Operation Home Base: A New Military TV Series

Operation Home Base: A New Military TV Series
By
Stephen Mitchell

Recently, I had the opportunity to talk to writer Theresa Chaze about her new military series, Operation Home Base, and her other upcoming projects.

Stephen: I’ve read your proposal, pilot and the first season. You have been describing Operation Home Base as the newest military series, yet most of the stories are civilian based.

Theresa: First and foremost, OHB is about people. Although, I decided focus on military personnel, vets and their dependants, civilians also faces the same issues. I know the military and I care. I never really had the discipline to enlist myself, but I have a great deal of respect for those who do put their lives on their line. Like so many people, I never really considered what the families go through when their loved ones are deployed. Those who have loved ones who serve pull double duty with one foot in both military and civilian worlds.

Stephen: What inspired you to create OHB?

Theresa: A very good friend of mine used to volunteer for the Red Cross. The stories I heard planted the idea. But passing messages wasn’t active enough to create an hour drama. After doing research, I found several organizations who were helping military families, including one called Operation Homefront.



Stephen: From where do your your story lines come?

Theresa: From the back pages of newspapers. Unless a vet or military personnel does something really naughty, their stories don’t make the front page. I will also be using history. WWII, Korea, and Vietnam--they all have stories that need to be told. Some of them won’t be so nice to hear. But the healing has to start somewhere. So many vets came back and just buried what happened. But no matter how deeply they dug or how much denial they dumped on top of it, those experiences don’t just disappear or heal themselves.

Stephen: Can you give a few more examples from the first season?

Theresa: A Marines therapy dog was killed by two people just for the hell of it. His story will not only raise awareness about therapy dogs, but it is also the basis of a fund raiser on the show that I would really like to see blend into real life.

Someone in the had intercepted letters sent to military personnel, serving over seas, and wrote “Returned to sender. Deceased.“ Can you imagine what it felt like for the friends and family members to get their letters back? The Post Office traced the letters back to one of their hubs. Toward the end of the first season, this real life event will become Michael’s obsession.

Stephen: How does OHB compare with other dramas?

Theresa: I looked to the most successful dramas as my models: MASH, Medical Center, NCIS, Criminal Minds, Little House on the Prairie, The Waltons, The CSIs. I took the best pieces of all of them, added in real life and mixed well.

Stephen: I'm surprised to hear you list Little House and The Waltons.

Theresa: Both shows were about family. That is the foundation OHB is build on. Not only the families of vets and military personnel, but the brother and sisterhood of the military. The Marines say Semper Fi, but the concept applies to all the branches as well as to service in general. The Army vs. Navy game might have them fighting on the playing field, but when push comes to shove there is only one team--The United States.

Stephen: Which is your favorite character?

Theresa: I love them all, but I have a special fondness for Walter. He is going to be a lot like JR; the viewers will love to hate him. The thing about Walter is that he is all about family and country. Everything he does is motivated by those two things. It is the blind spot that others will use against him. He is the apex of the conspiracy or so it will seem, but even Walter doesn’t know who he is actually working for. But that is further down the road than I would like to talk about.

Stephen: I’ve noticed that most of your cast choices are older. Why?

Theresa: The characters and actors have to be older to have the experience to truly understand. Until you lived a little life, there is no way you can bring that kind of wisdom to the table. It would be very easy to bring beef cake and bikini’s to the table; that is what most shows are doing these days. But OHB is swimming in the deep end of the pool. The characters have issues. They are damaged on many levels, but in spite of all their pain, they still are willing to help others heal even if they can’t help themselves.

My site address is www.theresachaze.com. It’s the best starting point to learn about me and Operation Home Base.

Operation Home Base Seeks Product Placement Partners

When you turn on the tube, are you enjoying what is being aired? Or do you channel surf until you settle on the least offensive or boring program? When is the last time you actually looked forward to watching a new program or went out of your way to make time in your busy schedule to watch a series? If you are like me it has been a while. Most new shows simply aren’t willing to put the time, talent or the money into creating programming that is unique and creative. Operation Home Base goes back to the basics by creating characters that actually have personalities, instead of just sex appeal. In OHB, cliff hangers are the norm not just accidental exception.

