DISQUS

Laura · 3 years ago

So far it looks good but got cut of 1/3 of the way through. I can not wait to see this!!!!

Missy · 3 years ago

I clicked and heard a sound that shut down almost immediately.

Linda · 3 years ago

I'm looking forward to seeing the film, but I see nothing of the trailer. :-(

Tim Peierls · 3 years ago

Editing glitch a little over halfway through: The title image doesn't extend all the way to the right, and you can see through to the clip associated with the voiceover.

Penny · 3 years ago

Sorry - what I saw made absolutely no sense. I saw all of it.
It looks like you inserted a bunch horrible images together into some dialogue where people are uncomfortable speaking from a script. This is a big story - don't F*** it up.

Molly Rothenberg · 3 years ago

Dear Jim and the rest of the fabulous team. The trailer is powerful, unsettling, gripping, and absolutely heartbreaking.

I did find that I was a bit confused in a couple of places about who was who. The woman who says that "he wouldn't have gone if he'd known he'd be shot at," the man who says, "suicide missions," and the scene in the cemetery: I'm assuming that the people referenced are civilians working for contractors--true? Or are they soldiers? You give a title for the first speaker, but not the rest. Maybe consider letting us know who they are and their jobs in Iraq?

Of course, the trailer is so mindblowing that anyone who sees even a few seconds of it is going to want to view the film, even if some of the trailer is a bit confusing.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.
Molly

Guthrie · 3 years ago

This is so important -- People need to see this.

Even the trailer is powerful.

Joan · 3 years ago

All I got was words - nothing else - then blackness.

However, I would be glsd to edit your prose - gratis. I was Copy Editor and Graphics Chief for 35 years for our international accounts. Some people are not bothered by editing errors, but some people definitely are. ("effect" is a noun - I believe you meant "affect" the verb) This can mean a difference when you are raising funds from the public.
Good luck.

Allison Mackie · 3 years ago

Before cutting into Janice Karpinski's question "Can the Secretary of Defense, can the Vice President, can this Administration take the military to war to feed the greed of contractors?" I think you have to pose the question WHO REALLY PROFITS FROM THE WAR IN IRAQ?

Alan · 3 years ago

Sound came through OK, no pictures. One little grammatical nit in the announcement of the trailer: "The people that you see in this trailer have all been affected by...."

Deb · 3 years ago

The trailer did not download all at once but in intervals. What I saw and heard was very choppy. So, I could not tell. Thanks for the chance though. Perhaps another kind of media display is merited?

Shakeel Syed · 3 years ago

Looks superb. The only characters shown in the trailer were Whites. I'm sure Robert included other ethnic perspectives as well in the full version. I've full faith in Robert's integrity. Can't wait to show it to the world.

Our prayers and thoughts are always with the entire team of BraveNew Films.

Shakeel.

Jane Werner · 3 years ago

Very intriguing and poignant.

Allan Feldt · 3 years ago

The trailer was enticing, but kind of chopped up. I'd like to know who these people are in terms of Iraq. Man on the street? Vet? Contrqactor, Bush supporter?, Butchedr, Baker etc?

Looking forward to the film. Keep up the good work.

Zach · 3 years ago

There was sound but no picture. Please fix this!

glenn javaheri · 3 years ago

Right at the end after that little "kachunk" sound instead of the fading strings denoument, maybe go with a triple snare hit (military smacks a bit of D&C;) into a really high quality reverb and let that ring/fade. Like the very very end of Peter Gabriel's "Biko" off his "Security" album. Short and sweet but evocative/haunting.

Leslie in CA · 3 years ago

I was able to view the whole thing - it's rough, needs work, but is still compelling. It needs a better narrative arc, and parts of it are unclear, as Molly says.

Re: the editing glitch Tim describes, I wasn't sure if the title image was actually supposed to be onscreen at that point or not - it seemed an illogical place to include it.

But a good rough cut overall, and made me want to see more.

John A Heins · 3 years ago

BLOOD MONEY for War Profiteering.
Be sure to show the connection between the Bush administration and Halliburton, Inc. The wanton waste of $Billions and unaccounted funds that disappeared under IRC and Paul Bremer's watch. If the American public does not respond to these charges and demand accountability, they are more ignorant than previously imagined.
These rip-offs in combination with the tax give-a-ways to Bush's rich supporters have put an unnecessary strain on our Treasury and caused us to borrow heavily from the Chinese and Japanese. By the end of this illegal war, we will not have a country, let alone an economy.

marta · 3 years ago

thank you for doing this, jim. unfortunately, i only received the audio with no video.
would love to see it!
m cou-orelup

David · 3 years ago

The opening is excellent & runs okay until the sequence on luxury cars ... I would eliminate from here until the "five-star motel" frame. (Shortening a tiny bit won't hurt.) The woman who says "shot at" is hard to hear at that point. I would strongly recommend identifying the people or at least their roles. (Also, the word in the paragraph above the video should be "affected" [as influenced] and not "effected" [which means caused]).

Robert · 3 years ago

Looks great in general. I'm sure it will be a winner. But it was a little confusing whether some of the people were contractors or former soldiers.

Jack · 3 years ago

I agree that the people need to be identified, maybe not by name, but by job and who they worked for. It is definitely powerful, and will make and impact on the American public.

Grant · 3 years ago

IF there were any glitches in the trailer before, they seem to have been fixed now. I agree with the idea of posing a simple question to set up what follows. I think that the appropriate question is, "Why did we go to war in Iraq?". Your footage makes it seem very unlikely that we went to free Iraqis from tyranny. Instead, it seems that we went to free oil from Iraqis, or perhaps even to free oil for tyrants.

Charlie in CT · 3 years ago

I was able to view the entire trailer, perhaps because I was using a fast connection (I would not attempt it using a modem).

One suggestion is that having General Janice Karpinski against a blank wall is a very powerful image... I like it, except the three wall outlets distract from that. If those three wall outlets could be rubbed out, that would be an improvement.

Whoever the single man is sitting on the couch becomes an emotionally provocative figure when you introduce the boy sitting next to him (towards the end of the trailer). That subtle change, going from him by himself to having the boy next to him, slaps you across the face with the very real possibility that the boy's mother/man's wife might have been killed in Iraq.

