Ribbons in Movies Part 2

Started by Spaceman3750, December 24, 2011, 09:22:13 AM

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Spaceman3750

It was previously pointed out that in Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe Cmdr. Axe is wearing a Lindbergh ribbon. I noticed tonight that Cmdr. Axe is also a proud Yeager recipient ::).


GroundHawg

Also note the Army/USMC style spacing between ribbons on the Naval uniform, and what looks to be a Dept of the Navy pin on the pocket. Dont these companies hire anyone with any military experience ever?

Chief2009

Not to mention the fact that Sam's supposed to be a SEAL, but is wearing SWO insignia, not a Trident.
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ol'fido

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Flying Pig

Interesting.  None of his ribbons are military ribbons. I dont know anything about the show.  Low budget Im assuming?  I live the ironing job....very squared away... :o

PHall

Quote from: Chief2009 on December 24, 2011, 03:00:08 PM
Not to mention the fact that Sam's supposed to be a SEAL, but is wearing SWO insignia, not a Trident.

Actually I think it's a GOOD THING that he's not wearing the Trident.

The CyBorg is destroyed

#6
JAG, although it was one of my favourite shows (mostly to look at Catherine Bell), and was usually accurate with fruit salad, made a mistake with Lieutenant Commander Mic Brumby, the Royal Australian Navy exchange officer (played by the late Trevor Goddard):

1. In the first season he was on, he did not wear the "AUSTRALIA" shoulder flashes, making him indistinguishable from a British RN officer.

2. An Aussie with this much chest candy (including the Australian Conspicuous Service Cross) would likely be MUCH higher up the food chain than two-and-a-half rings!



But at least his ribbons appeared to all be Australian...no spurious CAP chest candy. :P

EDIT: to fix image of Mr Goddard
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Spaceman3750

Quote from: Flying Pig on December 24, 2011, 04:23:40 PM
Interesting.  None of his ribbons are military ribbons. I dont know anything about the show.  Low budget Im assuming?  I live the ironing job....very squared away... :o

It's a USA network TV show with a TV movie. I'm assuming it's not low budget, though some of the cinematography makes me think otherwise.

I'm honestly thinking they called Vanguard and said "Send us one of everything".

The two investigating officers at Sam's inquiry are also wearing Lindbergh ribbons.

Extremepredjudice

If you watch tv and movies for the accuracy, you might as well get rid of your TV.

They aren't accurate. Move on.  ::)
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Cliff_Chambliss

Not ribbons, but watch the movie Midway.  Takeoff in an SBD Dauntless, In flight Douglas Devastators, an attack F4U Corsair, approach to land back to the SBD Dauntless, and crash on the fantail F9f Panther all on 1 flight.
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ColonelJack

You know why that is, don't you?

On average, 95 to 98 percent of the people viewing won't notice.  They'll see a uniform with ribbons above the left pocket; they won't care what the ribbons are supposed to mean.  They'll see a plane take off, fly, attack, approach and land, and they won't care that it isn't the same plane.  If the story line establishes the actor playing the pilot is flying whatever plane is shown, all but 2 to 5 percent of the audience will buy it.

Watch any episode of JAG (which normally does a good job on uniform items) in which Harm is flying a jet.  Dollars to doughnuts it won't be the same jet in every shot; either the jet itself will be different or at the very least the numbering and nomenclature on the jet will be different.

We're not supposed to notice that stuff.

Of course, the few of us who do notice that stuff make life pure agony for the boys in continuity - they're supposed to catch stuff like that.

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spacecommand

Found a website about the blue ray version with some screen caps I think:

Warning large high resolution:

http://www.blu-raydefinition.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/BDDefinition2011FallofSamAxe-2.WM_.jpg

http://www.blu-raydefinition.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/BDDefinition2011FallofSamAxe-1.WM_.jpg

As mentioned the general public doesn't know.  It used to irk me in older WW2 movies to see Sherman tanks dressed up as Panzers, or later model P-51s seen in early 1943, but in modern CGI days you don't see that too often anymore. 

