SCRIPT, STORYBOARDS, AND ADAPTATION

From Ambrose’s Written Page to the Big Screen

Jacob L. T. Bates researched Ambrose Bierce’s 1887 story and its Civil War setting, then adapted the story for the screen and wrote the screenplay for Killed at Resaca.

Jacob revised the screenplay over and again as the production developed. He had reached version 18 by the first day of filming, 24 July 2026, and the script changed multiple times during the 6 days of filming, spread over 2 weeks. HIs screenplay organized characters, dialogue, locations, props, movement, period detail, and the practical requirements of filming.

Jacob expanded Bierce’s literary world for the film. Jacob added dialogue and physical action, built camp and military relationships around Brayle and Bierce, and connected battlefield scenes to train travel, domestic interiors, and postwar memory. During filming, Jacob and the performers brought Bierce’s world to life — on real terrain, with real bodies in wool uniforms, with available props, weather, light, sound, and time.

Film viewers can compare three layers: what Bierce wrote, what Jacob put into the screenplay , and what the finished film ultimately shows