Jonathan Smolens · 3 years ago

Great! I cann't wait to see it!!

Glen · 3 years ago

The trailer seems to make two points: (1) Contractors & their employees were being paid more and had better lives in Iraq than US military personnel; (2) Contractors' employees were put in harm's way and some were killed. But are these enough to get people riled up and angry about the conduct of the US Gov't and its contractors with respect to the war? For (1), can't someone just say "sure, of course you have to pay well to get people to go over there voluntarily; soldiers go cheaper because they have to." And about (2): "Of course it was dangerous to work over there. The employees knew the risks in advance. Nobody in their right mind could have thought it was safe work. At least they, unlike the soldiers, had a choice." I thought we might see more evidence of real wrongdoing on the part of the companies, for example, money siphoned off for purposes that had little or nothing to do with the war, not really delivering on their contracts but still charging the government, etc. One guy speaking in the trailer does talk about "scamming the government" but he doesn't come across as the most reliable kind of guy, and there are no specifics at all. Similarly another guy talks about "cutting corners", but one example might be more attention grabbing. I was thinking of someone saying things along the lines of "We were supposed to build 3 schools. Only one was finished, but we still billed $200 million." Or "we were supposed to be using reinforced concrete. You know what we poured in there? 95% sand." Or whatever. If there are such troubling specific facts in the movie, putting one or two in the trailer might be a lot more powerful than a lot of guys saying "oh it was terrible" without any examples. I guess there are examples about the kind of expenses the contractors had, like the fancy vehicles and putting people up in nice hotels, but they just don't seem too out of the ordinary for private companies to me, they just don't rise to the level of unethical behavior to take advantage of government spending on the war that I would call "profiteering." Executives driving $50K cars is commonplace here in the US, it just doesn't sound so bad to be happening in Iraq.

Here's hoping the contents of the film are more damning...

Erik Gibbons · 3 years ago

Looks very good thus far. So powerful, so shameful, so sad. I can't wait to see the finished product and hope to get my friends and family to view it too.

Hal · 3 years ago

Suggest you open with the comment about independent contractors making 25,000 a month while soldiers are making far less..that and a few other similar comments should be a cold opening before opening credits.

Know this is only a rough cut but your sound needs equalizing..ill's difficult to understand some of the tracks

Good luck

CJ · 3 years ago

Unclear, who are these people?

Priscilla · 3 years ago

Trailer not working properly - I saw only part of it. I hope there will be details in the film - and I hope we will be told who these people are, who they work for, and what is General Karpinski's role in this film? This is so important! Please get it right!

casey · 3 years ago

to see the trailer. pause it... let it load fully (the bar's dark part below the screen). then play. as far as i can tell the end cuts off though.

i thought the trailer was 'okay'... not super great. i thought cover-up was first class... this looks a little less promising. i hope the caliber of people interviewed are convincing and relivant. the trailer isn't bad but is not compelling enough and moves very slooooow.

Deb · 3 years ago

This is what I did to see and hear most of this trailer. I am on dial up service, so I just minimized it and let it play choppy. When it was approximately 90% finished; I hit play again and watched it.
It looks great.I agree with Molly, we do need to know who is speaking.
I do hope it contains more information than we already know. Most of this has been shown before as guests on Democracy Now.
So farit looks good.

John Keim · 3 years ago

I just want say, Robert Greenwald, you are a genius. If this film doesn't wake up the American people, then our country is doomed for sure. It is absolutely horrifying what our Gov't. is doing in Iraq. I have been telling everyone I know about this movie. I can't wait to see it. I would like to know how many of the civilian contract workers that you interviewed on this trailer actually voted for Bush. It just goes to show how powerful money is. It can corrupt the human mind quicker then anything on the face of the earth. Once again Mr. Greenwald, I want to thank you and everyone that helped you put together this film.

Lucius · 3 years ago

Woa. Gripping. On target. I knew there was waste and death, but this begins to bring it home. All I can say is, nail these bastards.

Tanguy Monbrison · 3 years ago

Hi,

I've tried to watch this for 30 mn...Could you please offer a choice of different downloads so that everybody got a pick?
Sandrine is laughing at me because it is yet another victory of man vs the machine.Help!!!!!!
Tanguy

jgilliam · 3 years ago

This is great feedback... thanks everyone. Our hope in getting this to you first would give us feedback so we could make it better. Editing time was crunched to meet a deadline (we're showing this at the Yearly Kos convention tomorrow night)... but we will re-attack it before pushing it to a wide audience, and definitely before sending it to theaters for promotion.

One note: we deliberately left out everyone's ID (except Karpinsky, who is well known) so as to provide some level of protection for them this early in the process. We didn't want to make it particularly easy for the bad guys to track them down.

Brian Paulsen · 3 years ago

Sound - no picture. I've had this problem with the trailers before from you.

Make sure that you document how the Bushies put 25 year old kids in charge of the 'rebuilding effort'. These were kids that had worked on the Bush re-election campaign and given high paying jobs and yet had zero experience. The best thing people can do is vote for Democrats in the mid-terms and get control of the House or Senate so we can get on with Impeaching Bush and the rest of these criminals. Also, when are the Bush twins going to sign up for service? If daddy thinks this is such a 'noble' cause then he ought to put his kids at risk.

Deb S · 3 years ago

Sorry - can't see or hear anything.

jgilliam · 3 years ago

For the people having problems seeing it... can you try watching the older trailer on youtube, and tell me if that works for you? it'll help me figure out what's going on.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=RvQojxtOe8Q

Matthew · 3 years ago

It ran fine on my XP machine with FireFox. Great bit, thank you for posting it. I'm looking forward to the finished film. Keep up the great work, all.

Alex · 3 years ago

Overall very compelling. It would help to identify some of the people speaking in the trailer; also think about displaying the numbers of soliders and contractors killed, and the amount of money spent to graphically illustrate the price we are paying.

Also try to make the connection with Halliburton and Dick Cheney, if not in the trailer then definitely in the movie.

Keep up the great work!

