Soldier's Heart (2020)
Summary - Soldier's Heart (2020) is a post-Civil War film about John (Thomas Clay Strickland), a soldier who has recently returned from the Civil War. John experiences flashbacks from the mental and emotional wounds he has suffered during battle, preventing him from physically returning home. Not understanding his trauma, he sets up a camp on his property in an attempt to continue living as a soldier. He spends the majority of his time in the swamps and marshes that surround his coastal Georgia home. His daughter Sarah (Merrik Foune), who wants her father back, tries to find a way to help John return home. Seeking guidance from her grandmother (Sheril Rodgers), she attempts to build a relationship with her suffering father.
Soldier’s Heart: Original Soundtrack (2020) OST
The creation of the score for Soldier's Heart (2020) was an extremely collaborative process. The film's director, Seth F. Johnson, started speaking with music composer Chadd Jones nine months before the first day of production on the film even began. Seth was very interested in using a few key instruments and sounds such as bells, chimes, and crystal bowls. Chadd focused on creating a score that sounded very organic and conveyed all of the necessary emotions while still fitting in the post-Civil War period. The final result is a score that perfectly complements the film and its message.
Soldier’s Heart: Behind the Scenes (2020) BTS
This is a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of Moon Rabbit Media’s Soldier’s Heart (2020). The film covers the pre-production, production, and post-production aspects of making Soldier’s Heart (2020) and also highlights some of the challenges that went along with making this historical drama. We new that we wanted to put together a comprehensive BTS film, so we made a concerted effort to film every meeting, writing session, and rehearsal along the way.
Edited by Jesse Perry
Directors Statement - When I first started researching post-Civil War life, I was immediately struck by the fact that they didn't have a good understanding of what post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was, initially thinking that it was a heart condition. Homer, Shakespeare, and Dickens all wrote about symptoms that we now recognize as being PTSD. I want to inform the audience that PTSD is something that has existed for a long time and that it is something that soldiers have had to deal with through every major war. It took on different names such as Soldier’s Heart, Shell Shock, Combat Fatigue, until it was finally properly diagnosed in recent history. This film is about healing and showing that, with support and perseverance, PTSD can be overcome even in the most challenging of situations.
Poster - Here is the first official poster for Soldier’s Heart (2020). When creating this poster, we were inspired by still photographer Kimberly French’s work on The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007). Having always been very fond of the unit stills from that film, we took direct influence from its key art and poster. We chose the anatomical heart as a reference to the medical significance of the films title and its themes of post-traumatic stress disorder. Moments before we did this gallery shoot, there was a light rain over the marsh, and you can still see the rain drops on the marsh grass in the foreground of this image. When shooting environmentally based films like this, we found that natural occurrences were best embraced and often served as hidden gems, further pushing the realism of the film.
Image by Seth F. Johnson
Unit Still Photography
We knew going into Soldier’s Heart (2020) the importance of having amazing still images, not only to use as advertising and marketing materials but also to document the creation of the film and the behind-the-scenes. Above is a gallery of some of our favorite images for the five days of shooting.
Unit Still Photography by Justin Kamstra
Merrik Foune as Sarah
Merrik intuitively understood the role of Sarah and ran with it, doing lots of background research and getting herself familiar with the time period we were blown away by her dedication. With 70% of the films dialogue belonging to Sarah, there was a lot riding on this teen actress, but that didn’t intimidate Merrik at all. She delivered powerful performances while working the long hours of our rigorous schedule. She took direction well and didn’t let the emotionally taxing scenes of the film get her down. Merrik has appeared previously in films such as All Eyez on Me (2017) and numerous other short films.
Thomas Clay Strickland as John
Thomas brought this role to life in a way that no one else could. From the first moment that we met him, we knew that he was the right actor to play the part of John. Thomas showed and unparalleled focus and stayed true to the character, even in the most challenging of situations. Spending much of his time on set in the marsh and swamp and having to wear heavy wool clothing throughout all of his performances, he was able to find the character every time. Thomas has appeared previously in films such as The Act (2019), The Glorias (2020), and Wonder Woman 1984 (2020).
Executive Producers - Randy and Shannon Bocook, along with their daughter and our lead actress Merrik Foune, were instrumental in the creation of Soldier’s Heart. They were with the film when it was only a concept. With their full support and dedication, the film was able to be realized. They understood the importance of this story and its historical significance. They went the extra mile to make sure that the cast and crew had everything that they needed along the way to see this film become a success. Randy and Shannon care deeply about film and creating a quality narrative. They inspired the crew to push farther every day, and we are so grateful that they invested in us and the story of Soldier’s Heart.
Social Media and IMDb
Soldier’s Heart Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/soldiersheartfilm/
Soldier’s Heart Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/soldiersheartshortfilm/
Soldier’s Heart IMDb - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8609254/?ref_=ttpl_pl_tt
© Moon Rabbit Media (2020)