Post by Moses on Nov 30, 2004 16:01:42 GMT -5
NOVEMBER 30: THE PACKAGING OF PROPAGANDA AS FILM
INVESTIGATING "VOICES OF IRAQ"
US ARMY PR FIRM BOOSTS NEW IRAQ WAR FILM
.... ANOTHER "Indy" film is out attacking the media for its war reporting. Another film about the Iraq War. This one was made with about ten times my budget and is opening in twice as many cities, And it is apparently getting a big PR boost around the country....
Significantly, this movie is being is being touted as an "Anti-Michael Moore film."How about that? After spending a few hours checking it out, I became convinced that this movie actually belongs in MY movie because it smells positively Rumsfeldesque and appears to be a weapon of mass deception in its own right.
This film is called "Voices Of Iraq." I was alerted to its existence yesterday by retired Air Force Colonel Sam Gardiner who is the best informed expert I know on Pentagon propaganda and information dominance strategies. I interviewed him for WMD and the two of us often correspond about new developments in the selling of the war.
Yesterday, Gardiner wrote to ask a question:
Mmmmmmmmmmmm.
A DISSECTOR INVESTIGATION
So off to Google my fingers dashed, there to find a be-low job review for Voices of Iraq on none other than David Horowitz's Front Page website. ....Horowitz's site features a story by Joel Mowbray, author of a book attacking our State Department as a den of subversives. He loves Voices of Iraq which he describes this way:
{Quote]"Two former MTV producers have accomplished what the entire mainstream media thus far has not: they've captured the real life and times of the Iraqi people.
"They didn't do it alone, however. Producers Eric Manes and Martin Kunert sent 150 digital cameras into Iraq this April with very simple instructions: "Videotape your neighborhood, shopping area, where you live and work, pray, relax, and play" and interview "people who have the most meaning in your life."
"… The finished product, Voices of Iraq, is a taut 75-minute documentary, opening in limited release in ten cities. .. Infused throughout with an Iraqi hip-hop soundtrack, the briskly edited film is hands-off in letting ordinary Iraqis drive the storyline. That it won't realistically have much of an impact on the election is the only disappointing thing about this film.
"Groundbreaking and instantly compelling, VOI is sort of the anti-Michael Moore film. There's no narration, no heavy-handed editing. And whereas the man from Flint started with his premise and assembled his film to support it, the only goal when making VOI was to emulate the producers' trailblazing MTV show Fear, which gave cameras to everyday youths who filmed themselves at supposedly haunted locations. Defying expectations, the show was a hit."[/quote]
www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Printable.asp?ID=15739
VOICES MASKS ITS POLITICAL AGENDA
....Voices of Iraq claims to be produced and directed by the Iraqi people. But the film was financed by investors in the "voices of freedom" LLC in California, certainly an indication of its politics..... funders ... are not disclosed.
The Magnolia distribution company picked up the film. The Washington Times, that fount of objectivity, says it is "neither partisan or conservative." Gulf War veteran, ex- marine and actor Archie Drury says the film is about the choices Iraqs will make and speaks of "the run-up to historic elections." Their website carries links to organizations like the Iraq America Freedom Alliance and similar front groups, even as the film is being presented as just a cross section of Iraqi voices and politically neutral. No wonder Sam Gardiner is suspicious. Nary a critical word about the war is to be found on the site.
This "independent film" has PR support from the PR bigs of Manning Selvage & Lee. The firm describes itself this way on its website (www.mslpr.com) where its government and Iraq links are barely to be found: "With more than 950 employees, 2001 fee income of $118 million and a network of 100 offices and affiliates, Manning Selvage & Lee is one of the world's leading global public relations firms."
A KEY GOP-ARMY LINK
I then read about its principals. Bingo. "Don Hannaford, a managing director handles the firm's work with the US Army" .... His bio...:
Checking on, I found that the publicist on the film is named Mark Bennett. I called but he wasn't there. I checked his name and an earlier project association. Dig this project:
"FOR THE US ARMY?"
The plot thickens. I came across another site at cryptome.org/voi-who.htm. I don't know who runs it but it sure is on target. It offers a number of links that reveals that at this firm MS&L "The U.S. Army account [is] one of the largest and most visible accounts at one of the world's leading PR shops"
www.diversityinbusiness.com/dib2004/dib20404/Adv_NuTalent_SJhnsn.htm
.... I went deeper to discover how this firm echoes the Pentagon's "perception management" strategy: "At MS&L, we have a new and higher purpose. We don't just change perceptions, because perceptions can be fleeting. What we do - in every sense of the words - is this: Change Minds."
