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YouTube

We've set up a YouTube channel. In the build up to the documentary being completed we will be releasing short interview clips.

In this clip Colonel Mike Ball, British Army, talks about a war that was a little piece of magic.

Between the cuts

Several months ago I received a dvd copy of some 8mm footage shot in Oman. It had been cut together into a documentary illustrating the Artillery positions in Sarfait during the Dhofar campaign. It was wonderful to see new footage and I immediately pursued trying to get the original reels. The dvd I had seen was heavily compressed and had subtitles baked in. To my utter delight, not only were they still available, but the owner who didn't know me from Adam kindly put their trust in me and allowed me to borrow them. 

Three 8mm cine reels 400ft of film on each.

Research had to follow immediately. I'm digital boy. I know nothing about film as a format. There are 100's of places offering cine film conversions to all sorts of formats. As soon as I stumbled across Images4Life I knew they were different. Their approach was unique. Unquestionably. 

What ever resolution you wanted your conversion delivered at they always scanned at the highest possible resolution available and then scaled the image down from there. This ensures all the colour, saturation and grain is obtained from every frame. AS this is the way they do all their conversions it was no extra cost to have the highest resolution scan. 

Academy 2K.

What does that mean? Well it means that you effectively get a digital negative. 2048 px wide, 1556 px high and an awful lot of colour latitude for post colour correction. 

In the studio I was taken through the conversion process. To prevent any damage to possibly brittle film no teeth come into contact with the spools at anytime. Film is guided through the machine on soft rollers and twin lasers fire through the spools to ensure the film is being guided at a constant speed. A statically charged roller removes any dust or hairs that may have collected over the years. This prevents the film having to be chemically washed, which however good, always leaves a chemical layer on the print. After this the 8mm is ready to be scanned by the sensor and the whole operation takes place in real time. Mind blown! 

Images4Life do a lot of restoration and archival work for major museums all over the world. 

Viewing the unedited reels is a treat. It was better than I could have hoped for. when you see unedited footage you hope that the previous editors were cutting with a different intent. That way all the bits they removed will be the pieces you want. Im happy to say this was the case. 

   

Anatomy of a Shot

I've been shooting a few extra cutaways to help chapter the various sections of the documentary.


The desert holds many secrets. Entire cities have been engulfed by sand. There are story's of brave crossings an survival. Moving dunes can snake through the desert almost alive.
Throughout the doc is a theme of discovery. For this shot I've decided to choose sun light, an AK47 round, and sand. The aim is to create a quick mysterious shot that will eventually become one of a series of shots.

Here is a quick run down of the kit I'm going to use

Dedo 300watt light with dimmer. This is a simple tungsten light whose brightness can be controlled from around 3000kelvin to 4200k. Gives off a nice warm light. The light can also be adjusted closer to the lens to control the spread of the light cast.

Two containers of beach sand gathered a few days ago while on assignment down in Bournemouth.

Two orange gels (half cto and full cto). To warm up the light in case the Dedo doesn't quite cut it.

Cheapo can of compressed air. Picked this up for about £2. Very handy for a quick blast to clean your lens or in this case to simulate a breeze.

Smoke machine. Gonna use this subtly to accent the breeze from the compressed air.

Painters tray this is where I'm going to create the scene. Using the time honoured principle that the audience never knows what is just outside the frame. In this case my desert will be less than half a meter, but the camera doesn't know that.

So here we are. Took about 30 mins.

The round positioned pointing slightly towards the lens give the shot a sense of perspective. Not sure if I'm too keen on the negative space on the right of the frame. Maybe could add some machine gun links or pieces of shrapnel trailing off into the distance. That might give the shot more depth and a sense of continuation - like the scene is bigger than it actually is. The light should extend all the way to the top of the frame. It looks quite moody, which is okay but I'd like to see it washed out. Some slow dolly movement would help keep the shot interesting for longer too. But for a first attempt it's not too bad.

            

Interview Extract - Major Nicholas Ofield, Sultan's Armed Forces

Q: Were there any particular hazards working in this type of terrain?

A: Well apart from people trying to kill you there were other unpleasant things like Camel Spiders, a few snakes, Scorpions, the heat, dehydration. Having to carry an awful lot of water. A great diurnal change in temperature. It could get up to 45° in the daytime and dropped to 5° or 6° at night. You were generally very physically debilitated. Jebel sores, which were an infection rather like jungle sores, developed and wouldn't clear. I had my forefinger and thumb - you could actually see the bone through the rottenness and the puss. The only treatment they could give was to bathe it three times a day, for an hour in potassium permanganate solution. What the doctor was unable to tell me was A) how I got three spare hours a day to bathe my hand B) where I got container and C) where I got potassium permanganate solution from.

Q: How did you adapt to the extreme heat?

