Graphic process

Antietam utilizes a new approach to historic reenactment. Its central premise is that television recreations rarely, if ever, work in the context of non-fiction filmmaking. They more often than not are a distraction, pulling the viewer out of the time period. Simply put, they look like they were shot today in a medium unavailable at the time of the historical event. Our goal was to shoot reenactments that create movement in new ways (not simple pan and wipe moves popularized by Ken Burns). In effect, Viewfinder created a new form of moving image, but one that also suggested period accuracy for the Civil War.

The overall impact was to immerse the audience entirely in the battle, giving them an intimacy and a sense of action never before experienced in a non-fiction film about the Civil War. It was as if Robert Capa had captured the carnage of Antietam on a series of wet-plate negatives.

Available film excerpts:

The Corn Field

The Sunken Road

Antietam graphics - behind the scenes