"They've recently won P.R. industry awards for their Army work:
www.publicity.org/trumpet2002winners.htm
www.publicity.org/trumpet2003silver.htm
DECEPTION
FOLLOW THE MONEY
Now lets go back to their funding entity. It's called: Booya Studios, LLC and:
Voices of Freedom, LLC
11026 Ventura Blvd., Suite 13
Studio City, CA 91604
818-769-7558
Whoever is writing on this critical site then adds:
Address appears to me as a "mail drop" as opposed to a "real" office.
....Tracking this film could become film in itself, a film investigating the shadowy world of covert ops and the uses made of film to push government policy while appearing to be independent of it.
(next: why did major film distributor distribute the film as legitimate?)
INVESTIGATING "VOICES OF IRAQ"
US ARMY PR FIRM BOOSTS NEW IRAQ WAR FILM
.... ANOTHER "Indy" film is out attacking the media for its war reporting. Another film about the Iraq War. This one was made with about ten times my budget and is opening in twice as many cities, And it is apparently getting a big PR boost around the country....
Significantly, this movie is being is being touted as an "Anti-Michael Moore film."How about that? After spending a few hours checking it out, I became convinced that this movie actually belongs in MY movie because it smells positively Rumsfeldesque and appears to be a weapon of mass deception in its own right.
This film is called "Voices Of Iraq." I was alerted to its existence yesterday by retired Air Force Colonel Sam Gardiner who is the best informed expert I know on Pentagon propaganda and information dominance strategies. I interviewed him for WMD and the two of us often correspond about new developments in the selling of the war.
Yesterday, Gardiner wrote to ask a question:
"In your travels, have you run into any discussion of the documentary "Voices of Iraq?" Looks, from a number of perspectives, to have been an inside job (which would be illegal). Publicity was by a PR firm with an Army contract." In a later note, Sam added that the film was promoted on a November 24th Voice of America story, noting that the nominally independent "VOA sits in on strategic communications meetings held by the White House Office of Global Communications."
Mmmmmmmmmmmm.
A DISSECTOR INVESTIGATION
So off to Google my fingers dashed, there to find a be-low job review for Voices of Iraq on none other than David Horowitz's Front Page website. ....Horowitz's site features a story by Joel Mowbray, author of a book attacking our State Department as a den of subversives. He loves Voices of Iraq which he describes this way:
{Quote]"Two former MTV producers have accomplished what the entire mainstream media thus far has not: they've captured the real life and times of the Iraqi people.
"They didn't do it alone, however. Producers Eric Manes and Martin Kunert sent 150 digital cameras into Iraq this April with very simple instructions: "Videotape your neighborhood, shopping area, where you live and work, pray, relax, and play" and interview "people who have the most meaning in your life."
"… The finished product, Voices of Iraq, is a taut 75-minute documentary, opening in limited release in ten cities. .. Infused throughout with an Iraqi hip-hop soundtrack, the briskly edited film is hands-off in letting ordinary Iraqis drive the storyline. That it won't realistically have much of an impact on the election is the only disappointing thing about this film.
"Groundbreaking and instantly compelling, VOI is sort of the anti-Michael Moore film. There's no narration, no heavy-handed editing. And whereas the man from Flint started with his premise and assembled his film to support it, the only goal when making VOI was to emulate the producers' trailblazing MTV show Fear, which gave cameras to everyday youths who filmed themselves at supposedly haunted locations. Defying expectations, the show was a hit."[/quote]
www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Printable.asp?ID=15739
VOICES MASKS ITS POLITICAL AGENDA
....Voices of Iraq claims to be produced and directed by the Iraqi people. But the film was financed by investors in the "voices of freedom" LLC in California, certainly an indication of its politics..... funders ... are not disclosed.
The Magnolia distribution company picked up the film. The Washington Times, that fount of objectivity, says it is "neither partisan or conservative." Gulf War veteran, ex- marine and actor Archie Drury says the film is about the choices Iraqs will make and speaks of "the run-up to historic elections." Their website carries links to organizations like the Iraq America Freedom Alliance and similar front groups, even as the film is being presented as just a cross section of Iraqi voices and politically neutral. No wonder Sam Gardiner is suspicious. Nary a critical word about the war is to be found on the site.
This "independent film" has PR support from the PR bigs of Manning Selvage & Lee. The firm describes itself this way on its website (www.mslpr.com) where its government and Iraq links are barely to be found: "With more than 950 employees, 2001 fee income of $118 million and a network of 100 offices and affiliates, Manning Selvage & Lee is one of the world's leading global public relations firms."