OHB is looking for product placement partners. Whether it is home repair, telephone service, restaurant or in the case of the pilot episode, emergency support in the form of prepaid charge cards after a family who looses everything to a home fire, OHB will be able to effectively promote a diverse number products and services, while still being able to produce quality entertainment.. By making the product or business a natural part of the scene, it not becomes an effective marketing tool, but also it becomes permanently embedded into the episode. No matter what time slot, network or products slotted for the official commercial breaks, every time that episode airs the embedded products will once again be marketed without any extra cost to the sponsors. Sponsors will not only gain effective marketing for their products, but they will also gain the additional benefit of showing public support for the military, veterans and their families.

Reality shows are cheaper. But sponsors get what they pay for. Scripted programming has a reliable and consistent storylines. In addition, both the actors and the genres have loyal fan bases that reality shows cannot compete with. Reality shows might cost less initially, but scripted shows are a more effective marketing tool.

Whether civilian, military or governmental, there is good and bad in every organization. Most people will be able to tell the difference between fact and fiction?  The conspiracy was added solely to capture the audiences attention. Like MASH, NCIS, Criminal Minds, Saving Grace, the CSIs and every other quality drama, there is an underlying storyline that keeps the viewers coming back.  In OHB, that is the "conspiracy".  Why did the soldiers disappear?  Who is trying to cover it up?  How far are they willing to go to keep their secret?  While the audience is trying to figure out these simple questions, they are learning about how important therapy dogs are to wounded warriors.  Why are some veterans homeless?  They will learn why PTSD is so devastating not only to the individual, but the family and society as a whole.  OHB will give those who serve not only faces, but show why they put it all on the line.  By getting to know and caring about the characters, the audience will not only gain a clearer understanding, but also a new compassion. 

Remember in MASH when Henry Blake was killed?  Who wasn't affected right along with the Hawkeye, Radar, and the rest of the characters?  The truth is good people go to war.  The truth is also not all of them come back.  And those that do come back are never the same.  OHB tells their stories.  Sometimes the viewers will laugh.  Sometimes they will cry.  But they will also begin to see those who serve as real people.

OHB has been receiving support in and out of the military as well as from veteran’s organizations. The rapidly growing list can be found on OHB’s site-http://www.theresachaze.com/Operation_Home_Base.html

When I created Operation Home Base, my intention was to go back to the basics by creating a series that is well rounded and broad based when it comes to character and plot. Like the early TV shows, I wanted to create a multi-generational show that was not only entertaining, but also made a difference. The major differences between OHB and the previous shows is the ethnic and lifestyle diversity that was lacking before. Although the shows will be focusing on the challenges and issues connected to the military, civilians will also be able to identify with the same life tests.

The characters are multi-dimensional with their own personal issues and fears, yet they have found ways to either over come them or function through them. They all have their individual strengths, yet they remain vulnerable to old wounds and fears, most of which they simply don’t understand. They are flawed people, and yet they choose to step up and help others even if they are unable to help themselves.

OHB is not a reality show or a simplistic T & A. Sometimes it will make the viewer laugh--sometimes cry. Sometimes the viewers will get angry at and with the characters. But unlike most new shows, it will make them feel again because they will be able to identify with the characters enough to care about them. The viewers will also love or in the case of Walter love to hate the characters simply because they will see their own grandparents, parents, siblings, friends and even themselves mirror in them.

I invite you share the journey that characters of Operation Base will take as they learn to heal themselves, while protecting and helping others. It will be an adventure that will make you laugh and cry, but more importantly at the end of day make you feel as if you have made a difference. Not only will you help create an amazing show that will not only entertain, but also help heal old wounds, some of which have been ignored for decades.