Philip Stephens · 3 years ago

I watched it twice, before and after reading 20 comments above from fellow users. People make a lot of good points. Here's mine:
* cut the "iraq for sale" tank promo from around the middle of the clip. One, it's not lined up (as mentioned), and two it's not needed -- it distracts from the central narrative.
*speaking of central narratives, although the loss of life to all people there is unacceptable, how can we at once vilify the contracting corporations and then weep for those who got paid $25,000 a month to take the risk to go there? This story is about where the margins end up, not how much Joe Schmoe and his wife made driving a truck. As far as their salaries go, hell, that's a positive thing in this f'ed up situation.
*There are far too many shots of semi trucks and trailers. That's not a story. Those shots mean nothing, when you can't see the cargo. Focus on all those GMC Suburbans -- is that how American car companies make up for losses domestically?
*How is this war sustainable for the national economy? (ok, it's not, the question is to be posed). Many people will turn around and say that American business people and workers are being supported by the war-time production. But if the money comes out of the Treasury, how does the country gain on the whole? (it doesn't)

Anyway, I hope this movie comes off smart, and not just a reactionary diatribe against all that is evil in war. Many, many people have written about the military-industrial-complex; I hope that your writing and production can reflect some of the intelligence publicly available on this topic.
Finally, regarding your next film, why don't you investigate how professional pollsters are 'just somehow less accurate' in their predictions these day; i.e., BlackBoxVoting.org
The thievery of the elections in FL and Ohio are the biggest stories of this generation. But to bring it up you risk your life. Is the Bush family a crime family? I want to know.

Eadgyth Smythe · 3 years ago

The argument/storyline gets lost in multiple, repetitive comments from unknown people. Seems way to long. Lacks "punch." Does the movie actually document war profiteering? Reaping profits on the backs of ordinary American taxpayes and not delivering what they contract for? The trailer needs to drive this home?

Diane Jacoby · 3 years ago

Suggestions: Change 1st couple of clips. We want to get the attention of more than the choir, and the time is ripe to do so. Perhaps the text "From the team..." etc. could begin after a couple of powerful clips. It's the ordinary people that will sell the film - a clip of the most compelling - perhaps with a closeup. Also, I don't think you should begin with Janis Karpinski. I appreciate that she has been speaking out, but she is not the person who will pull people in and may, in fact, alienate a bit. Thanks for all you do. This film will be an important educational vehicle to bring the truth of this disgraceful war to the public.

David · 3 years ago

Firstly, thanks very much to Robert Greenwald and Brave New Films for telling this important story and asking for input. However...one inherent problem with this level of feedback is that this particular audience already buys in to the premise of the story. For that reason, I think Glen's critique is spot on, because it will make the trailer accessible to a much wider audience. Two suggestions: If you can't identify the people by name - perhaps identify by affiliation; and don't juxtapose the relatively high pay of contract workers with the fact that they are in a dangerous environment. I think the trailer will be more effective if the focus is upon the dangerous environment and the particular ways by which Halliburton et al. profit from the chaos.

Jerry Destremps · 3 years ago

That's probably one of the least effective trailers I've ever seen. You need a lot more MEAT and POTATOES in the trailer. You need pictures of halliburtion documents about trucks being bought and then burned, overcharging for gasoline, DOCUMENTS and LOTS of dirt. You showed the soldiers on the cots, I could have sworn the next shot was going to be a shot of the cushy rooms in the five star hotel where the contractors were. Very poorly done I must say. Very ineffective.

Samira Al-Qazzaz · 3 years ago

Sad, real sad. Iraq is my native country and to see how exploitative and destructive the U.S. invasion and occupation have been really angers me. We are making Saddam Hussein look good and benevolant. At least Saddam kept the terror and destruction under control.

Samira

Kevin Dunn · 3 years ago

Trailer is very poweful. Can't wait to see the finished film. Just one thought-does the film compare/contrast this war w/the way other wars have been conducted in the past?
Any historical context? Just curious.

Ronald Carlson · 3 years ago

The trailer is fine-since many of these comments are from people who don't appear to be able to follow simple directions I would disregard most of the comments relating to things not making sense, not working, sound only, etc. I think it looks good, I hope there will be more people who sound a little more educated. I understand that war unfairly effects those on the lower end of the socioeconomic scale, but I think it might make a stronger statement if there were a larger cross section. Good work to all involved. I'm proud to be a (small) part of this.

Richard Jenkins · 3 years ago

No trouble viewing the trailer.

I have similar comments about "punch". The trailer seemed to be too much all over the place to be effective (notice affect/effect too!). I think offering specifics is what will sell the film - not just warmed over generalized accusations.

I also suggest not using General Karpinski as the lead-in. While she is somewhat well known, she is also viewed as someone with an ax to grind with the war (since she was relieved of her command) and she may even be viewed as an incompetent General (since she was relieved of her command). Neither of her reputations supports nor enhances the power of your point. Surely there exists someone out there with more gravitas and respect than her who can open the trailer with more punch and credibility. To my mind, this is very important, as it sets the tone of the trailer. For the trailer to begin on a whiny note, instead of an authoritative one, discounts the power of the trailer, and with it the power of the film.

My final comment is that the interviewees should be labeled somehow. It would be good to know who these people are and who they work(ed) for. That way the audience will understand better their point of view.

Overall, good trailer. Just needs more punch to avoid preaching only to the faithful.

Richard Jenkins

Rita · 3 years ago

I'm standing back and trying to critique this as a disinterested person--someone who knows nothing about the topic and just happens on the trailer. Will it catch and hold my interest? What kind of questions will this lead me to ask as I view it? Do I care about the individuals portrayed? Or do I start to think how could anyone be so naive to think they could work in a war zone for $25K a month and not be in harm's way? I begin to think what kind of person would do this for that kind of money. Will I care about them, or will I think they enabled the war profiteers?

Was there anyone interviewed who admitted they were greedy when they took the job offer and then, later, ashamed about what they did? That smacks of truth: taking the blame and admitting they were used willingly.

The trailer is too long---rather what you have is repetitive. It appears to only present the opinions of the employees and their families adversely effected. Were there workers who came back happy and satisfied? I wonder why these people wanted to work there in the first place. Was it the lure of big money? From the trailer, my guess is that it was. My sympathy goes down. What contracts did they sign? Do you have any contracts? Do you have any documentation about the lies alluded to in your trailer? Most individuals are aware that companies and government lie to recruit, but are the lies big enough, or do they tap into simple human greed? If so, then the workers enable the companies. They were bought; the price had to be high enough.

