Charlie Victor Romeo (2013)

A documentary derived entirely from 'Black Box' transcripts of six real-life major airline emergencies.

Directors:

Robert Berger (co-director), Patrick Daniels (co-director)

Writers:

Robert Berger, Patrick Daniels

Stars:

Robert Berger, Patrick Daniels, Noel Dinneen

1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Robert Berger	...	Air Traffic Control AA1572, AE4184, AP603, Yukla27, JAL123, UAL232
Patrick Daniels	...	Pilot AA1572, AP603, UAL232 / Air Traffic Control JAL123
Noel Dinneen	...	Automatic Terminal Information Service AA1572 / Pilot AE4184 / Flight Engineer JAL123 / Systems and Maintenance UAL232
Irving Gregory	...	Co-Pilot AA1572, UAL232 / Pilot Yukla27 / Air Traffic Control JAL123
Debbie Troche	...	Flight Attendant AA1572, JAL123, UAL232 / Air Traffic Control AE4184 / Co-Pilot AP603
Nora Woolley	...	Flight Attendant AE4184 / Flight Engineer Yukla27, UAL232 / Co-Pilot JAL123
Sam Zuckerman	...	Air Traffic Control AA1572, AP603 / Co-Pilot AE4184, Yukla27 / Pilot JAL123 / Denny Fitch UAL232

Storyline

A documentary derived entirely from 'Black Box' transcripts of six real-life major airline emergencies.

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Plot Keywords:

reenactment | airplane crew | airplane | aircrew | airplane crash | 

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Taglines:

What is going on up there behind the door in the front of the airplane? Who are these people we trust our lives to, and what do they really do when things go horribly wrong?

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Genres:

Documentary | Drama | History | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 January 2013 (USA)

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

3-Legged Dog,Collective:Unconscious

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Charlie Victor Romeo is the NATO Phonetic Alphabet equivalent of CVR, which is the abbreviation for Cockpit Voice Recorder. All the dialogue in the movie comes from the CVR of the flights.

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Connections

References Seconds from Disaster: Terrified Over Tokyo (2012)

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Soundtracks

Republican Strut
Performed by Proton Wasp
Music by James Scott Maloy & Brett Merritt
Used by Permission

User Reviews

a spell-binding, psychological thrilling techno experience within a tension-filled cockpit

Interestingly, the film "Charlie Victor Romeo," evolved from an award-winning play created in 1999 by Daniels, Berger and Gregory. The play captured two Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Unique Theatrical Experience and Outstanding Sound Design and received recognition from Time Magazine in 2004 as Best Theatre Top Ten plays. The 1999 theater version eventually was videotaped and the Smithsonian Aviation Museum reviewed it. Shortly thereafter, the aviation community picked it up and incorporated it into its repertoire of training tools for its pilots' Crew Resource Management. After its 1999 opening at Collective:Unconscious in New York City, the played toured internationally and nationally until 2008.

The film version of "Charlie Victor Romeo," is a collaborative effort between Collective:Unconscious and 3LD Art & Technology Center. The production was filmed at 3LD Art & Technology Center as part of its new 3LD/3D+ program, a cross-platform for distribution and production of experimental work and made its West Coast premiere on Saturday, November 9th, at the AFI Filmfest 2013. Following the second viewing at the Filmfest on November 11th, the cast of Patrick Daniels, Irving Gregory, Noel Dinneen, Sam Zuckerman, Debbie Troche and Nora Wooley hosted a Q & A. Producer Catarina Bartha was also in the house to support her cast.

Berger, when asked what was the motivation behind the project, conveyed that it wasn't anything political that it was simply trying to make something of interest to an audience.

In its most basic sense, "Charlie Victor Romeo," dramatizes the human intensity that surfaces during the distressed descents of six airline crashes culled from dialogs taken from the surviving black box transcripts. In introducing the affected flights overlay schematics display the failed mechanical parts of the air crafts.

The team of screenwriters, Berger, Daniels and Gregory, scoured the typed transcripts of scores of airline emergencies and crashes, finally settling on the six presented. The criteria used in choosing which emergencies to dramatize the team wanted scenarios with enough emotional intensity that they could perform the scenes dramatically. They also wanted situations that illuminated the aviation perspective. And, finally, they wanted material that allowed their performances to create a bridge for the audience between professional aviation and their art in portraying the human aspect of handling an aviation emergency while in in-flight when things go horribly wrong. All the flights selected had issues due to mechanical failures.

"Charlie Victor Romeo," creates a spell-binding, psychological thrilling techs experience within a tension-filled cockpit as the flight crews provide testament to the ability to live life to the very last second while deftly providing insight into who the people are that we entrust our lives to during airline flights and what they do when things go horribly wrong. Furthermore, the conscious decision to use 3D technology enabled the troupe to help bring the reality of being in the cockpit directly to the audience consciousness during the catastrophic experience as the pilots fight to save their passengers and themselves from an impending disaster.

In my opinion, "Charlie Victor Romeo," pushes boundaries proving stereoscopic lensing is no longer the exclusive d0main of the epic major studios productions. But more than that, "Charlie Victor Romeo," takes real-life aviation emergencies and brings them into the mainstream consciousness in a very humanistic way. Recommended.