Shooting Commences on ‘First’ 3D War Doc

CULVER CITY, CALIF.: Principal photography is underway on what’s being called “the world’s first native 3D war documentary,” by 3Net, the joint venture 3DTV network from Discovery, IMAX and Sony. The trio says “The Civil War 3D” will be “the most ambitious 3D series ever produced for television.” The four-hour miniseries--now working titled--is scheduled to debut this fall.

“Shooting in native 3D gives us the unique ability to bring an entirely new level of depth and emotion to this epic time in history with groundbreaking storytelling that simply hasn’t been possible until now,” said Tom Cosgrove, president and CEO of 3Net.

The program calls upon “specially digitized stereoscopic archival imagery from the period, scripted reenactments and character narrative,” according to the presser. It brings in “detailed letters from Union soldier Henry Livermore Abbott, who would die in the Battle of the Wilderness in 1864,” and those of “Confederate cadet Charles Loehr, whose eloquent memoirs reveal similar sentiments from the South.”

“The lifeblood of any historical recreation is the research,” said Patrick Brennan, author of “Secessionville: Assault on Charleston,” co-writer and historical consultant on the miniseries. “The 1st Virginia and 20th Massachusetts regiments participated in nearly every major battle in the Easter Theater, and the men in these units gave us authentic and haunting first-hand insights into America’s darkest days.”

David W. Padrusch is directing the miniseries for Towers Productions LLC, and also serving as executive producer along with the company’s founder and chief creative officer, Jonathan Towers.

3Net was launched on DirecTV in February.