Interviews from company reps (even anonymous) about contracts, promises, or actual company policies could add to the interviewees' credibility. What about the recruiting efforts and job fairs that nab the workers? Have you interviewed any of the vendors who might be able to shed light on this from a side other than the workers?

Also, what about the military personnel, who when they leave the service, join as mercenaries and other contractors because they make more money?

Are the contractors 'scamming the government'? Really? IF there is a scam, find the documented details to support this puffery. Rather, it looks to be a mutually beneficial relationship. Executives drive big cars. That is not news. Big companies do lie to us. That is not news. Actual costs, statistics, documentation, and credible sources from the companies/government should back up (reference) statements made by employees and relatives affected.

I need to have my emotions supported by evidence to be outraged.

John · 3 years ago

I have to keep reminding myself that this is a trailer and not the real thing. But having said it would be helpful if there were questions posed prior to some of the comments by the civilians, it might also be useful to indicate who these people are that are talking - for example what role did they play in Iraq? I read through most of the comments that preceed mine and I think that they have pretty much covered the issues. This is a powerful story that needs to be told, it would help if you could provide some idea of the magnitude of the dollars at stake here. I don't mean just the contract values but rather the profits that are being made. Just who is getting rich off the war in Iraq? I suspect that we may learn that in this year and a half of escalating oil prices we may discover that our anger at the oil companies for their enormous profits, while justified pales in comparison to the profits made by the many contractors profiting on the War in Iraq.

se ip · 3 years ago

Hello,
The story is very powerful, however this trailer is too weak. The people who subscribe to your list will see the movie no matter what but you need to find people who are on the fence and bring them into the movies. This trailer will not do. We all know there is big waste over there, waste of lives, waste of money , waste of environment and waste of credibility. Expose that. Talk to more military people and families of people who were killed. And find documents... It is not easy to be Greenwald...
Best
Se

Sarah Roche-Mahdi · 3 years ago

could not get it to run in either format. very frustrated.

Marshall · 3 years ago

Walmart and Outfoxed were powerful films, in part, because the subjects were clearly and forcefully identified. I don't see this happening in the trailer. Who are these contractors? Where do they do business? Who are the CEOs? What connections do they have with the government? As generally noted in the comments so far, the subjects in the trailer lack compelling credibility.

As se ip noted, "It is not easy to be Greenwald."

Gust · 3 years ago

Saw the whole clip. VERY disappointing.
There's no one more anti-Bush or anti-war than me but this clip left me yawning....yeah, so what?

Where's the beef?

Kathleen · 3 years ago

Karpinski is credible. The people who blamed her for Abu Ghraib are not. She is very brave to speak about what this Adminstration did in Iraq and about the contractors in the prisons and the illegal acts there.
Trailers don't tell the whole story they are the tip of the iceberg. Thanks for creating this film and all the others and I'm glad I'm was able to contribute $ to help make it.

Gyatri Devi · 3 years ago

The film (and trailer) should do three things:
1) show the rhetoric on the purpose(s) for going to war, i.e. weapons of mass destruction, ruthless leaders, whatever, etc. just a minute or two of clips;
2) show the numbers & living conditions, & numbers of dead and maimed of the us troops(and the citizens of Iraq) to accomplish the purpose(s) i.e. footage of operating rooms, body bags & destroyed villages and families
3) details on whether the purpose is accomplished; who got contracts, how fast they got them and how long they will last, the purpose of the contracts & has it been done, what are contractors' connections to the current administration, & what are their profits.

Maybe make this a report card on the administration's promises...

Intersperse the opinions of the interviewees; don't make them the point of the film. Use them to underscore the biggest and ugliest horror of war - "dirty" profits from invasion, unlawful occupation and usury of another people. The little guys are just trying to survive happily amongst the big guys who are fighting for greed and power. The poor and powerless do not deserve abuse. But we have not really come to their aid in many parts of the globe, including at home. The dedication on the Statue of Liberty has been whistling in the wind for decades...how did it go?

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me:
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.


That's the kind of film that would make me mad - I think of what it would be like in reverse, if Iraq could, and decided to do it to the US. Think about it. (And they could pretty much use the same reasoning(?)we did.) Would we stand for it? I DON'T THINK SO!

jgilliam · 3 years ago

Robert's on the road right now, so he is going to read and respond to the comments later tonight, hopefully.

A question though... a lot of comments have focused on the lack of hard evidence, material. This too is something we've left out on purpose at this stage in the game. We don't want to reveal what we've got, right?

So I'm wondering whether this might be a fundamental problem with what we're trying to do with this. Are we caught somewhere between a "teaser" (where almost nothing is revealed, and it's obvious cause there's no real footage) and a "trailer" that comes out closer to the release date(where the risk is in revealing too much in an effort to get people to see it)?

Keep it coming.

Sammy Fratto · 3 years ago

I have cable internet, so I had no difficulty with either the sound or the image. I think this is a very powerful trailer. I assume the questions others raised will be answered in the full-lenght movie.

As with the other Greenwald movies, this is blatantly truthful, giving blame or credit where due. Thank all of you for this great work.

David L. Chapman · 3 years ago

1) The trailer works fine. Some folks may not be configured correctly, or have the computing horsepower that, frankly, is demanded by streaming audio/video.

2) I agree with others who have said that we need more than just a string of personal opinions. We need some cold hard facts, punched out, put into perspective, with the personal testimonies used as support. Charts, graphs or simple tables giving figures and listing the names of these profiteers could be used with tremendous impact.

3) I know that "Hijacking Catstrophe" was not your film, but that was an EXCELLENT film for setting up a premise. Julian Bond did the narration for that documentary that smartly knitted together all the voices that gave support to the central thesis: "Neocons planned the war." Will your new film contain such narration? Will the thesis be clearly spelled out?

All in all, I am GREATLY anticipating your finished product. Keep up the good work!

Doug Cobb · 3 years ago

The real problem is our government is owned lock stock & barrel by big corporations of all kinds Government by the people for the people ? Pooh!!!not here not anymore we have sold our rights and given away our jobs to these 3rd world economies to satisfy the likes of WAL-MART Someone was making a comment about Spain once they said see all the armed military walking around with automatic weapons?, Well they are not here to protect the people , what they are here for is to protect the Government from the people , Well Welcome to America!!!!!!!!