A: It was a matter of common sense. You have to remember that the British Army has a lot of experience in hot climates. From being in India for years and years, to the North African desert during World War II, and afterwards in the Gulf. It's just a matter of essentially drinking when you feel thirsty, but remembering that you've only got a certain amount of water which is what you carry. We never followed this modern trend that seems to be "I must get hydrated" and ordering people to drink on the spot. We never found that necessary. We also took plenty of salt with our meals - as much as we could. 

You would carry your parka with you to wear at night. So sometimes you would move out at night time in your shirtsleeves, you would stop put on your jacket, your sweater, wrap scarf around you, then just after dawn you have to take it all off again because it was getting very hot. When you woke up in the morning you turned your boots upside down and banged them together just to make sure there weren't any Camel Spiders or Scorpions inside them, and before you went to bed at night you shook out your sleeping bag to make sure you didn't have any visitors.

Looking For Nick

Who IS Nick Downie? More to the point WHERE is Nick Downie? I never thought I would make a very good private dectetive. When we have to find someone we never normally have to look beyond the hozizon of Facebook or Twitter.


Nick Downie, former SAS trooper turned war cameraman. Some of the nastiest fighting was documented by this chap throughout the 70's, 80's and 90's. His training allowed him to get closer than most would dare.


During the Dhofar War there were only two ways into the country. Both were tightly controlled.
If a journalist got off a plane they were simply put back on and sent home. Therefore, pictures and footage are prised! For the whole conflict (approx 1964-76) there is only 1 news article, to my knowledge in existence. A Sunday supplement in the Telegraph. 

Now if anyone reading this knows any better - then please point me in the right direction.


Mr Downie, supposedly smuggled an 8mm camera into the country with him. There is other 8mm footage from the Oman conflict, but very little of it is frontline stuff, and that's what I'm hoping for. Nick has made a few documentaries on the conflict in Rhodesia, the northern part of later became Zambia, where I lived in for several years as a boy. There are many accounts of him over the web but, for now, his whereabouts remain a mystery.  


With the help of Twitter a chap by the name of Nick Long, a Producer at Turtle Canyon Media has joined in the search, and I'd like to thank him publicly for all his help so far.

Phase 2

Phase two of filming started today with a visit to the National Memorial Centre near Litchfield. A vast area of ground set aside to remember people who have given their lives in service; be that in the forces the Police, Fire Service, etc.

Tucked away towards the outskirts is a small little memorial to those who fell during the Dhofar Campaign. We laid a wreath from us and a Poppy for the relative of a Flight Lieutenant  who was unable to make it to the memorial herself.

The spectacle, if spectacle is the right word, is the hugh memorial erected for all those who have fallen in combat since the end of World War Two. It was shocking to me how many people have been killed since then. More haunting however is the outer side of the walls are left blank...for those who have yet to be killed. That thought left me with a chill.

Together we found several names of British soldiers, and pilots who died in the Dhofar Campaign.

Campbell MRA

Taylor TEF

Ramsden DER

Labalabat BEM

Tobin TPA

Wright PR

Drybanski MJ

Handyside BG
Loid C 

The site is beautiful, and a tribute worthy to those who gave their lives in service. 

If you haven't already donated - please buy a Poppy. It helps not only service men and women who are injured but also their families. 

You can donate quickly and easily by following this link.

Poppy Appeal

"When You Go Home,

 Tell Them Of Us And Say,

 For Their Tomorrow,

 We Gave Our Today"

Last Day

Been treated like Royalty at SAF TR (Sultan's Armed Forces Training Regiment)Dad very happy. Got introduced to the General in charge of the base. Had coffee and dates. Then got taken on a leisurely tour around by the 2IC Colonol Kalid a Jobali. Very nice chap, has 10 children. Went to his house for lunch and tea. Kept saying he wasn't prepared for us because he thought we were coming tomorrow. Christ thank god we caught him unaware otherwise we'd have been even more stuffed. They gave Dad a glass plack of the regimental crest. He was touched. While walking round the base dad commented on the place settings in the officer's mess. Knowing that the old man wanted one but wouldnt asked - I did (counting on Arab/Omani hospitality). The Colonel sorted me out a coaster and a table mat. Result. 


This is to be the last day of shooting. For me this trip marks the end of an era. It took me a long time to realise that the adventures I'd been having all my life weren't mine. Not truly. I was a passenger in my father's adventures. Things have come full circle. In away Oman is where it all started for both of us. Now I have to go out and make my own adventure. Although I guess one of the great things about being a documentary film maker is you get to piggyback on other people's adventures.

Over the coming year I will be interviewing more veterans. Dealing  with story threads as they twist and pull on one another, writing and recording narration, shooting re-enactments,discussing title changes, picking music, and finding out more about the war in Dhofar. I can't think of anything more perfect.