A KEY GOP-ARMY LINK
I then read about its principals. Bingo. "Don Hannaford, a managing director handles the firm's work with the US Army" .... His bio...:
"Hannaford began his public affairs career on Capitol Hill, serving in the office of a U.S. Senator. He subsequently worked for the U.S. Department of the Interior, first in the Office of Territorial and International Affairs and then as a public affairs manager with the Minerals Management Service. Upon leaving government, Hannaford served as director of political communications and advertising for the Republican National Committee."
Checking on, I found that the publicist on the film is named Mark Bennett. I called but he wasn't there. I checked his name and an earlier project association. Dig this project:
"U.S. Army Joins With NASCAR to Enhance Recruiting; Official Military Partner NASCAR and Sponsor of the Army 01 Winston Cup Pontiac. (Source: PR Newswire, Jan 23, 2003)
"We chose the number 01 to reinforce our slogan 'An Army of One'. The individual talents of each soldier are melded to create a single-minded team. NASCAR fans understand that kind of teamwork, because they see it in action every weekend in the pits. I firmly believe through our participation in NASCAR, they'll begin to understand that the U.S. Army lives it everyday," said Cavin.
"For more information about the U.S. Army and its racing programs, visit goarmy.com.
CONTACT: Mark Bennett, +1-202-261 2872, for the U.S. Army
"We chose the number 01 to reinforce our slogan 'An Army of One'. The individual talents of each soldier are melded to create a single-minded team. NASCAR fans understand that kind of teamwork, because they see it in action every weekend in the pits. I firmly believe through our participation in NASCAR, they'll begin to understand that the U.S. Army lives it everyday," said Cavin.
"For more information about the U.S. Army and its racing programs, visit goarmy.com.
CONTACT: Mark Bennett, +1-202-261 2872, for the U.S. Army
"FOR THE US ARMY?"
The plot thickens. I came across another site at cryptome.org/voi-who.htm. I don't know who runs it but it sure is on target. It offers a number of links that reveals that at this firm MS&L "The U.S. Army account [is] one of the largest and most visible accounts at one of the world's leading PR shops"
www.diversityinbusiness.com/dib2004/dib20404/Adv_NuTalent_SJhnsn.htm
.... I went deeper to discover how this firm echoes the Pentagon's "perception management" strategy: "At MS&L, we have a new and higher purpose. We don't just change perceptions, because perceptions can be fleeting. What we do - in every sense of the words - is this: Change Minds."
"They've recently won P.R. industry awards for their Army work:
www.publicity.org/trumpet2002winners.htm
www.publicity.org/trumpet2003silver.htm
DECEPTION
"The bottom line, the film and its PR firm are concealing their real agenda in Iraq. MS&L's website contains zero references to Iraq, perhaps due to the flash interface (I spidered the site through their sitemap, and in ~850 pages there is no tangible reference to Iraq.) However, other folks have tracked some of MS&L's work in Iraq
"The film's producers put out press releases stating that the film was directed by Iraqis themselves. However, their press releases say they sent out 150 cameras and received them back with 450 hours of footage - who edited the footage? What was their criteria for the footage selected and the ~448 hours left on the cutting room floor?
"More ponderage: when you're handing out what has to be at least US$150,000 worth of mini-DV cameras and stock, you want to get that back. So you choose carefully. It's just a guess that these cameras weren't handed to insurgents or poor folk, but to the educated class."
"The film's producers put out press releases stating that the film was directed by Iraqis themselves. However, their press releases say they sent out 150 cameras and received them back with 450 hours of footage - who edited the footage? What was their criteria for the footage selected and the ~448 hours left on the cutting room floor?
"More ponderage: when you're handing out what has to be at least US$150,000 worth of mini-DV cameras and stock, you want to get that back. So you choose carefully. It's just a guess that these cameras weren't handed to insurgents or poor folk, but to the educated class."
FOLLOW THE MONEY
Now lets go back to their funding entity. It's called: Booya Studios, LLC and:
Voices of Freedom, LLC
11026 Ventura Blvd., Suite 13
Studio City, CA 91604
818-769-7558
Whoever is writing on this critical site then adds:
"Having lived in that area for a number of years, I somewhat familiar with the area. Be advised that quite a number of addresses on Ventura Blvd. in Studio City, CA, are mail drops. I searched GOOGLE on this: 11026 Ventura Blvd., Suite 13
"Found this also...
"Boyfriend Cosmetics 11026 Ventura Blvd., Suite 13 Studio City, CA 91604"
"Found this also...
"Boyfriend Cosmetics 11026 Ventura Blvd., Suite 13 Studio City, CA 91604"
Address appears to me as a "mail drop" as opposed to a "real" office.
....Tracking this film could become film in itself, a film investigating the shadowy world of covert ops and the uses made of film to push government policy while appearing to be independent of it.
(next: why did major film distributor distribute the film as legitimate?)