Jake C. · 3 years ago

I agree with many of the other comments that the video has the potential to be very powerful but is held back by a few problems:

1) It is unclear who is talking and sometimes what their message is. Although first person interviews are powerful, a good narrator might bring some clarity to the cacophony of images.

2) General Karpinski was the fall guy (girl, rather) for the Abu Ghraib abuse, most people on this forum probably realize that, but John Q. Public might consider her the one to blame for the whole thing. So, making her the lead spokesman in the video might do the film more damage then good. I hope this is addressed in the actual film, but for the trailer, how about using her voice anonymously?

3) To me, although it is a scandal that soldiers make a small fraction of what civilians do in Iraq, the really big scandal is the influence that these corporate interests have in sending us to war in the first place and running it in such a way as to prolong it. There is a lot more to the connection between the War and this issue than Cheney's Halliburton role. Most intelligent people know of the connection between the military-industrial complex and why America goes to wars. The windfall for these firms in terms of bid-free contracts and overpriced services is yet another more powerful aspect. These are the "shocking" facts that should be brought to light for Joe Sixpack, not the fact that soldiers’ salaries are low, which is the impression given by the trailer.

As someone else put it a little more bluntly, this is a huge story, let's not mess it up. Even if it has to wait another month to come out, let's make it count. There's still time before the midterm elections to put this country back on course.

Also, as mentioned elsewhere, please consider including a clip of Eisenhower's farewell address about the military-industrial complex and its role in our government. THAT is the root of this scandal... probably this war.

peace,
jc

(a donor to the film)

sylvia morrison · 3 years ago

No one loathes the war more than I, but to make meaningful one of the most loathsome parts of it, you must show the connection between the Bush Administration, the wasteful sacrifice of life and the profits made by the businessmen who are supporting the war's continuation. What you have is nasty, but the point I believe you are trying to make--that the war has been exploited for profit paid for by the patriotism and courage of our brave, loyal, but ignorant young people.--is missing from this trailer. I hope you're planning to work it in. SM

Linda · 3 years ago

The quote by the woman who says: "if he'd a known they were gonna shoot at em, he wouldn'da gone" should be cut. Even someone as rabidly against the war and everything it stands for as I am (and as for our soldiers as much as anyone could be) would ask: "then why the hell did he sign up -- did he think he was going to a tea party?" None of them planned on Iraq -- that's for damned sure. But that quote is just too naive to stand any scrutiny, and it encourages a "come on, lady," which I know is not the response you are going for. Any crossover potential is lost right there. (Or maybe the crossovers aren't watching, anyway. But perhaps increasingly...

Ian Wallach · 3 years ago

It looks great, but I hope you have someone on the inside at Haliburton, or have gotten the contracts vis-a-vis a FOIA request -- call me 310.574.1020 if you need to know how to do this or need AP contacts who likely have already. R -- see you on beach.

jim · 3 years ago

A trailer is supposed to create questions in the mind of your audience, not answer them. The audience of a trailer should be left with so many unanswered questions that they are compelled to see the movie. I think a lot of the responses you are getting here are people who want the questions answered, and they are asking you to provide these answers in the trailer. Because they are asking for the whole story, then that is an indication that you are doing your job with the trailer. DO NOT respond to this criticism by answering the questions raised in the trailer. A trailer is not supposed to have a beginning, a middle and a resolution. A trailer is supposed to be a titillating tease which ends with a question mark. Go for it. You're doing fine.

barbara cummings · 3 years ago

Janis Karpinski is not the most compelling person for the role she has in this clip as spokesperson. Col Karen Kwiatowski or Col Ann Wright might be better choices. How about one or more of the Halliburton whistle blowers if possible? We understand the subtleties and nuances but the average viewer will be lost unless it is tied todether more. I'm sure this will be a smash and I can't wait to host a party! Thank you thank you thank you

A.J. Weldon · 3 years ago

A sound track that may work well with this project: "Bring Them Home (If You Love Your Uncle Sam)" from the CD - Seeds: The Songs of Pete Seeger, Volume 3 (Track 2). Pete Seeger is joined in this new version of his Vietnam era song with Billy Bragg, Ani DiFranco and Steve Earle. It's worth a listen!!!

Bill Walker · 3 years ago

The trailer worked just fine. What I saw was half dozen people all saying the same thing. " the contractors are making out like bandits." What I am interested in is who the contractors are, how they got their contracts, for how much to do what and are/have they delivered.

D. · 3 years ago

This is a “draft” of trailer, as it were, not the documentary itself, but at least a hint of what more awaits viewers when they see that would help sell it.

What I found missing was much of anything besides assertions and laments of individuals, compelling and poignant as they were. There was almost nothing of the "who, what, where, when, why and how" that adds depth and credibility to an account. No facts and figures. No names. No lists of contractors; the initial and additional amounts of their contracts; the estimated profits of contracts, not only provided in them but the additional profit squeezed out by shortchanging, profligacy, fraud and other abuse.

The message perhaps best could be conveyed in a few, representative contract/ contractor “case studies” backed up by specific examples, some as reported by individual witnesses and others by documentary evidence. And, at the end, aggregate everything to show the overall dimensions of this.

You should have a mix of first person accounts and narrated history, context, and, if not easily drawn by viewers on their own, conclusions and broader implications.

You would be well to contemplate what the response might be from those accused; commentators and media sympathetic to them; hostile viewers etc and work backwards. That is, anticipate every conceivable objection to anything in content or style; address these; and counter them before they can even be raised. For example, early on and later, acknowledge and address the "fog of war," chaotic and hostile conditions, time pressures, etc, for if you don't, that omission is sure to be thrown back at you.

Finally, avoid making this an anti-Iraq war polemic. Make it an exposé on breathtaking corporate greed; stunning indifference to the effects of it on others; the stark contrast in the circumstances of contractors and troops; the incestuous ties of contractors and government officials; and the government’s culpability. In the context of it, this all will conflate with the war itself in the minds of viewers easily enough. And make it harder to dismiss it as “merely” an anti-war polemic.

Irene Nevil · 3 years ago

What I saw looked wonderful, but the sound hiccoughed and came in & out throughout most of the piece.

Dave Northup · 3 years ago

The trailer plays fine.

