A guide to working with a military adviser

Paul Biddiss is one of the most high-profile military advisers working in film and TV production today.

With more than 24 years’ global deployment experience within the British Army, Paul has spent the decade since he left the service as a specialist adviser on feature films and high-end TV dramas, as well as providing technical surveillance and close-protection advice and services for private clients in the industry.

Paul’s extensive credits include: Gladiator 2, Napoleon, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, Indiana Jones 5, The Day of the Jackal, The Beekeeper, Strike Back, 1917, Jason Bourne, Vanity Fair and War and Peace.

He is also closely involved with the video game industry, training motion-capture artists, most recently working on Sniper Elite 5.

Here Paul explains why having a technical military adviser on a production is so crucial for authenticity, cost-efficiency – and safety.

Pre, pre-production

Ideally, I should be brought on to a production as early as possible, with the writers’ room being the most cost efficient starting point. This helps to make the stories authentic from the offset, which helps save all departments endless time trying to research the correct military equipment or costumes, as the questions are asked as the story evolves.

Having a strong military and industry background helps me quickly identify the production’s requirements and provide workable solutions to problems early with the minimum of fuss.

Pre-production

Once the script is complete I will add further notes to help the action run realistically within the story unfolding. I will work closely with all departments from AD, stunts, hair and make-up, costume, props, FX and armoury, where I will write ‘bibles’ on each requirement.

Military bibles make life easier for each department during prep, as they can simply throw the more detailed military questions my way for a quick response, which saves time and money from their respective department’s budgets. Sometimes, HoDs will not know where to look, or exactly what they’re looking for, and Google is not always your friend.

Boot camp

Working closely with the ADs I can help select the best supporting artists for the job based on the script requirements.

I will formulate a training programme and instructions for a boot camp along with risk assessments. The risk assessment will involve every aspect of the training from the area being used and the weather conditions to the equipment needed to meet the task.

The boot camp will sufficiently prepare the cast, stunts and supporting artists on how to move tactically, and how to use weapons realistically and safely for the period being portrayed, in a safe, controlled environment.

When required I will arrange a one-on-one fitness and weapons safety programme to physically and mentally prepare the cast for their roles.

Before any boot camps start I run a selection programme for the supporting artists to ensure we get the right people for the roles, who are physically and mentally robust before investing time and money in training. This also helps avoid any costly litigation cases as I can identify anyone with any health issues.

Napoleon’s bootcamp required 500 men to learn the difficulties of forming the famous British military square formation. Without such training the scenes would have been impossible to perform and just one untrained person would ruin the shot.

Last-minute training and specialist performers

There are times when last-minute training is required , so I have lists of specialist performers I have trained in the past whom I can call on for specific roles. The only requirement is running a 20-minute ‘remind-and-revise” training session just before the scenes take place which can save a lot of heartache for the crowd 2nd AD.

Filming

My primary role is to support the production and to provide realistic solutions for the director from a military perspective. Even when artistic licence is required there’s always a plausible solution to still make it as authentic as possible.

All departments will require my help at every stage of the filming process. This can range from advice on issuing the cast and extras with the right weapons and equipment for their roles to keeping an eye on the morale and welfare of the extras, which is equally important if a production has invested time and money in training them all.

Post-production

Once wrapped, my job does not stop. I will be asked further questions from the FX and sound departments. I attend ADR [automated dialogue replacement] sessions and at times am asked to check the theatrical poster to make sure there are no mistakes.

In summary

There is a huge amount of responsibly on the shoulders of a military adviser and you need to have very thick skin. Get it wrong and you will be savaged for it, in particular by those in the military community.

Bad beret-shaping is a classic example, which if not done correctly can generate negative publicity towards a show with any military theme.

Even when it’s not your fault and you were only brought in on the day of the shoot without any other input, viewers will not understand and will just say, “Who was the military adviser on that?”

With many thanks to Paul Biddiss for his expert knowledge and insight.

All images supplied by Paul Biddiss.