SO I'M GOING TO GO TO SYRIA.
I DON'T WANT YOU TO GO.
I LOVE YOU SO MUCH.
YOU'VE GOT A FAMILY, AND YOU'RE
GOING TO A PLACE THAT YOU MIGHT
DIE.
IT'S SCARY.
JUAN: A FILMMAKER ON A
HUMANITARIAN MISSION GETS DRAWN
INTO THE FIGHT IN SYRIA IN THE
NEW WAR DOCUMENTARY, THE
VOLUNTEERS.
IT'S FROM EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
RICKY SCHRODER THAT FEATURES AN
INTENSE FIRST-PERSON VIEW OF THE
WAR IN SYRIA.
AND I CAN TELL YOU, I SAW THE
TRAILER, RICKY.
IT IS
IT REALLY TAKES YOU INTO BATTLE.
YOU'RE SIDE BY SIDE WITH THESE
GUYS.
YOU MUST BE VERY PRUD OF THIS
FILM.
INCREDIBLE PROUD.
THIS IS IMMERSED INTO THE
CONFLICT IN SYRIA FROM A
CAMERAMAN'S PERSPECTIVE.
RIVER RAINBOW MAHONEY IS HIS
NAME.
HE'S A BUDDY OF MINE.
WE WERE IN AFGHANISTAN TOGETHER
IN 2014.
THAT'S WHERE I MET RIVER, AND WE
SPENT FOUR MONTHS THERE.
WE STARTED HEARING ABOUT ISIS IN
2014, STARTED PLANNING THIS, AND
HE SPENT FROM FEBRUARY TIL JULY
OF 2016 IN NORTHERN SYRIA
EMBEDDED WITH THE KURDISH
MILITIA KNOWN AS THE YPG
FIGHTING AND TREATING MEDICAL
CASUALTIES ON THE FRONT LINES.
THE KURDS HAD NO FRONT LINE
COMBAT CARE, SO RIVER ALONG WITH
FOUR OTHER MEN THAT HE MET OVER
THERE STARTED TREATING, AND THEY
ENDED UP TREATING 363 CASUALTIES
WHILE THERE.
JUAN: AND WE'RE WATCHING SOME OF
IT RIGHT NOW, AND WHAT'S
INTERESTING, THERE'S A LINE IN
THE TRAILER THAT SAYS THEY'RE
TREATING ONE OF THE ENEMIES,
BASICALLY, ONE OF THE ISIS
FIGHTERS.
IF THEY WOULD HAVE CAUGHT US,
THEY WOULD HAVE CUT OUR HEADS
OFF, AND HERE WE ARE HELPING
THOSE OUT ON THE BATTLEFIELD.
THAT'S RIGHT.
YOU KNOW, MANY CIVILIANS AND
WOMEN AND CHILDREN WERE ALSO
HELPED.
AND IF YOU WANT TO UNDERSTAND
WHAT'S GOING ON IN SYRIA RIGHT
NOW, YOU KNOW, AS FAR AS WHAT'S
GOING ON THERE, THIS IS A GREAT
FIRST STEP, WATCHING THIS
DOCUMENTARY AND EDUCATING
YOURSELF ON WHAT'S GOING ON.
JUAN: AND TIMING COULDN'T BE ANY
MORE PERFECT.
IT IS VETERANS DAY TOMORROW.
THAT'S RIGHT.
JUAN: AND, OF COURSE, WE'RE
REMEMBERING OUR VETERANS, AND
YOU SEE EXACTLY WHAT THEY GO
THROUGH ON THE BATTLE LINES.
YEAH.
RIVER IS A VETERAN OF THE NAVY,
AND SOME OF THE OTHER GUYS HAD
ARMY EXPERIENCE THAT WERE ON THE
MEDICAL TEAM.
SO, YEAH, HATS OFF TO ALL THE
VETERANS OUT THERE.
YOU KNOW, THIS IS A STORY ABOUT
FIVE MEN WHO WERE WILLING TO
RISK IT ALL AND PUT THEMSELVES
IN HARM'S WAY TO HELP OTHER
PEOPLE, TO DEFEAT AN EVIL THAT,
YOU KNOW, I'VE NEVER SEEN
BEFORE.
JUAN: AND, RICKY, WHAT WAS YOUR
REACTION WHEN YOU SAW THIS
FOOTAGE COME IN?
IT IS INCREDIBLE.