It should leave unanswered questions to compell someone to watch it - I think alluding to some of those specific questions would help.

I think a technique used in Outfoxed would be useful - have visual statistics over the people talking.

For example a graphic stating contractor's monthly pay and then puting up soldiers monthly pay while the person is describing the inequalities of the hotels vs cots. A little more powerful. As it is now the audio is compelling but the video of the interviews does not draw you in. Use more graphics at least for the trailer. Grab my attention.

People have short attention spans - give them easy graphics with compelling voices over them - that will spark curiosity.

I understand the reluctance in naming the individual speakers until the end and think just a title would suffice in the final product - 'former contractor' or 'former soldier'.

Also RE the 'company cars' (which I agree is very wasteful) I do not think that is very compelling to convince someone to watch - simple google searches come up with more incriminating and horrific examples of waste - I'll assume you are holding your hand until it is time to play all of your cards - either that or people are tight lipped.

Good luck and continue to show people what is going on behind the scenes in this country.

Vickie · 3 years ago

A lot of different people who were not identified as contractors or whatever....I agree with Molly and Glen. Needs to be tightened up. The woman who said "he wouldn't have gone if he'd known he'd be shot at," really confused me. She must have been talking about a contractor but that is not clear.

Jan · 3 years ago

The 2 lengthy comments just above this posted by Dave Northrop and D are right on target. I agree wholeheartedly with the ideas and criticism of both. The trailer could be more gripping and specific. And being prepared for every imaginable attack is the smart thing to do. The video played beautifully.

jan · 3 years ago

I'm thinking the TRAILER should be more of the TEASERsound of the helicopter WHUP WHUP while your eye sees the tanks, troops & "shock and awe" BOOM BOOM BOOM: pulse rate spirals, the patriotic soul responds... our massive military might, seduces ..a must see movie...

jan · 3 years ago

(Sorry posted too soon) You then have a larger audience base, the war committed. Dollars packed into suitcases a visual that resonates. So I guess I'm saying, bring them in first then give more of the human interest. Somewhere make crystal clear that business interests were nailed down before the war even started. (2)Tell us about the proposed sell off of Iraq industries to corporations.. most of us really don't know that..(3) Most sinister the financial gain of members of the administration & how they positioned themselves to many millions... I agree with many commenters above, be triple prepared to back up any info. Thank you for taking this on..

jan · 3 years ago

Amazing 2 jan's at the same time...Hello Jan, I'm a jan living in Canada (the last 2 posts were mine and the previous one was your own , Jan.) Hi, I'm glad we both felt strongly enough to contribute to the film.. Best of luck ,jan

Mike · 3 years ago

There's some good things here - Janice Karpinksy is a bit of a coup, the guy at the end 'there's no limit to their thirst for money'; but it is not clear to me who the 'contrators' are - is it only about private military forces? What about the mainstream compnaies - I got very little sense of the Halliburtons etc presence in all this.

p. · 3 years ago

wow...all these suggestions and long drawn out wordy comments from people who are pretty sure that they somehow qualify for being professionals in the movie industry ... all of you, stop talking now, let the man do his work, get your heads out of the clouds and shut up long enough to realize how ridiculous you all sound, especially the woman who offered to edit his work ... but couldn't spell the word "glad" ... i don't think your 30 plus years as an editor have helped much ... i have an MA too sister ... but i know enough to shut up and let the man do his work....and all you might really consider doing the same...you all sound like a whiney bunch a know it alls.

enough.
watch, learn and listen...unless you've been there...then relaxe.

Patrick Kerber · 3 years ago

Based on your post about not revealing too much now and that this is not the finished trailer, I believe you are well on the way to producing an outstanding film. Hang in there and don't be in a big hurry to finish it! Looking forward to seeing the finished blockbuster! Thanks to the entire crew for all your hard work!

Julia · 3 years ago

If you are going to include General Janice Karpinski, you need to put "retired" on the title or something to indicate that she is no longer active.

Also, please label each person shown, if not by name, at least by how they were involved. For example, "soldier", "wife of soldier", "parent of soldier".

After the general, the voice-over is confusing. Who is talking?

Gregory Kruse · 3 years ago

Of course you can't use actors, but aren't there any witnesses in half-decent shape?

sol · 3 years ago

Firstly, just want to say that I really appreciate the participatory nature of how you've gone about making this film, keeping us updated and soliciting our feedback. As financial contributors, it is great that we can also have a say in the film and I think many of the comments made so far are very valid (re: packing more punch, clarifying roles, including more shocking statistics, mentioning company names, etc.). Of course, probably none of us are movie industry experts (I don't think anyone's trying to be a "know-it-all" as was suggested earlier) but we know what gets us and our friends and family into the theatres. And you're free to take or leave any of it.

So, my 2 cents is, include the amount of taxpayer money spent on the war and the total $ amount that companies have profited from the war or similar statistic.

Thank you and keep up the good work!

Dan O'Connell · 3 years ago

The trailer's not bad, but it does not convey the magnitude of the problem. I have two suggestions: (1) Include some comments from a uniformed foot soldier or two explaining their frustrations with the disparity in pay. (2) More importantly, follow up these scenes with a black screen in which numbers and facts fade in and out while dramatic music plays in the background, interspersed with past comments from Dick Cheney or other corporate officials. Fade in the words "No-bid contracts", then fade them out followed by Cheney offering one of his lame defenses that Halliburton isn't being favored. Then fade in the amount of profit Halliburton made in 2003 or 2004 off of the war, and follow it up with a comment from a soldier about what they're charged for a meal, if that's appropriate, or use the clip you have where the man explains how high end vehicles are shamelessly wasted. Show things like the number contract personnel who've died, the amount of dollars Halliburton and Bechtel simply can't account for. You can probably think of a few others. It would be worth trimming some of the current material if necessary to manage the length. The human stories you show are good, bu they don't drive home the scale of the scandal.

John F Currey · 3 years ago

Can't wait, I just can't wait to see this movie.
I do hope that the 36% who still believe in this insanity get to see this movie and I do hope that it does some good!