*****Captain's announcement while on the flight home*****
Excuse me ladies and gentlemen but we may experience some minor turbulence over Iran" (is that supposed to be a f***ing joke)

Day 15

Ran out of gas last night. Milk off. That was the last night outside. It's all hotel sleeping from here! Had a good night sleeping out despite the lack of a decent cup of tea. Only needed to get half way into my sleeping it was so warm. Woke with a start and just in time to see Dad roll out of bed towards me. Laughed my arse off. Seemed little point in going back to sleep so used the early morning sunlight to shoot cutaways of all the old rounds of ammo and shrapnel we've collected. 

Heading back to Muscat. Walking through a shopping centre covered in dust, dirt and smelling f***ing awful hardly seems right. Tis amusing though. Keep getting very odd looks. Got out the desert without a map but can't find my way out of this bloody shopping centre. 

Sharing taxis is an odd experience. Not as in we're going the same way - would you like to share a taxi? You order a taxi somewhere, it arrives you open the door and there's already someone else in there and it's like - who the f*** is this? Oh we're sharing? Yes are we going the same way? No. Oh okay then.

Day 14

After deciding to hire a 4x4 to go up the Jebel Akdar (green mountain) with a driver because it's cheaper we have lucked out. Arrived and there is no driver to take us. So 4x4, no driver 30 reals. Result. Drove past a pile of hexagonal bricks used for paving. Reminded me of Big Buddha Island in ThaiLand where I wrote a message for Ian. The monks were reflooring the temple and you paid to write a message on a brick that would be used. Remember being struck by all the messages of peace and love written by well wishers that would be used to pave the floor of the temple. A reminder of the good nature of so many people from all over the world.

As we get to the plateau. What used be a small village next to an army base and air strip leftover from the Jebal Aktar war has become a sprawling town. Complete with kids play parks and hotels. A sign of 40 years of progress greeted by my father with mixed emotions. Is there nowhere left untouched? 

Dad was an unintentional explorer. Stationed in one of the last unreached places. One of their tasks was to make sure the villages knew there was a new Sultan to ensure the news got through. Today I can feel a sense of completion. A full circle. The end of Dad's adventure and my free ride. I will now have to find my own. Where is there left to explore besides Antarctica? 


The village of Wadi Beni Habib - a working example of why the old Sooks should be saved. People come from miles around, hire a 4x4 to drive up a massive mountain to see an old village they have to walk a long way to. The Sooqs are beautiful. With a bit of work can be restored and could have people living and working in them.

Been treated to some real Oman hospitality. Went into a shop trying find someone who knew people in Dad's pictures. The lad in the shop took us to meet his grandfather. Got taken into a traditional Omani room. I accidentally sat at the head of the room but the old man corrected me, also reminding me to take everything offered to me with the right hand. I had actually forgotten. Dad spoke to the Grandfather while the grandson fetched coffee, dates, cut fruit, halwa (like Turkish delight but better), and placed it all before us. A few other men arrived from the village. Dad was in his element explaining about the war and discussing changes to the region. We were invited for lunch but declined saying we had to get off. The house was wonderful. The main room opened out onto a roof terrace covered by a marquee. Very breezy and the sort of place I would be happy to stay for longer.

Looking at mirages on the road - I get that the hot air bends the light but how it creates reflections I don't know.

Wahiba sands! Could easily spend 6 days there with no probs. Group of people, jeep, sleeping bags. Do all the sports, sand boarding, quad biking, 4x4 driving and the all time fav extreme running! Sand is everywhere but it's less corse than beach sand so it doesn't matter.

Day 07

First night in a real hotel. When first driving off the Jebal saw flowers. As I've been starved of strong colour for a few days they seemed so vibrant.



Back out on the road now. The odd thing is it's 12:39 the sun is high in the sky, but it's so windy I'm freezing. My skin will be burning but I can't feel it. I'll have to put a shirt on soon to keep warm in the desert during mid day!
In the distance a caravan of camels walked towards me. Surrounded.  They stopped just looking at me for 5 mins. Then ALL took a piss in turn.... and left !?! 

The sun has just vanished behind the ridge and the temperature has plummeted. It's windy I think we're gonna be in for a cold one. Wind blowing from N to S. Had an hour after the sun set before the moon rose. Beautiful stars. The sort I remember from the desert. Didn't see the Milky Way though. Did a time laps of the moon rise but f***ed up the exposure. Went from pitch black to a moon so bright I have a shadow. Sleeping in a crater like Wadi. In this light I could be on Mars.

