Case Study: The Last Burma Star – WWII Documentary Logistics in Northeast India

  • Project: The Last Burma Star
  • Format: Documentary (Landmark Feature 1x 60 min)
  • Client: Grammar Productions / Sky History
  • Credit: Fixer (India)
  • Locations: Northeast India.

Production Services in India

The Challenge: A Race Against Time in a Remote Region

For this poignant Sky HISTORY special, explorer Levison Wood and historian Alex Bescoby set out on a deeply personal mission: to track down one of the last surviving veterans of the Burma Campaign to give him the Burma Star medal he never received, as well as an incredible and unexpected personal message from His Majesty King Charles III.

The mission parameters were extreme. The veteran they needed to find was 100 years old and living in a remote village in the Northeast India borderlands, adjacent to the conflict in Myanmar.

The production faced a "perfect storm" of logistical hurdles: an "impossible budget," a rugged, infrastructure-poor environment, and a critical ticking clock. The team needed to move a documentary unit through difficult terrain with zero margin for delay, ensuring they reached the veteran while he was still able to receive them.

The Solution: "India Made Easy" via Agile Logistics

This project didn't need a standard production service; it needed a surgical, low-footprint logistical operation.

Our UK-managed team implemented a strategy of "agile access." We bypassed the bloat of a standard unit, deploying a streamlined logistical package capable of moving fast in the hills. We managed the complex journey, ensuring the crew could operate safely and discreetly in a sensitive environment. We managed the fatigue, the terrain, and the schedule, allowing Levison and Alex to focus entirely on the emotional weight of the historic reunion.

What Our Clients Said

"Amazing service. Everything was great and Tony is a legend"

Levison Wood | Explorer, Writer & Presenter

"Tony is an absolute legend. No challenge is too great for him and his team. We came to Tony with a seemingly impossible task and he was able to make it work perfectly, properly scheduled, and on an impossible budget. His calm and collected manner and continuing advice during production saved the day on numerous occasions. I would recommend Tony and Goa Film Services in a heartbeat every time for any production support in India, honestly no need to look anywhere else."

Luke Radcliff, Director | Grammar Productions | Sky History

"Can’t recommend Tony more. He is patient and has great contacts across the country. He always has a solution to make any idea happy and is very knowledgeable."

Evangeline Modell, Producer | Blackmane Media | Sky History

 

Sky History Trailer

 

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