In October, the U.S. Naval Institute was pleased to present the legendary Hollywood military advisor/actor Captain Dale Dye, USMC (Ret.), as the keynote speaker for its 2020 History Conference, “Through the Camera Lens: Sharing the Story of the U.S. Military.” Captain Dye’s keynote, “From WWI to the Present: The History of the Military in the Movies,” generated such a voluminous response in the follow-up online Q&A session that we were unable to accommodate the flood of viewers’ questions in the allotted time slot. Here, Captain Dye graciously answers a selection of those additional questions for Naval History Online:
1. Have you ever had strong kickback from directors regarding your recommendations?
Sure, all the time. But it’s usually a rational discussion of a story point that I perceive as either totally false, misleading, or detracting from the intent of the scene. I rarely say no emphatically without listening to the director’s or writer’s argument. The way to win these fights is to have a credible option in your back pocket—one that won’t cause added expense or costly delays but will still support the story.
Subscriber-Only Content
Subscribe to Naval History magazine to gain access to this article and a host of other fascinating articles and stories that keep our maritime history and heritage alive. Subscribers receive this valuable benefit and so much more.
