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Mission Statement
My name is Capt. Dale Dye. As mentioned above, some of you know me from PLATOON, SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, BAND OF BROTHERS, THE PACIFIC, among many other shows and movies over the last 35 years. Before that I served my country as a Marine, fighting in Vietnam and Beirut, earning three Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star. I came to Hollywood for two reasons; first, I knew I needed to stay in the fight for my own peace of mind and second, I saw a function that wasn't being fulfilled. War films in general lacked authenticity, the guttural emotion and sensory experience one feels in combat and the perspective of the grunt looking down the barrel of a rifle. I'd like to think I had something to do with the success of the aforementioned projects.
That being said, I've seen how Hollywood has changed over the years, and some may argue not for the better, especially when it comes to making war films. Art becomes a political statement for the filmmakers, which many times goes against the very fabric and core beliefs of patriotic Americans. Actors, some of whom who could be considered anti-American or unpatriotic in their views, are sometimes cast in leading roles (operationsupplydrop.org/opinion-hollywood-does-not-support-the-troops). It makes no sense and is a slap in the face to every Veteran, active duty service member and American patriot. You can imagine the roadblocks I've come up against trying to make this film in the usual Hollywood way. It's time for a change, but I need your help.
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With your assistance through donations and social media support, I'm going to make NO BETTER PLACE TO DIE one of the greatest war films of all time. It will be a classic film and you'll be part of its creation. I wrote it, I'm directing it, and I'm producing it with a team comprised mostly of Veterans behind the camera and as actors. I'll also give a portion of the proceeds to worthy Veteran causes, to help our brothers in arms and the families that support their unparalleled sacrifices and endure hardships that no civilian family could imagine. I would likely guess many of you are former and active military men and women, as well as real American patriots. Your donations will help make this happen.
Now is the time to tell this story, as it is a story of self-sacrifice, camaraderie and love for one's country. This movie is dedicated to the selfless, courageous, and patriotic Americans who answered the call of duty during World War II, but also to the present and future selfless, courageous and patriotic Americans who are answering the call now and have yet to answer the call... for their country and for their fellow Americans.
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The Story
There have been many films in the past two decades based on the monumental events of 6 June 1944 when Allied forces landed at Normandy to break Hitler’s stranglehold on Europe. While most of those films have been epic in scope and scale, they too often missed one crucial point: Success often hinged on small units that cobbled themselves together under intense pressure to overcome deadly obstacles. The generals and colonels had grandiose plans, but when the fortunes of war turned, it was the lieutenants, the sergeants, and the privates who innovated, adapted, and pulled off some of the most astounding feats of military history.
NO BETTER PLACE TO DIE is a film that will detail one of those feats—the capture and defense of the vital La Fière Bridge over the Merderet River by elements of the vaunted 82nd Airborne Division, in particular the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment. It’s a story of American soldiers in one of their finest hours. It’s a story that focuses on a handful of paratroopers who understood the importance of their mission and refused to let anything—not confusion, fog of war, nor intense pressure from enemy forces—keep them from accomplishing a mission that seemed impossible under the circumstances that developed on D-Day 1944.
The battle was so vital, so important and so pivotal... that its success prevented the Germans from adequately reinforcing the beach landings and stopping the Allied advance. It's said that this battle, relatively obscure in the history books, essentially saved D-Day. It was also one of the bloodiest and most fiercely fought small unit battles in modern history with over 150 paratroopers and glidermen killed in less than a 24-hour period in a small battlefield.
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If the scattered paratroopers and glidermen of the U.S. Army’s hard-hitting 82nd Airborne Division—the All-American Division—had not taken and held the bridge at La Fière and the long causeway that led through flooded fields on either side of it, then U.S. forces slogging inland from the Omaha and Utah landing beaches would have been trapped and stalled. German counterattacks against the landing forces struggling for footholds could have been disastrous and D-Day 1944 would have been a different and much bloodier story.
Scatterlings and mis-drops—folded into a single reinforced rifle company of the 82nd Airborne Division—came together at this crucial point to hold the door open for troops advancing from the Normandy beaches, and halted enemy attempts to cross the Merderet and counterattack the Allied landing forces. Badly outnumbered and massively outgunned, the All-Americans faced German armored attacks, intense and constant pounding by artillery and regular infantry assaults from a tenacious and highly motivated enemy to hold on at La Fière by their bloody fingernails, while senior commanders rushed reinforcements to their aid.