This is night

Day 06

Woke up crying in my sleeping bag. Well unusual. Can't remember what I was dreaming about but it wasn't good. Woke up still pulling crying faces and with tears down my face. Took me a while to realise I was awake. Wish I could see what it looked like - coz my guess is the answer is S.T.U.P.I.D

Amusing myself with the fact that I'm walking round in 30 degree heat wearing a scarf.

Gone back to the ambush site to try a different approach. I hope we find something to get Dad's spirits up. This was the site of an ambush in which they lost a man. At the base of this tree one of the Adoo (enemy) was cut in half by the return fire from the GPMG (General Purpose Machine Gun).

Where is all the gold? Just found a huge piece of shrapnel. Result! 

Followed by 2 303 carts, a 7.62 and possibly the core of an AK47 round. 

Massive avenue of coconut palms and grass lining tue approach to Salalah. The lamp posts are so ostentatious it's as if someone said "I don't want them just to light the way, I want them to say something more like - we have more money than you.

Down on the Salalah plains this is more of the type of heat I'm used to/was expecting. Baking. Ate bread fresh from the bakery. Smells great, tastes better! The beach opposite The Wadi Mugsail is beautiful. Mugsail itself epic fail. The whole mountain has been bulldozed to make the beach road. 

Old man very annoyed/upset/disillusioned. This was the site of a major operation. Now it's just flat.

What should the focus of the poster be? The diary? Dad? An old picture in Oman? Poster - could have a hand holding out a round with my secret war stamped round the rim.

Day 05

Got up while it was still cold to film the sunrise over the Wadi Darbat. 

Heard so many stories of this place over the years. Its less menacing than I expected... but then again I'm not being shot at while walking over it. Imagine incoming fire (which always has the right of way) would cause me to reconsider my feelings towards the place.  Today will be walking over the Darbat trying to find an old machine gun nest. Found a mortar round so far. 

11am. Sun now very hot - getting closer to finding what we're looking for. Spent 40 mins walking over the same ground because I lost my glasses.

Rules learned so far.

Rule no. 1 check shoes for Scorpians. 

Rule no. 2 don't p*** into the wind. 

Rule no. 3 don't sneeze into shermalk.

Rule no. 4 don't "put down sun glasses for just a minute." 

Noticed Dad is always very aware of where the sun is. Any direction he knows exactly where the sun will be.  Here now I can see why so many people before failed to cross the Wadi. Its totally open and whoever holds the high ground can see for miles to dominate the ground. Some Jordanian special forces tried but lost a lot of men. 

Found machine gun position!

1972

Now

Walked through a position where Dad was ambushed. Didn't find anything but an old Sanga. Met a man with camels who insisted in us helping to pull down branches to feed his hurd. Now I see why there is so little vegetation. Snapping branches off trees is hardly sustainable. The dude and his son had bare feet. Must have been hard as rock!! Got a great interview out of Dad last night. Had to adjust a stop after each question as the light was fading quickly. 

Day 04

Hit gold! We pulled up outside the first house where we saw a person. He knew everybody we had talked to during the past few days and in what order. Small village. Amazing coincidence - Musalim Masud's (the lad I went to drink Camel milk with yesterday turns our to be the son of the  Firqa Captain we are looking for... These villages in the middle of nowhere have roads and good roads at that. Its odd looking at things thinking the Sultan paid for that. Not a government but an individual.

Drove down onto the Salalah plain to find the Wadi Darbat. Stopped in an old camel shed to camp. Convinced the old man to see if we could find a better place. Now camped out on a beautiful secluded spot overlooking the Darbat. Brought some white Stilton with cranberry cheese. Forgot about it for a few days. It's gone very soft in the heat and it gave me an idea... Now sitting eating Stilton smeared over ready salted Pringels. Bliss. 

Personal note: Slightly worried that I can smell my feet, through my socks, in my sleeping bag, surrounded by camel s***... I probably should have a wash.

Day 03

Traveled to Jib Jat in search of a few blankets. Last night was f***ing freezing. Jib Jat is like a town in a spaghetti western. Actually saw a tumble weed fly across the road. Stood in a store plagued with flies and was lucky enough to hit the jack pot. A  synthetic sleeping bag. No more itchy eyes! Wasn’t looking for one because I wouldn’t have dreamed in a million years I’d find one. Paid through the nose for it - It obviously made up his sales for the last few weeks. Left the town lost in time on the arse end of nowhere.

Randomly went to a camel farm because a passer by insisted. Got some great pics. Just drank fresh camel milk. It was warm, fresh from the nipple...Don’t know why I didn’t see that coming. Of course its warm - its body temperature. Thought I was going to gag when it touched my lips. Obviously didn’t want to be rude so shot for the other side but politely refused a refill. Nothing against camel milk - just not a milk fan. 

No need for a torch tonight. Moon is so bright it's like day. So much for timelapses of the stars - can't see them.