise and deadly skills needed to make them saboteurs.
In 1942, a full U-Boat assault was launched in the Gulf of Mexico, turning the normally peaceful and bountiful waters into a raging battlefield. Throughout the course of the war, over 60 ships met their end in the Gulf, due to a German Submarine. This remained classified information for many years under blackout orders on the matter, by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, citing fear of public panic as the reason. Fear was then heightened when several groups of German Saboteurs were discovered, on American soil.
One such saboteur group had targeted the lower Mississippi River area, and the strategically important New Orleans, Louisiana area. Among their targets were the newly constructed East-West road and rail lifeline for war materials, the Huey P. Long Bridge. Other named targets were the Chalmette Refinery, Acme Shipyard, and Alcoa Aluminum plant.
Fortunately, due to a blunder on the German’s part, suspicions of an imminent saboteur attack were raised, along with security around strategic targets, causing the failure of their Louisiana mission. A second blunder during the escape and recovery of the Saboteurs, the sinking of the passenger/cargo ship, Robert E. Lee, inadvertently caused the unknown sinking of U-166. History recorded U-166 as having escaped.
Without a Submarine to tie to the incident, exactly what happened remained a mystery until 2001, with only unsolved and unconnected clues to be had. However, during a routine oil exploration sonar-mapping sweep of the Gulf of Mexico, a shipwreck of unusual dimensions was found about forty-five miles south of the Mississippi River outlet, in mile-deep waters. In 2003, camera equipped ROV’s were lowered to the site, astonishing their operators as they revealed a Type IX-C German Submarine, which was soon after identified as U-166.
This discovery proved all recorded history related to the events surrounding U-166, and some events thought to have been related to U-166…wrong. After exhaustive investigation, most of the true story has been revealed, with strong indications of the still unknown portions also revealed. So much so, that our film will portray re-written history to show how the war with Germany, did in fact reach our shores, with only a handful of people ever knowing about the Forgotten Spies of U-166.
WGAW# 1469256 © 2010
Rory White & Randell W. Nall
In 1939, German operators began espionage activities in Southern Louisiana, and along other areas of the Gulf Coast. These included establishing business connections with the Mob, mapping important land and water areas, and obtaining strategic and engineering information on proposed targets. Of prime interest to them was the Mississippi River Delta area, which was then flowing massive amounts of war materials to Europe.
Soon after, Germans who had lived, or been schooled in America, were recalled to fight for their homeland, as war spread across Europe. However, many of these Americanized Germans were commandeered by the Waffen SS upon returning to Germany, and sent to training camps. There they would be taught the precise and deadly skills needed to make them saboteurs.
In 1942, a full U-Boat assault was launched in the Gulf of Mexico, turning the normally peaceful and bountiful waters into a raging battlefield. Throughout the course of the war, over 60 ships met their end in the Gulf, due to a German Submarine. This remained classified information for many years under blackout orders on the matter, by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, citing fear of public panic as the reason. Fear was then heightened when several groups of German Saboteurs were discovered, on American soil.
One such saboteur group had targeted the lower Mississippi River area, and the strategically important New Orleans, Louisiana area. Among their targets were the newly constructed East-West road and rail lifeline for war materials, the Huey P. Long Bridge. Other named targets were the Chalmette Refinery, Acme Shipyard, and Alcoa Aluminum plant.
Fortunately, due to a blunder on the German’s part, suspicions of an imminent saboteur attack were raised, along with security around strategic targets, causing the failure of their Louisiana mission. A second blunder during the escape and recovery of the Saboteurs, the sinking of the passenger/cargo ship, Robert E. Lee, inadvertently caused the unknown sinking of U-166. History recorded U-166 as having escaped.
Without a Submarine to tie to the incident, exactly what happened remained a mystery until 2001, with only unsolved and unconnected clues to be had. However, during a routine oil exploration sonar-mapping sweep of the Gulf of Mexico, a shipwreck of unusual dimensions was found about forty-five miles south of the Mississippi River outlet, in mile-deep waters. In 2003, camera equipped ROV’s were lowered to the site, astonishing their operators as they revealed a Type IX-C German Submarine, which was soon after identified as U-166.
This discovery proved all recorded history related to the events surrounding U-166, and some events thought to have been related to U-166…wrong. After exhaustive investigation, most of the true story has been revealed, with strong indications of the still unknown portions also revealed. So much so, that our film will portray re-written history to show how the war with Germany, did in fact reach our shores, with only a handful of people ever knowing about the Forgotten Spies of U-166.
WGAW# 1469256 © 2010
Rory White & Randell W. Nall
Forgotten Spies Table read
We will be doing a table read for Forgotten Spies of U-166 this Sunday in Houma. Anyone intrested in attending please email me.
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