Private Project

Macy's Goes To War

"Macy's Goes to War" is a fictional satirical short black and white "Washingtone News" newsreel from 1942 telling the story of FDR's call for much needed scrap rubber and his phone call to Mr Macy resulting in Macy's Department Store's vital contribution to the US war effort. The film seamlessly blends new black and white scenes and original archival footage with inserted 2D animation to create a humorous and fun new take on actual history.

  • Duncan Putney
    Director
    Half Pint History
  • Duncan Putney
    Writer
    "Half Pint" "Partnership Runs Deep" "Canisters" "The Yule Doll"
  • Duncan Putney
    Producer
    "Half Pint History"
  • Andre Stark
    Producer
    "Half Pint History"
  • John McNiff
    Key Cast
    "Newsreel Announcer"
  • Norm Harbinson
    Key Cast
    "Navy Officer"
  • Bob Stella
    Key Cast
    "Mr. Macy"
  • Seaman Spencer Kilgrew
    Key Cast
    "Ray Douglas"
  • Al Chin
    Editor
  • Stephanie Esther
    Animation
    Animation Artwork
  • Juliet Schneider
    Animation
    Adobe 2D Animator
  • Sam Coale
    Director of Photography
    DP/Camera Operator
  • Al Chin
    Sound
    Sound Recording & Mix
  • United States Navy Band
    Music
    Music Performance
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    5 minutes 37 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    August 5, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    2,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • One-Reeler Short Film Festival

    United States
    Award of Merit
  • Bedford Falls Film Festival

    United States
    George Bailey Award
  • Eurovision Palermo Film Festival

    Italy
    Best Film About War
  • Gold Movie Awards

    Monthly: Best Director & Best Production Design
  • Honor Film Festival

    Best Satire
  • Will Roger Motion Picture Festival

    United States
    Finalist
  • Montreal International History Film Festival
    Montreal, Quebec
    Canada
  • Kiev Film Festival
    Kiev
    Ukraine
  • Austria International Film Festival

    Austria
  • Art Is Alive Film Festival

    United States
  • Reykjavik Visions Film Festival

    Iceland
  • Las Vegas International Film & Screenwriting Festival
    Las Vegas, Nevada
    United States
  • Shawna Shea Film Festival
    Southbridge, MA
    United States
Director Biography - Duncan Putney

Duncan studied theater at the University of Massachusetts and began his film career as an actor. He has appeared in such films and TV projects as “The Gilded Lily’s,” Ben Affleck’s “The Town,” “Vault,” “R.I.P.D,” “Brilliant Mistakes,” “By the Sea,” “A Matter of Degrees,” Clint Eastwood’s “Mystic River” opposite Tim Robbins, and “The Judge” opposite Billy Bob Thornton.

Always writing, Duncan has won and been a finalist in many screenwriting competitions, including the Waterford International Film Festival, the Spotlight on New England competition, the Woods Hole Film Festival, the International Family Film Festival. His mystery e-novella, “Pocket Change,” garnered a New Hampshire Literary Award nomination and his novella, “Storm Windows,” won the Dixie Kane SOLA award for unpublished inspirational romance. He was hired to write a science and historical documentary, “Partnership Runs Deep,” for NOAA and the Smithsonian that went on to air on NBC and won three Gold Screen Awards in 2009. He has written Emmy Award winning public service campaigns, an educational children’s history TV pilot for Original Concept & Development Associates that he also directed titled “Half Pint,” that took home a Van Gogh Award from the Amsterdam Film Festival. His short screenplay “Deputy Douglas” was produced in 2018 in Los Angeles by award winning director Eris Zhao as “The Yule Doll.” Duncan’s short script, “Macy’s Goes to War” was recently produced by Original Concept & Development Associates.

Duncan is also the creator of the Children’s Hospitals International Film Festival program for Flickers that brings a festival of wonderful short films from around the world to young patients in hospitals across the US and in Canada.

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Director Statement

I hope that you find our "Macy's Goes to War" short to be an amusing appetizer in your film feast. This project was a team effort of a writer/director, a film editor/sound-mixer, a director of photography, an artist, an adobe 2D animator, cast, and supporting crew.