Dori · 3 years ago

Looks great...can't wait to see the finished product! I buy up these types of DVD's and distribute them as a teaching tool to family and friends, many of whom are Bush supporters, so I'm interested in convincing evidence of the lies, greed and power grab the administration is perpetrating on all of us. Hopefully this film will show the direct link between the deceit of this war and the effect on individual citizens, i.e.... loss of money, constitutional rights, real security and the respect of the world. Also, drive home the idea that the real reason the military is there is to protect the contractors while they steal from Iraqi's and U.S. tax dollars.
Also, please identify those who are speaking. For instance, the woman who says, "If they told him he was going to be shot at, he wouldn't have gone." Who is "he"? a contractor? a soldier?...isn't "he" aware that as a soldier he is going to be shot at?

$teve · 3 years ago

I downloaded the latest version of 'flash' and the trailer ran fine. Great job -- can hardly wait until the film is available. -- $teve, New Mexico.

TheTooleMan · 3 years ago

Great job overall! It's powerful and attention-grabbing.

I'll cut to the chase on my criticisms:

The initial titles "From the team that brought you..." go a little too fast to be read and absorbed.

The trailer runs a little too long without seeing some graphics about what's going on here, what the theme of the movie is, etc.

I agree with an earlier criticism someone had where a woman says, "If he'd known he would be shot at, he wouldn't have gone." Is that a soldier's wife or mother, or is that someone related to a consultant? Can a soldier decide if they will go into battle? I got hung up on this point and it distracted me from the rest of the trailer.

So maybe you could tighten up the edit a bit, lose a couple of the soundbites, and add some text about 2/3's into it asking questions like "Was this war just for profit?" and "Were the lives lost for a worthy cause?"

annie · 3 years ago

I agree that it is unclear and choppy. Maybe fewer people shown so we can tell who they are and relate to them. A little bit of personal connection always helps.

Karl Grey · 3 years ago

The trailer came across fine for my computer. I'm not sure I can glean enough by what you have so far but what I like about what you do have is this; the on camera people are clearly people who believe in America and are disillusioned by what they've witnessed. They come across as people who had faith in all the basic tenet's of what American society is supposed to stand for and have had that faith assaulted by the Government they wanted to trust. I hope the rest of the film is loaded with facts and figures revealing the who, what, when and where of the culprits. We already know the why of it. It seems that some people just can't get enough money and power. I hope this helps. Thanks

Cindy · 3 years ago

As always, great work from you folks. I can't wait to see the finished product.
Cin

scott owsley · 3 years ago

Looks good so far, is there room in the production to connect some of the dots ie.: What do the contractors themselves say (or refuse to say)? How has the corporate media spun (or ignored) their presence? Who are the contractors, the employees, the board members, etc.? How has creeping corporatization of our govt since Vietnam gotten to this point, and how might it unravel, or continue the imperialistic merging of nations?

Anonymous · 3 years ago

WERE IS THE STUFF GUYS! This is simply talk show radio with pictures. Chevys not cadilacs! Five figure pay (oh my)! these contractors certainly must be american infidels. If this is all there is, Jeb Bush might use it as his own promo to get elected president based on what a good job his brother is doing. You better have the smoking gun, the Swiss bank accounts and an inside person at Halliburton with the real stuff showing the paper trail to Cheney and supporters. Just like the great job you folks did in the Wal-Mart expose. I am not a wholesale Bush hater, but i do think Cheney has done a horrible job at training him to be the boss, all that money and he still can't learn um good.

K.C. · 3 years ago

I found it engaging and it held my attention, but I am already interesed and open to the real story about the war. It did seem like a lot of the points being made were opinions and it seemed that more facts will be required for it to have credibility beyond us converts. This may be something that you plan to have in the movie and just not enough room here or didn't want to reveal it all.

-- I found there was an overall war profiteering theme, but the segue of stories could be a bit tighter even for a trailer.

-- The music seemed appropriately, yet, wouldn't make it overly dramatic because then people might feel get a sense (unconsciously) that the music is making the point instead of being flabbergasted by the facts being exposed and making the point. (It is similar to a thought I had about An Inconvenient Truth, the music was a bit overly dramatic in moments when the point itself was strong enough to carry the day.)

-- As I think back to what I "took away" about the content overall, my thought is incompetence and thievery - which seems on target.

-- I thought bringing it back to showing individual soldiers who look like regular people is important and not just all the scenes of bombed out tankerds and other bombs situations. Seeing the soldiers - the real people being put at risk - was more powerful to me than seeing the oil trucks and other property. It struck nearer to my heart.

-- If I were describing to a friend what I saw I would say, it shows different people that have been involved in the war or family members that have some inside knowledge about what is going wrong over there. It doesn't say alot, it is just a taste of what's to come. I hope they add more substance so those who do not know or who are admin supporters (based on knowing little) will have facts and hard information to consider and shift their thinking.

Keep up the great work. I spread your Wal-Mart tape around last time and probably will with this one as well this time. Just love sending it up to conservative NH and here they are watching!!!

june · 3 years ago

I have to comment (sorry p.) on a few things.. first, I am glad you're doing this movie. Thank you.

2. I'm a bit disappointed so far, in that I'm in the choir here, listening to the preacher but I found the message confusing. At first I thought all the people were U.S. soldiers or related to such, then I read the comments and thought no they were mostly mercenaries, and on the third viewing I'm just plain unsure. I loved the WALMART movie's approach, with pasteovers and astounding facts & figures I did not know of. I hope there will be a lot of that in this movie. For instance, not too long after the war began I read in our local paper that some $3 billion (yes billion) was "unaccounted for" due to the 'difference in accounting' in Iraq vs U.S. WHAT????

3. I agree that a trailer shouldn't give away all the best parts (only in bad movies does that happen) but teasing needs a "come hither" to work well.

4. Politics is a strange thing, and this can have enormous political implications. To be most effective, however, it must appear balanced, as "colorblind" as possible , not too red (which used to mean too leftist, but is now the opposite) and not too blue. WALMART had many self confessed Republicans who stood for the things all Americans want--good jobs, a stable future, right treatment, etc.... The problem should be stated in a way to make poeple want to take action in or for a government they can participate in, not a global group of companies running the world. The average person (myself included)just doesn't understand the overriding implication of the the dollar on things thesedays... I read somewhere that Pres. Bush slipped up (Freud-wise) by using the word company when he was talking aobut running the country..... and finally
5..Joe Sixpack is a reality and needs to be kept in mind, along with the up-and-comers. Lamenting alone is not effective (even if heart rending). The idea of anticipating your critics retorts and answereing them before they have time to frame the question was a good idea. I'm sure you've done it. Keep up the good work.

