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ROTC cadets featured in national recruiting DVD
December 08, 2006
Cadets in PLU’s Reserve Officer Training Corps got a taste of the Hollywood star treatment last week when the Army shot scenes for a recruiting DVD on campus.
A crew of more than 60 people, including cameramen, hair and makeup professionals, and art directors, converged on campus to shoot scenes promoting the ROTC program. The scenes featured juniors Amy Forza and Justin King.
Neither cadet had any acting experience. Cadets in select units were interviewed on camera, and Forza and King were chosen because of their personality and how they looked on camera, said Capt. Andy Ecklund.
“It’s stressful,” King said during filming. “Millions of cameras and millions of people are watching.”
The film crew consisted of more than 50 people who converged on campus for two days, shooting in the Morken Center, the ROTC classroom in Memorial Gym and outside of Xavier.
“I’ve never been on camera or had so much attention on me,” Forza said. “It’s opposite from the Army.”
The Army doesn’t coddle its members, Forza explained. But while filming, the crew provided straws for her water bottle, and wrapped her in coats and scarves to keep her warm during an outside shoot in the frigid morning air.
Both Forza and King were interviewed in a studio at Fort Lewis and acted in scripted scenes on campus. King said the interview gave him the opportunity to voice his opinion about why he decided to join ROTC, the benefits of the program and what it’s like to be a cadet on the college campus.
When she was interviewed, Forza said she felt obligated to give the “right” answers because it is a recruiting film. In order to keep the dialogue as natural as possible, answers to interview questions were not scripted. Instead, the director asked probing questions to try to guide Forza and King toward answers that fit with the themes being portrayed in the film, Ecklund said.
“It’s a recruiting tool … it’s good for the program,” Forza said.
Cadets Jacqueline Luii and Melissa Fuller, however, felt the film didn’t show the full picture of life as an ROTC cadet. The film wasn’t capturing the strong camaraderie and sense of humor that keeps the cadets going, Luii said.
“If we weren’t so together with each other, it wouldn’t be worth it,” Luii said.
A typical day in the Memorial Gym classroom is fun and involves lots of laughing, they said. But when the crew filmed scenes in the Memorial Gym classroom, the director told the cadets to be serious, Fuller said.
“It wasn’t at all the way we are,” Fuller said.
The crew also filmed the cadets completing the Army physical fitness test, which is comprised of sit-ups, push-ups and a two-mile run, and only takes place twice a semester. Having the cameras around put pressure on the cadets to push themselves harder and many improved their scores, Luii said.
“People were running in (physical training) belts and posing,” Luii said. “It was pretty different. Everyone was trying to be all Hollywood.”
The PLU Army ROTC program was featured because of its proximity to Fort Lewis, Ecklund said. Due to legal issues, no other PLU students were featured in the film. Actors were hired to play PLU students.
“It’s a win-win because it’s visibility for the school and the ROTC program,” Ecklund said. “Our cadets are on a national program.”
The film will be available on the ROTC Web site early next year. To learn more about PLU’s ROTC program, visit www.plu.edu/~rotc.
Neither cadet had any acting experience. Cadets in select units were interviewed on camera, and Forza and King were chosen because of their personality and how they looked on camera, said Capt. Andy Ecklund.
“It’s stressful,” King said during filming. “Millions of cameras and millions of people are watching.”
The film crew consisted of more than 50 people who converged on campus for two days, shooting in the Morken Center, the ROTC classroom in Memorial Gym and outside of Xavier.
“I’ve never been on camera or had so much attention on me,” Forza said. “It’s opposite from the Army.”
The Army doesn’t coddle its members, Forza explained. But while filming, the crew provided straws for her water bottle, and wrapped her in coats and scarves to keep her warm during an outside shoot in the frigid morning air.
Both Forza and King were interviewed in a studio at Fort Lewis and acted in scripted scenes on campus. King said the interview gave him the opportunity to voice his opinion about why he decided to join ROTC, the benefits of the program and what it’s like to be a cadet on the college campus.
When she was interviewed, Forza said she felt obligated to give the “right” answers because it is a recruiting film. In order to keep the dialogue as natural as possible, answers to interview questions were not scripted. Instead, the director asked probing questions to try to guide Forza and King toward answers that fit with the themes being portrayed in the film, Ecklund said.
“It’s a recruiting tool … it’s good for the program,” Forza said.
Cadets Jacqueline Luii and Melissa Fuller, however, felt the film didn’t show the full picture of life as an ROTC cadet. The film wasn’t capturing the strong camaraderie and sense of humor that keeps the cadets going, Luii said.
“If we weren’t so together with each other, it wouldn’t be worth it,” Luii said.
A typical day in the Memorial Gym classroom is fun and involves lots of laughing, they said. But when the crew filmed scenes in the Memorial Gym classroom, the director told the cadets to be serious, Fuller said.
“It wasn’t at all the way we are,” Fuller said.
The crew also filmed the cadets completing the Army physical fitness test, which is comprised of sit-ups, push-ups and a two-mile run, and only takes place twice a semester. Having the cameras around put pressure on the cadets to push themselves harder and many improved their scores, Luii said.
“People were running in (physical training) belts and posing,” Luii said. “It was pretty different. Everyone was trying to be all Hollywood.”
The PLU Army ROTC program was featured because of its proximity to Fort Lewis, Ecklund said. Due to legal issues, no other PLU students were featured in the film. Actors were hired to play PLU students.
“It’s a win-win because it’s visibility for the school and the ROTC program,” Ecklund said. “Our cadets are on a national program.”
The film will be available on the ROTC Web site early next year. To learn more about PLU’s ROTC program, visit www.plu.edu/~rotc.