American Civil War short film trailer is out!

**HotleadColdfeet** · 10-07-2018 13:05

Salute, gentlemen!

In 2016, my brother and I started work on a short film set during the American Civil War. Since then, we've come a long way. In 2017, we received permission to shoot our film at a local state park and began the filming process. By the end of the year, we had a first draft put together and started looking for score composers and sound designers. In 2018, we found a score composer for the opening of the film, and found a sound designer for the whole thing. Over the course of the year, we've slowly but surely been working with them. Finally, about a month ago, we sent our final draft of the film to the sound designer to work on. As things stand, we hope to have the short film released before the end of the year! B)

Our film (called "Remember Me") tracks the experiences of a single Union soldier from Berdan's elite group of sharpshooters. Although the film is set during the iconic battle of Gettysburg, the film takes a look at the much more isolated and personal battles our main character struggles with. It takes more than nerve and grit to survive the day...

Anyway, without further ado, I'm pleased to present a short teaser trailer for the upcoming film! Enjoy!

PS: If you want to get regular updates on this film and other projects (including upcoming Wings of Glory videos!), feel free to follow us on Facebook here:
https://www.facebook.com/RookieAceProductions/

**OldGuy59** · 10-07-2018 13:11

Cole,
I'd be interested in checking out any Wings of Glory videos you do, but you'd have to post updates on this Forum, as I boycott FaceBook.

So, not only do I not have an account, depending on how the page is set up, visitors without an account can't access some FaceBook pages. Just so you know.

**HotleadColdfeet** · 10-07-2018 13:23

Originally Posted by OldGuy59

Cole,
I'd be interested in checking out any Wings of Glory videos you do, but you'd have to post updates on this Forum, as I boycott FaceBook.

So, not only do I not have an account, depending on how the page is set up, visitors without an account can't access some FaceBook pages. Just so you know.

No worries Mike! I fully intend to post the completed Wings of Glory videos here too.

(BTW, the first one should be coming out on October 12th!)

I use Facebook to post behind-the-scenes updates and other day-to-day news regarding any videos we're working on. If Facebook leaves a bad taste in your mouth, I also post the exact same day-to-day updates (plus some other subscriber-only content) on our Patreon creator page here:
https://www.patreon.com/RookieAce/posts

**Stumptonian** · 10-07-2018 13:29

Looking good, Cole.
ACW was my first introduction to Wargaming, 50 years ago (ouch!) so I am very interested to see how this one plays out.
Set up to follow you on Facebook.

**HotleadColdfeet** · 10-07-2018 13:31

Originally Posted by Stumptonian

Looking good, Cole.
ACW was my first introduction to Wargaming, 50 years ago (ouch!) so I am very interested to see how this one plays out.
Set up to follow you on Facebook.

Thanks Pete!

What ACW game got you started? Of all the games I own, only 1 of them (Battle Cry) is Civil War themed. I'd be interested to hear of more!

**Stumptonian** · 10-07-2018 13:41

It was this article in The Vancouver Sun: Wargaming
(amazing how easy it was to find it 50 years on)

I had the figures for my 1860s HO scale train layout, so I contacted the man in this article.
They had their own rules which I should still have somewhere in the basement, along with all the figures that haven't seen a table for 40 years.

**Doug** · 10-07-2018 18:30

Looking good. Well done Sir

**Naharaht** · 10-07-2018 20:20

I look forward to seeing the whole film, Cole.

**gully_raker** · 10-07-2018 21:54

Looks intriguing Cole & I will look forward to seeing the completed movie.

**Flying Helmut** · 10-08-2018 05:41

Originally Posted by gully_raker

Looks intriguing Cole & I will look forward to seeing the completed movie.

Ditto!

**Flying Officer Kyte** · 10-08-2018 08:39

Anything ACW has to be worth watching Cole.
I look forward to the rest with interest.
Rob.

**HotleadColdfeet** · 10-08-2018 19:29

Thanks gentlemen!

I'm excited to release the full film in the future!

On a side note, I'm also pleased to be coming back to the Aerodrome! I've been kinda hit-and-miss with my posting over the last couple years, but I am looking forward to being a more active member of this awesome community again.

**HotleadColdfeet** · 11-11-2018 13:39

**Flying Helmut** · 11-11-2018 14:28

<< places order for popcorn...........>>

**Flying Officer Kyte** · 11-11-2018 14:39

Dusts of 15mm ACW armies.
Rob.

