SEE IT THROUGH

This has been, in a sense, a project that has spanned ten years; from the initial idea to the eventual filming of See It Through. The project combines my interest of film making with my interest in World War Two history.

After years of research and talking to veterans, sadly some of whom have passed away, I feel that there are some stories to be told that are darker than those that have been made into films before and I wanted to illustrate a side of war that is not often shown.

The original script was two and a half hours long but I knew that I had to cut this down to just over an hour, an hour and a half at the most. The original draft included several large-scale scenes but I always knew that these would be difficult to film given the limited budget and time constraints.

As the project developed it became very personal to me and for this reason I decided not to apply for any funding. I wanted the freedom and control to do my own film. It also became a matter of personal pride; I wanted to show that I could make a very good low budget war film for next to nothing.

After putting off making the film for a couple of years, I realized that the location
I always had in mind to use had dramatically changed and that I had to make
the film now or it would never be made. Because of these changes, such as the renovation of farm buildings and the sale of a German Tiger 1 Tank, I was forced to make major alterations to the end of the script in the space of a couple of months.

Filming eventually began mid September 2005 but was fraught with difficulty. Disaster struck when four weeks before filming began I tore my Achilles tendon. So for the final rehearsals and “boot camp” as well as the full two weeks of filming I was on crutches, which made moving around the location extremely tough going.

“See It Through” was shot entirely on location in Sussex, using several pieces of land that were also used for Band Of Brothers.

After nearly a year in the editing suite with Peter Bluck and with a score provided by Christopher Page, “See It Through” was screened for the cast and industry guests, and was well received by all involved.

I am very proud of what myself and the cast and crew have achieved with the budget available.

Rick Roberts

Writer, Producer and Director