YOU ARE THERE WITH THE MEN IN
THE HEAT OLD OF BATTLE -- HEAT
OF BATTLE.
YOU KNOW, WE HAD 300 HOURS OF
FOOTAGE TO REVIEW AND CUT DOWN
TO A THREE-HOUR DOCUMENTARY.
IT'S A TWO-PART EVENT.
IT WAS REALLY CHALLENGING TO
FIGURE OUT HOW MUCH TO SHOW THE
AUDIENCE BECAUSE YOU DON'T WANT
TO SHOW THEM TOO MUCH WHERE YOU
TURN THEM OFF AND IT'S TOO
GRAPHIC.
AT THE SAME TIME, YOU DON'T WANT
TO CANDY COAT OR SUGAR COAT
ANYTHING BECAUSE YOU WANT TO
SHOW THE AUTHOR RECORDS OF WHAT
IS -- THE HORRORS OF WHAT IS
GOING ON SO PEOPLE MAY FEEL
SOMETHING.
JUAN: SOMETHING ELSE TO BE PROUD
OF, I WAS READING YOU'RE
ACTUALLY A TRUSTED PRODUCTION
PARTNER FOR THE U.S. ARMY?
TELL US ABOUT THAT.
OH, YEAH.
I'VE HAD GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO
WORK WITH THE U.S. ARMY,
PRODUCED TWO DOCUMENTARIES ABOUT
THEM ONE CALLED THE FIGHTING
SEASON WHICH WAS WHEN I WAS IN
AFGHANISTAN FOR FOUR MONTHS, AND
THE OTHER PROJECT WAS CALLED MY
FIGHTING SEASON WHICH WAS ALL
TOLD THERE FIRST CAMERA HELMET
PERSPECTIVE OF SOLDIERS IN
COMBAT IN AFGHANISTAN.
AND, YOU KNOW, I WORKED WITH
THEM NOW FOR MANY, MANY YEARS.
PRODUCED A PROGRAM CALLED
STARTING STRONG, A RECRUITMENT
PROJECT.
I ENJOY WORKING WITH AMERICA'S
WAR FIGHTERS.
I LOVE BEING AROUND THESE
SOLDIERS BECAUSE THEY'RE
AUTHENTIC, THEY'RE REAL.
THERE'S NOTHING FAKE ABOUT ONE
OF THEM.
JUAN: AND YOUR FIRST MOVIE
WAS -- WHAT
MOVIE?
THE CHAMP.
JUAN: THAT'S RIGHT.
[LAUGHTER]
THERE YOU
FROM THE BEGINNING TO NOW, I
MEAN, A LOT HAS CHANGED,
OBVIOUSLY, IN FILM PRODUCTION.
YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT.
WELL, I'VE BEEN WORKING NOW
40 YEARS, I WAS 7 WHEN THAT WAS
MADE, AND I'M JUST -- IT'S ALL
CHANGED.
EVERYTHING'S CHANGED.
WHEN I WAS A KID, THERE WAS
THREE TV STATIONS, AND NOW
THERE'S, I THINK, 3,000.
SO WHAT CAN I SAY EXCEPT
THERE'S, IT'S, THERE'S GREAT
TELEVISION BEING PRODUCED.
THERE'S GREAT -- IT HAS CHANGED,
AND, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY HAS TO
ADAPT WITH IT.
I, FORTUNATELY, FOUND A WAY TO
ADAPT AS WELL.
JUAN: AND FROM SILVER SPOONS, OF
COURSE, TO WHAT YOU'RE DOING
TODAY, YOU ARE PUTTING OUT SO
MUCH GREAT PRODUCT THAT IS GOING
TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO PEOPLE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
I LOVE WHAT I DO, AND I'M GLAD I
GET TO CONTRIBUTE AND BRING
PROJECTS LIKE THIS TO AN
AUDIENCE.
IT COMES OUT TOMORROW NIGHT.
I AM SO EXCITED FOR THAT.
JUAN: AGAIN, WATCH "THE
VOLUNTEERS" TOMORROW NIGHT AND
SUNDAY NIGHT.
IT'S AT 10 P.M. ON AT&T AUDIENCE
NETWORK.
THAT'S ON DirecTV.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT RICKY
AND THE VOLUNTEERS, GO TO
KCAL9.COM, CLICK SEEN ON TV.
THANK YOU.