**milcoll73** · 11-13-2018 06:09

intriguing.

**HotleadColdfeet** · 11-17-2018 13:30

Hello all! The 2nd trailer is out; the full film goes live on December 15th!

**HotleadColdfeet** · 11-24-2018 17:34

Hi guys! With the film set to release next month, I thought it would be cool to post a bit about some of the film's historical backdrop each week leading up to the release.

This week's topic? The Sharps m1859 rifle

In a day and age dominated by muzzle-loading rifled muskets, the Sharps rifle was a weapon ahead of its time. Where the standard Enfield and Springfield muskets used minié balls and black powder poured down the barrel, the Sharps rifle used cloth cartridges that were loaded from the breach. This revolutionary new development allowed soldiers to reload while prone or behind cover. It also increased the firing rate of a soldier dramatically. Well-trained soldiers with standard muskets could fire about 3 shots per minute. In contrast, according to one source, soldiers with the Sharps rifle could fire a withering 8-10 shots per minute.

Of course, a weapon this good had to have its downsides. For the Sharps rifle, it was the cost. Much more expensive than the standard musket, the Sharps rifle would not see action with the general infantry. Instead, it would be given to an elite force on the battlefield: the 1st and 2nd United States Sharpshooters.

This weapon was ideally suited for the sharpshooters. Somewhat experimental in nature, the 1st and 2nd US Sharpshooters did not adhere to the traditional rank-and-file tactics as closely as their infantry brethren. Often, instead of taking part in line-firing, sharpshooters could be found in concealment taking out high priority targets from a distance. These high priority targets included officers, artillery battery members, and (of course) Confederate sharpshooters.

(Credit for the tin-type effect on the film screenshot goes to Brian Leisberg)

**Stumptonian** · 11-24-2018 23:02

Nice bit of reading for a nightcap, Cole.
Good idea to give us a lead-up to your highly anticipated film.

**HotleadColdfeet** · 11-25-2018 12:24

Thanks Pete!

I’m a history major in college, so I get a kick out of researching stuff like this.

**HotleadColdfeet** · 12-01-2018 09:56

Hello everybody!

For this week’s leadup post to the release of “Remember Me”, we’ll look at some of the specialized gear that made the Berdan sharpshooters so unique.

One thing that immediately stands out about the Berdan sharpshooters is that even though they were Union soldiers, their uniforms were a dark green instead of blue. This visually set them apart from the rank-and-file troops, and also added another benefit: camouflage. The dark green of their uniforms blended in with foliage much better than the standard blue or grey uniforms in the Civil War.

The sharpshooters also were issued leather leggings (to protect their legs against rough terrain and snake bites) and a high-quality calfskin knapsack different from the tarred haversacks most other soldiers wore.

Nonetheless, by mid-to-late war, many of these uniforms and special items began to wear out or get lost. Thus, by the time our film is set, most of the sharpshooters had adopted the standard blue frock coats and haversacks or bedrolls.

One item amongst the sharpshooters’ equipment is ironic because there is nothing special about it, yet many people often think the sharpshooters didn’t have it: a bayonet. It is no secret that the sharpshooters preferred to engage targets from afar; they even threw their bayonets away at one point! But after that happened, the army made sharpshooter unit Captains responsible for ensuring their men kept their bayonets. Any “lost” bayonets were taken directly out of the Captain’s pay from then on out. So, by the time our film is set, each sharpshooter would have definitely carried a bayonet…however uncheerfully.

For more info on early vs late war Berdan uniforms, check out this awesome video by the 2nd US Sharpshooters Company D reenactors:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnf5wTkzwjw

(Credit for the tin-type effect on the film screenshot goes to Brian Leisberg)

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**Naharaht** · 12-04-2018 10:14

It sounds like the Sharpshooters were modelled to some extent on the British Rifle Regiments.

**HotleadColdfeet** · 12-04-2018 18:31

Very interesting, David! What were the British Rifle Regiments like? I’ve never heard of them before!

**Naharaht** · 12-04-2018 21:28

The most famous Rifle Regimant was the 95th Rifles. They were formed during the Napoleonic Wars. They wore dark green uniforms with black facing and crossbelts to act as camouflage. They were equipped with the flintlock, muzzle loading Baker Rifle, which was more accurate than the normal smoothbore musket, although it took longer to load. They also had a sword bayonet. The rifle had a sight and the riflemen were trained to select targets and aim (usually at officers, n.c.o's and enemy skirmishers). They were used as sharpshooters, scouts and skirmishers. They moved in dispersed formation, sometimes in pairs, rather than in a file.