Walkman

I don't remember where I got this, so take it with a grain of salt, but I heard at one point that wardrobe purposefully created small uniform errors. Something to do with being in the spirit as well as the letter of the law. I know there is a clause in the law that allows actors to wear a uniform for a production.

Like i said, I could be wrong...

Hawk200

Quote from: Walkman on December 25, 2011, 10:33:23 PM
I don't remember where I got this, so take it with a grain of salt, but I heard at one point that wardrobe purposefully created small uniform errors. Something to do with being in the spirit as well as the letter of the law. I know there is a clause in the law that allows actors to wear a uniform for a production.

Like i said, I could be wrong...
As far as I recall, you're right. There used to be a stipulation that a whole and completely accurate uniform worn by an individual representing a service but was not actually a service member was a violation. If the uniform was not completely accurate though, then technically the appropriate rules did not apply.

The changes that actually allowed the wear of an accurate uniform were only made in the last few years. From what I understand, most of the studios keep it inaccurate out of standing practice than for any legal issues.

Stargate (the TV series) got a little more accurate in the later seasons because they actually had Air Force advisors. I think they maintained the different "uniform" to give it that secret squirrel feeling. It didn't really impede the story, so it wasn't an issue.

The CyBorg is destroyed

That being the case, all one would really have to do is have incorrect buttons on a uniform to avoid a violation.

One of my favourite Star Trek episodes, "Tomorrow Is Yesterday," is full of Air Force uniforms, not to mention an orange flight suit with plastic encased rank insignia.

Spot the errors, if any:







This might be more of a nitpick than an actual error, but notice that the Security Police Lt Col and NCO are wearing SAC shields.

Given that the opening sequence shows F-104's being scrambled, and that Captain William Christopher is piloting one, shouldn't it be an ADC base?

Also, isn't this a strange angle to wear a beret?



And, given the era, wouldn't Ike jackets still be seen?

That said, I consider this to be the Air Force's uniform heyday.
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Spaceman3750

Seems like a funny way to wear a sidearm...


SarDragon

I don't recall the alleged year in "the past", but the IKE Jacket was gone from the AF by the time that the series originated. It was gone from CAP, too, IIRC. I never bothered getting one WIWAC, because it had a phase-out date. It was in th3 1961 39-1, and gone from the subsequent , 1968, version.
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PHall

And the orange flight suit on the F-104 pilot with the plastic encased rank is accurate, for ADC in 1966.

Heck, when I went through aircrew survival school (SV-80) at Fairchild in 1978 we had a couple Active Duty F-106 drivers who only had orange flight suits.
Which made things kinda interesting during the evasion part of the course... ::)

lordmonar

Quote from: Hawk200 on December 26, 2011, 04:40:32 AM
Quote from: Walkman on December 25, 2011, 10:33:23 PM
I don't remember where I got this, so take it with a grain of salt, but I heard at one point that wardrobe purposefully created small uniform errors. Something to do with being in the spirit as well as the letter of the law. I know there is a clause in the law that allows actors to wear a uniform for a production.

Like i said, I could be wrong...
As far as I recall, you're right. There used to be a stipulation that a whole and completely accurate uniform worn by an individual representing a service but was not actually a service member was a violation. If the uniform was not completely accurate though, then technically the appropriate rules did not apply.

The changes that actually allowed the wear of an accurate uniform were only made in the last few years. From what I understand, most of the studios keep it inaccurate out of standing practice than for any legal issues.

Stargate (the TV series) got a little more accurate in the later seasons because they actually had Air Force advisors. I think they maintained the different "uniform" to give it that secret squirrel feeling. It didn't really impede the story, so it wasn't an issue.
The only problem with that theory....is that the law has a specific exemption for theatrical situations AND the law does not recognise the "just one thing out of place" loop hole in the case of someone who really was wearing the uniform to defraud or to gain access to the base.
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