The War Tapes
2006, 97 minutes
Directed by Deborah Scranton
Straight from the front lines in Iraq, The War Tapes is the first war movie filmed by soldiers fighting in the war. This documentary depicts Operation Iraqi Freedom as filmed by Sergeant Steve Pink, Sergeant Zack Bazzi, and Specialist Mike Moriarty, among others. The soldiers shot over eight hundred hours of footage during the course of a year, providing the viewer with an unromanticized picture of their lives in the midst of war. The resulting film presents raw portraits of its three main contributors, as they fulfill and struggle to understand their duty. Steve is a wisecracking carpenter who aspires to be a writer. Zack is a Lebanese-American university student who loves to travel and is fluent in Arabic. Mike is a father and resolute patriot who rejoined the army after 9/11. Each of these men has left behind a woman—a girlfriend, a mother, and a wife. The film, directed by Deborah Scranton, and produced by Robert May (The Fog Of War) and Steve James (Hoop Dreams), won awards for Best Documentary at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival, and Best International Documentary at the inaugural 2006 BritDoc Festival.
Director’s Statement
We all have pivotal, defining moments in our lives. For me, one of those was stumbling across James Agee and Walker Evan’s Let Us Now Praise Famous Men. Agee’s philosophy of “living journalism”—of getting close enough to be hurt, of investing to the core of your being in the lives of those you are documenting—became my mantra. To get their stories, you have to give of yourself, confront the wall of “objectivity,” and smash through it. It’s about being human first, and a journalist and filmmaker second. It is only when we are human beings first that we can approach truth.
On February 12, 2004, I received an offer from the New Hampshire National Guard to embed as a filmmaker. I called the public affairs officer and asked if I could give cameras to the soldiers instead. He said yes—but it would be up to me to get soldiers to volunteer to work on the project. Less than two weeks later, I was on a plane to Fort Dix, New Jersey. I stepped out in front of those 180 men and shared my vision. I was met with a hailstorm of questions. Are you for the war? Are you against the war? What are your politics? How are you going to use and twist our words? What do you want us to film? Why should we believe you? Why should we trust you with our experiences? I told them we would do this together. We would tell the story—their story—and go wherever it took us, no matter what.
Ten soldiers volunteered. Zack Bazzi, Mike Moriarty, Steve Pink, Duncan Domey, and Brandon Wilkins were five soldiers that filmed the entire year. In total, twenty-one soldiers contributed to the project. Each soldier was given a one-chip Sony MiniDV Camera, tripod, microphones, various lenses, and piles of blank tape. My communication with the soldiers varied; some simply shot footage and turned in their tapes, while others communicated with me regularly via instant messaging and email. I believe the power of film—image and sound—lies in its ability to evoke empathy. Even if war negates humanity, film—especially film that shows war from the inside—can ensure that even when we fight, we can hold on to, and bear witness to, our humanity. We found the possibility of empathy in the middle of war.
Director’s Bio
Director Deborah Scranton makes her feature film directorial debut with The War Tapes, which premiered at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. The War Tapes grew out of her locally-acclaimed World War II television documentary, Stories From Silence, Witness to War—and her own commitment to using new technologies to empower people in the creation of their own media, and the telling of their own stories. Scranton began her career in journalism, freelancing for ESPN, CBS Sports, ABC Sports, MTV Networks, USA Networks, and The Outdoor Life Network. As a journalist, she covered a variety of world-renowned events, including the Tour de France, the Winter Olympics, the Davis Cup, the U.S. Open, and World Cup alpine skiing. Scranton was also a special assignment reporter for The Outdoor Life Network, and ABC and FOX affiliates in Salt Lake City, Utah. She graduated from Brown University with a degree in semiotics. A former member of the U.S. Ski Team, Scranton resides on her family’s farm in the mountains of New Hampshire.