A detachment of the 95th Rifles feature in the t.tyle squad, he was more like a lance corporal. An accurate account of the 95th Rilfes may be found in the book 'Rifles' by Mark Urban.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rifle_...nsort%27s_Own)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rifle_regiment
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baker_rifle

**HotleadColdfeet** · 12-08-2018 15:21

Originally Posted by Naharaht

The most famous Rifle Regimant was the 95th Rifles. They were formed during the Napoleonic Wars. They wore dark green uniforms with black facing and crossbelts to act as camouflage. They were equipped with the flintlock, muzzle loading Baker Rifle, which was more accurate than the normal smoothbore musket, although it took longer to load. They also had a sword bayonet. The rifle had a sight and the riflemen were trained to select targets and aim (usually at officers, n.c.o's and enemy skirmishers). They were used as sharpshooters, scouts and skirmishers. They moved in dispersed formation, sometimes in pairs, rather than in a file.

A detachment of the 95th Rifles feature in the t.tyle squad, he was more like a lance corporal. An accurate account of the 95th Rilfes may be found in the book 'Rifles' by Mark Urban.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rifle_...nsort%27s_Own)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rifle_regiment
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baker_rifle

That is fascinating, David! Thanks for letting me know about this!

For this week's historical backdrop post, we'll look at just exactly how good of a shot you had to be in order to be a member of the US Sharpshooters.

Simply being an above-average shot with the rifle wouldn't cut it. To join the US Sharpshooters, one had to be an AMAZING shot. Just how amazing, you might ask? Perhaps the recruitment call Hiram Berdan (the units' founder) put in the papers says it best: "No man will be accepted...who cannot when firing at a rest at a distance of two hundred yards, put ten consecutive shots into a target the average distance not to exceed five inches from the centre [sic] of the bull's eye to the centre of the ball." (A copy of the paper, as well as a photo of one of the targets after 30 minutes of shooting, can be found attached at the bottom of this post.)

In other words, applicants had to put 10 shots in a row, all within a target the size of a dinner plate, from 600 feet...often with nothing but iron sights. Keep in mind, the standard military tactic of that day was to line masses of soldiers up against one another and have them volley-fire in the general direction of each another to inflict maximum casualties. Imagine for a minute how utterly shocking and demoralizing it would be for Confederate troops to suddenly come under pinpoint-accurate fire from a foe they couldn't even see, and you will begin to see how effective a force of marksmen this good could be.

This will be the last historical post about our film's backdrop, because the full film releases next week!!!

In fact, the full film has already released to our supporters on Patreon today; if you're interested, check out our page: https://www.patreon.com/RookieAce

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**gully_raker** · 12-08-2018 17:04

Originally Posted by Naharaht

The most famous Rifle Regimant was the 95th Rifles. They were formed during the Napoleonic Wars. They wore dark green uniforms with black facing and crossbelts to act as camouflage. They were equipped with the flintlock, muzzle loading Baker Rifle, which was more accurate than the normal smoothbore musket, although it took longer to load. They also had a sword bayonet. The rifle had a sight and the riflemen were trained to select targets and aim (usually at officers, n.c.o's and enemy skirmishers). They were used as sharpshooters, scouts and skirmishers. They moved in dispersed formation, sometimes in pairs, rather than in a file.

A detachment of the 95th Rifles feature in the t.tyle squad, he was more like a lance corporal. An accurate account of the 95th Rilfes may be found in the book 'Rifles' by Mark Urban.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rifle_...nsort%27s_Own)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rifle_regiment
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baker_rifle

I would also mention the book "The Recollections of Rifleman Harris" an autobiography of a soldier in the 95th Rifles who served in the regiment with Wellington in the Peninsular.
I can also recommend the Bernard Cornwall novels about Sharp, a 95th Officer & which were made into a TV series starring Sean Bean.

**fast.git** · 12-08-2018 18:12

Originally Posted by gully_raker

I would also mention the book "The Recollections of Rifleman Harris" an autobiography of a soldier in the 95th Rifles who served in the regiment with Wellington in the Peninsular.
I can also recommend the Bernard Cornwall novels about Sharp, a 95th Officer & which were made into a TV series starring Sean Bean.

+1 to those... especially "Rifleman Harris." Great read.