Nancy K. · 3 years ago

Thank you for working on this film. As for the trailer, I find it a bit confusing. Like previous comments, I was unsure as to the relationship of each speaker to the film.
I showed your trailer to a few friends who are what you'd call straight-forward "John & Joan Q. Publics", who really know nothing about the war in Iraq other than what the news media feeds them. They were very confused by the trailer. After viewing it, I asked them to summarize what they saw. One said, "It was about some upset people talking about something in Iraq, but I don't understand what." I don't think the message is clearly getting across.

Matt Schwartz · 3 years ago

I think the trailer MUST include the names of the profiteers from a reliable source - you need to name Halliburton, Bechtel, Lockheed-Martin, Boeing, Northrup-Grumman, Raytheon, oil companies - the lot of them - this is a scandal - not just from the human perspective, the expendability of grunts for the agrandizement of corporate executives - but from the moral and ethical perspective - it is white-collar crime - to the tune of $300 Billion + (so far) of our tax dollars - while social programs are being cut, school budgets cut, healthcare coverage cut, military family support cut, ... etc. You MUST include the loser vs. winner distinction showing the flow of money from "we the people" to the corporations. And then, show the Republicans who voted aggressively to maintain the status quo in Iraq - and help oust them in November.

Please help the viewers make the connections and spell out ACTION STEPS so you have legions of converted activists leaving the theaters. DO NOT MISS OUT ON THIS OPPORTUNITY TO ORGANIZE!!!

There was a campaign for activist organization after the premier showings of Farenheit 911 - to mobilize Americans to canvas, write letters to editors, etc. I was asked to distribute a one-page list of action steps to audience members prior to the showing - the audience was receptive. (Kerry - won, but once again, black-box electronic voting machines spit out false results in Ohio, Florida, etc. - you know the rest.) Please create a one-page flyer that can be downloaded and printed and copied for interested persons to go to the opening shows and mobilize the "troops."

Ben Slad · 3 years ago

For the picture of the tombstone, I assume that was a soldier not an employee? Assuming it was a soldier, was the soldiers life lost because of contractors making money?

Ben Slade
Nearby Washington DC

Penny · 3 years ago

I just got an email from a friend who asked me..."is that movie a recruiting tool? I know many people who would do anything to make $25,000 a month. And the other question was,
how come those southerners get all the good paying jobs?"

Something is really wrong with the messagae.

Sorry again,

Penny

Jon · 3 years ago

The trailer worked fine for me. Just let it download before running it.

I hope the class dimension of this is brought out fully in the film, as the sons and daughters of the well to do are far less likely to be putting their lives on the line to underwrite the profits of these contracts. I'm sure Rumsfeld et al expected Iraqi oil to pay for the contracts, but once again it's the average working man and woman footing the bill, particularly with GW's tax cuts.

Erika Huston · 3 years ago

I haven't been this excited for a film's release since the Wal Mart movie.

This looks excellent. I think that you're picking up where Michael Moore left off and this is wonderful. Thank you so much for all of your hard work and you can count on my butt being in the seat on opening day.

Allen Lileberg · 3 years ago

I disagree with "anonymous. those over weight southern guys are just the ticket. Its artistry. The southern white over weight guys are too often cast as stupid ultraconservative porch monkeys. This time that same southern drawl comes out as the voice of reason. I want a copy of the film to show to our UU fellowhip.

Carole · 3 years ago

Clear as a bell to me....

Leaves you wanting more - that is what good doco making is all about...

Congratulations! Can't wait to see the whole doco...

Cheers

The Baron · 3 years ago

It seems to me that the focus of the film should be on huge rip off by contractors supplying men and materials in Iraq. Trailer veers in different directions-e.g. deaths of those who "didn't know they'd be shot at" (what were they thinking?), burned out vehicles, etc. This film has to educate those unsure of the war (not those already against it) by showing the gigantic expenditures flowing to military contractors who in many respects have little oversight by the military-or anyone else-because Rumsfeld, Cheney et al. are in bed with these crooks. Showing this is the challenge!

Peacepole1 · 3 years ago

Awesome job.

I love the sound and the image quality -

I would like to see:

Titles for the various speakers
A more diversified group of speakers -
A start that begins with soldiers / citizens rallying and gathering in support of the war - maybe a few blips from the administration giving the case for war

then that deep "boom-boom" sound and sharp cut to the profiteers loading and unloading their cars and other toys in Iraq...

Otherwise AWESOME.

and thanks for allowing me to be a small part of this enormous process!

Lucky · 3 years ago

Decent teaser. Good shots to back up the story and a passable attempt at exposing the part thats not reported, I know many over there and am applying soon to work there as a plumber. I know the risks and I know the dangers but I am still going to try for a position there and its for a simple reason. I would rather be there instead of a family man being endangered. I would rather take the money being given and keep it rather than have supporters go and funnel the monies into political campaigns of those who would continue these actions. I would prefer that I see the workd with my own eyes before making judgement on any part I have not yet known. In short, I will go because I am ready to and prepared to face all hardships and dangers associated with living in such a desert location.

I was to apply next month but have secured another contract in Antarctica (my 4th) and will now have to wait until February to start moving that way. Earnings are overstated also, most contrators earn around $80.000 per annum tax free, this equates to roughly $6,600 per month though some are paid higher such as truck drivers who have the highest danger exposure of all.

Keep up the good work, I look forward to watching it one day soon.

Brendan.

George · 3 years ago

I was hoping to see something more on the lines of the big execs at haliburton in bed with the administration and how they're making a killing (pun intended) on war. I'm not really interested in the guy who get paid $25k/mo to drive a tanker through Hell. I want to see the how the fat cats get richer and influence our idiot president and his neo-con puppet masters!

Steve · 3 years ago

Interesting topic but who are the people in the clips? Did one of them lose a child? Why are they authorative? Did one of them drive a rig in Iraq? Who are the companies we're talking about? Are their profits up since the Iraq War? I know you can't do everything in a trailer but a couple anonymous disgruntled people, a disgraced jailer, and some burning trucks do not a war-profiteering trailer make.

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