The most immediate aid for the paratroopers battling at La Fière came from Glider Infantry units that were an integral part of American airborne divisions during World War II. It was an often contentious and controversial amalgamation of elite parachutists and under-appreciated glider-riders, but the fight at La Fière and elsewhere in Normandy when both types of soldiers fought shoulder-to-shoulder, finally brought proof of the concept. NO BETTER PLACE TO DIE delves into this issue and includes dramatic scenes of air-assault by gliders that carried the 82nd Airborne’s 325th Glider Infantry Regiment into combat as reinforcements for paratroopers facing the daunting challenge of crossing the La Fière Causeway directly into the teeth of murderous German fire.
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At the backs of the hard-pressed parachutists and glidermen battling at La Fière were the French citizens of Ste-Mère-Église who had suffered for years under Nazi occupation. While NO BETTER PLACE TO DIE is an unadulterated war story that underscores the heroism and dedication of 82nd Airborne Division soldiers over dramatic days of intense combat, we also get a look at some of the French citizens of Ste-Mère-Église as the skies over their village suddenly fill with parachutes and gliders. This aspect of the story adds to the emotional impact as we see the effect of the allied assault on Nazi-occupied France.
While NO BETTER PLACE TO DIE is intended to be exciting entertainment for audiences who need a lift in these hard times, it is also intended to be an informative and inspirational story, a long-overdue exploration and celebration of one of the U.S. Army’s most pivotal battles in World War II fought by one of its most celebrated units.
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Operation Ivory Tower
Several Hollywood types have rebuffed our concept of making the film with Veterans, especially as actors. Why? There are so many talented Veterans in Hollywood, yet it's hard for most to get work ... and respect as creative individuals.
So I think you understand why we're going the non-traditional route to funding. Now, this is where we need your help. Operation Ivory Tower will breach the ivory towers of Hollywood that allow only a select few to pass through its guarded gates. Making movies is expensive, as you can imagine, especially period war films. With your donations, this campaign will give us the resources to establish a secure perimeter and plan the OPORD for the final assault on the objective.
Operation Ivory Tower will be the first of two fundraising campaigns. This first campaign will provide the producing team with the necessary funds to finalize the development phase of the film, which include legal costs, securities and business filings and documentation, pre-casting, location scouting, contractual agreements, budget finalization, social media development, branding, etc. We've made this campaign accessible to everyone with a lower donation threshold. We have some really cool and exciting perks, as you will see, and they could be collectors items in the future.
The second campaign will commence not too far behind the closing of Operation Ivory Tower. It has yet to be named. Depending on how we do on this crowd funding campaign, we may execute a second crowd funding raise. If we do this, we welcome your suggestions for the title of our second campaign -- if your suggestion is chosen, you'll receive an additional 100 raffle entries for the NBPTD "Blood on the Risers" Perk Package. The second campaign's goal, regardless if we crowd fund or raise funds from equity investors or institutions, is to raise a significantly higher amount of funding, which will enable the producing team to make offers to A-list talent for the top three roles. Now, most likely these A-listers will not be Veterans but we assure you they will be like-minded, kindred souls who value and respect our soldiers and our country. The rest can pound sand and need not apply. AATW!
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Risks & Challenges
Producing a feature film is a huge and expensive logistical challenge. NO BETTER PLACE TO DIE is not a small budget film, though by Hollywood standards it is on the lower end. The budget is $25 million. We certainty do not expect to get near that much in donations, but we do hope your donations will get us going with the momentum we need and the financial resources necessary to make A-list talent offers. That being said, there is a risk the movie may not come to fruition if we cannot secure the funding we need to get it done in the proper manner. There are a lot of other things that can go wrong; bad weather, unexpected costs, talent dropping out, Capt. Dye getting run over by a truck crossing the street... The point being, there is no guarantee the film will get finished.
However, Capt. Dye and the producing team have a lot of experience in making films, so we are confident that not only will the movie get made and distribution secured, but it will be one of the best war films of all time.
You will receive all the perks listed for this campaign, regardless of the outcome of the film, unless it has an asterisk next to it, which indicates that perk will only be available if the film is completed.
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Other Ways You Can Help
I totally understand if you want to support the film, but are not able to financially. If you could make some noise about the film on social media, that would be outstanding. Share, like, click, and subscribe to the film's social media (seen below). As well as share this Indiegogo campaign on your personal Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NoBetterPlaceToDie
Even if you can’t donate right now, we would love your help in spreading the word about our project. Please share this campaign by using Indiegogo’s share tools.
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