After the ‘pyrite’

Or “the making of a documentary.”

September 2015 edit. Screened in Carbondale on September 14, 2015 (with Loretta Swit)
»» Film's home page, http://www.nts-pow.com/
»» Press release, http://www.nts-pow.com/ntspress.pdf
»» imdb page, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3088670/

March 2013 edit.
»» Documentary finished and world premiere: http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/columnists/ct-talk-brotman-pow-doc-0401-20130401,0,311443,full.column

Last Friday Clare & I attended a screening of three pilot TV shows. Leaning across a department chair and my wife, a Radio-TV faculty member asks me what I’m doing Tuesday afternoon. (Clare responded for me, “Jan, I’m sitting right here.”) Then she asked if I would have a problem taking off my shirt. (Again, Clare responded.)

Kidding aside, the RT faculty member was Jan Thompson, who is working on a documentary about the American soldiers who were surrendered to Japanese forces at Bataan and Corregidor. Among those servicemen: her dad.

Jan’s dad was a pharmacist mate on the U.S.S. Canopus — AS-9, http://www.usscanopus.org/ — a submarine tender in the U.S. Navy, named for the star Canopus. The Canopus crew scuttled her just before the surrender of Bataan and escaped to Corregidor Island. Jan’s dad was among those surrendered to the Imperial Japanese on May 6, 1942, and he was a POW for three and half years. This included time on “hellships,” which is where today’s post comes in.

Jan had about a dozen undergraduate men to portray enlisted men and about seven older men to portray officers squeezed in the hold of a ship. She asked for as many days of beard or stubble as we could manage and then came the make-up, as you can see.

Initially we were all just dirtied and given ratty shirts. It was probably a couple hours between call time and the first shooting. The initial scenes took probably 1½–2 hours. (Couldn’t be sure; we were asked to remove all jewelry, including watches.)

With only one or two breaks, most of us were sitting on a concrete floor with our knees up to our chests and most of us probably had our arms crossed around our knees to help hold them up. It got pretty uncomfortable, but consider that Jan’s dad and his fellow POWs endured this for 49 days.

For the final scenes, only 4 or 5 of us were still around but I don’t think she needed as many for these shots. The last scenes were set to show that the Japanese transport vessel had been attacked. So back to make-up for cuts and blood and blood-smeared knuckles.

Back to the small set, which was only large enough for a 4x5 arrangement of the original 20 of us, all sitting with our knees up. The [real-life] survivors reported being showered in the hold of their ship with pyrite (dust-like remnants of explosives). To depict this, the lighting was colored to orange and baby powder was sprinkled from above. Since I was lying on the floor with my face turned to one side, I only had baby powder on the left side of my face and that’s today’s post.

Call time was 5 p.m. I texted Clare about 11 p.m., I think, that I was on my way home. All of this time and personnel and effort for how much air time? According to Jan, maybe two minutes of a 2-hour documentary!

Read about the shorter project Jan completed last year, http://www.tragedyofbataan.com/ I don’t know why we have it, but when I was going through the titles on our DVR yesterday, I discovered I had it, so I was able to watch it! I knew a little about the Bataan Death March, but I learned *a lot more* yesterday … and tonight!

Jan was a wonder: she was cheerful start-to-finish for the 6 hours I was there. I admired how she treated everyone, “cast” and crew alike. This is clearly a case of someone doing what they love and loving what they’re doing. Labor of love, given that it’s her late father’s story? Love, probably all the time. Labor? Probably only some of the time. I look forward to a possible Carbondale screening when she finishes!

A year ago (“Finis!”): http://365project.org/rhoing/365/2011-05-15

15th May 2012 15th May 12

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Album 365
Camera Canon EOS REBEL T2i
Taken 15th May 2012 11:02pm
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Tags selfie, documentary, corregidor, bataan, pyrite, tmselfie, tm18-55mm

Heidi

Now here is a unique selfie!!! Great story and photo!!

May 17th, 2012

Karen bable

Great tale to tell. Good luck to your wife on her creative journey. Now stop looking so mean Thom!

May 17th, 2012

Rick Schies

Well it sounds like quite the experience you all endured

May 17th, 2012

Sue

what a trooper you are! thanks for sharing the story, now I must go and google the Bataan Death March so I can learn about that also...

May 17th, 2012

Thom Mitchell ace

@chauncygirl @kamb @digitalrn @roth Thank you, all! It was quite an evening. A couple notes about props. One of the young guys fanned himself with a mess kit piece that belonged to a serviceman who made the ultimate sacrifice at Bataan. One or two canteens were used for a couple shots and one of the canteens had been Jan’s late dad’s…

May 17th, 2012

Joyce Wells

Have never quite seen a selfie like this, Thom! I'm sure this experience made you all the more aware of the torment Jan's dad and the others endured during that time - I've heard of the horrors of the Death March before - can't even begin to fully understand what these men went through!

BTW - You like like Ted Danson in this photo!

May 18th, 2012

Thom Mitchell ace

@sparkleplenty1 Yeah, this is definitely a different kind of selfie! (There's also a “happier” version, but I thought this would be more appropriate and provocative.) I've always been interested in WW2 history. I've read some of Stephen Ambrose's work (including _Band of Brothers_) and Tom Brokaw's _The Greatest Generation_ and its sequel…

May 18th, 2012

Caryn

Awesome selfie! I love the drama in it. I think you look like Hugh Laurie here.

May 21st, 2012

Mannie

I was instrumental in bringing Jan to Carlsbad, New Mexico, a year ago to do a screening of "Never the Same." She came as most of the country was shut down because of snowstorms. She was only able to fly to Dallas. We arranged for a car to drive her halfway to Carlsbad, where we met her to bring her the rest of the way. The screening was a total success. Carlsbad is very devoted to honoring the sacrifices of the men of Bataan as this small town sent 100 of its boys there. Fewer than half returned. Tell Jan "Hi" for me and that Joe and Mark are looking forward to sharing another bottle of single malt Scotch with her.

March 24th, 2015

Thom Mitchell ace

@mbemis Jan was freaked out when I forwarded your comment to her!

March 25th, 2015

Mannie

@rhoing :)

March 25th, 2015

Mannie

Had the opportunity to correspond with Jan again today and came across her email about your picture. Thought I'd tag it for my sister in Albuquerque who is also interested in the events of Bataan. @cejaanderson

September 10th, 2015

Thom Mitchell ace

@mbemis My wife & I are excited that the film is finally going to be screened in Carbondale this month! Jan emailed my wife "Not sure if you heard my film is screening Sept 14 see attachment---Tom plays a dead guy."

September 10th, 2015