Greetings from BRAVO!. We have some really great news to share.
Last year we sold out of DVDs and it took a while to choose the best source for manufacturing a new lot. But we got it done, and are happy to say there are plenty of brand new DVDs in stock. If you’d like one for yourself, or have been planning to gift DVDs to a veteran, friend, relative, or library, they are again available for purchase here.
If you prefer to watch your movies through digital download, BRAVO! is still available on Amazon Prime Video here.
For your friends or family in the UK, BRAVO! is also available here.
And because you’ve had such a positive impact on our passion for exploring large issues through intimate stories, and educating the world about the cost of war to humanity, we invite you to learn more about our current film project, I MARRIED THE WAR. This new documentary, now in post-production, is the story of wives of combat veterans from World War II to the present. As with BRAVO!, it, too, can educate the wider public and has the potential to reach thousands—if not millions—of citizens who can be helped by this story.
We invite you to join the effort with your financial support, and to learn more about this new endeavor here.
Thank you for your continued interest, encouragement, and support of our efforts to foster a dialogue about the lasting costs of war.
Ever wonder about the person and story behind the art? We have been so pleased with the reaction to BRAVO!’s graphic design that we’d like to tell you more about its genesis.
Early on, we realized the message conveyed by our posters, DVD cover, and other items should be created by a professional. We knew we had exceptional elements, but didn’t quite know how to put them together in a way that would impart the heart and soul of these Bravo Company men and their story.
It started with Betty and BRAVO! friend Sheila Robertson visiting the Boise indie theater, The Flicks, and meeting with owner Carole Skinner. Carole took the time to show us many of the posters she keeps on hand, from the old classics to present-day films. From that experience, we knew we preferred a deep, rich, blue background. Sheila suggested using the Marine Corps dress blues…perfect!
We also knew we had a one-of-a-kind photo, provided by Mike McCauley. The faces you see are Steve Wiese’s actual Bravo Company squad. Steve Wiese is on the far right, and Mike McCauley on the far left. Both Steve and Mike are in the film; some of the other fellows, a few of whom are mentioned in BRAVO!, were killed at Khe Sanh.
With concept and photo in mind, we then turned to our friend and Idaho photographer Mike Shipman, http://www.mikeshipman.com/#!/index. Mike took our ideas and added his own to produce the final piece. He photographed Gary Sullivan’s Marine Corps dress blues to use as the background, and Ken’s Purple Heart medal and Vietnam service ribbon for the other elements in the composition. Mike photographed Gary Sullivan in his dress blues at Gary’s place of business, Quinn’s Restaurant and Lounge in Boise. (Quinn’s is well known for its lively USMC Birthday Party every year on November 10.) The other elements were photographed and composited at Mike’s home studio in Nampa, Idaho.
We couldn’t have been more pleased with the end result. Once again, as has happened since the beginning, we put a collaborative effort into the hands of a true professional, and it paid off.
A full-time photographer with a degree in wildlife biology, Mike Shipman has made a big impact in the photography world here in Idaho and beyond. His work is commissioned by a fascinating variety of businesses, he travels around the globe to places like Zanzibar and Uruguay to photograph and experience the culture, and he teaches workshops around the U.S. from Maine to San Francisco and locally here in the Boise area. He lists his workshop services at http://www.blueplanetphoto.com/#axzz2qKfGp5g4.
Ken and Betty participated in a special workshop with Mike this last May. We traipsed up to the south fork of the Payette River and learned about long exposures. Standing alongside the flowing river, Mike taught us to relax, to settle into the environment and begin looking at detail. “What subject draws your eye? What is it about the subject that draws your eye? What detail can you single out to photograph?” We began to see the way the water slipped around and over individual rocks and boulders, we saw how the color changed, and we saw textures and patterns. Then Mike taught us about composition and balancing “film” speed, shutter speed and lens openings to capture what we observed and felt. It was a remarkable day.
Mike is also an accomplished writer, as you will note on his website and newsletter. We were honored to feature his Bravo! blog in 2012 at this link: https://bravotheproject.com/2012/05/07/bravo-2/.
We were fortunate to meet Mike when we first moved to Boise, and have benefitted from his teaching, mentoring, and friendship ever since. We are very proud that he is a significant player in the BRAVO! you see today.
DVDs of BRAVO! are now for sale with a limited-time special offer at http://bit.ly/18Pgxe5.
News from Lloyd Scudder’s son, Jason, via BRAVO! Marine Ron Rees on the services for BRAVO! Marine, Lloyd Scudder who passed away on 8-19-2013.
There will be a viewing starting today, Aug 22nd at 1300 hours through Friday, August 23rd (ending time undetermined ) at: WAUD’S FUNERAL HOME located at : 1414 3rd St, Tillamook, Oregon.
Memorial service will be held on August 31st at 1300 Hours.
Location:
First Christian Church 2203 4th St. Tillamook, OR, 97141
Note: Family requests NO FLOWERS
Donations may be made to:
Pat Scudder 17775 Wilson River Hwy. Tillamook, OR, 97141
