Extras shoulder StatPacks on the tarmac in the climactic scene of The Return.
Los Angeles, California – Combat medics looking for a backpack that is both stylish and battle-ready might get an assist from Hollywood this December, when The Return hits movie theaters. For their story of three American soldiers home on medical leave from Iraq, the film’s creators combed the marketplace for functional military packs that also looked good. They chose StatPacks.
“In the film industry, we’re always looking for the next cool thing,” said prop master Danny Fisher. Within military specifications, StatPacks stand out with modern styling and clean designs influenced by the outdoor athletics industry. “These packs have a lot of water cooler value.”
But Fisher knew that realistic details were essential in outfitting more than 150 extras for the film’s climactic “Tarmac” scene, when the lead characters board a charter plane back to Iraq after a month stateside. “It’s an emotional scene,” he said. “Logistically, that made it the toughest. If it doesn't feel authentic, we risk losing the audience. We have to look at these packs and believe they could survive a tour of duty.”
StatPacks’ new tactical line had already stood up to the streets of Baghdad—outside the green zone—as part of the company’s field-testing program. “It is crucial for us to test our packs in operational environments,”
Nelson and his partners supported the project based on the creators’ commitment to honestly portray American servicemen. “It is a film which we hope will both enlighten and entertain the movie-going audience, giving them a few laughs and asking them to consider the physical and psychological costs of war to its warriors,” Fisher said. “Regardless of anybody’s politics, this is a film that avoids easy stereotypes and heavy, preachy messages to portray soldiers as living, breathing human beings.”
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
