Behind the Scenes: The Making of 'The Great War' Project

History · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Curious about the creation of historical documentaries? This project reveals the extensive team and scholarly resources dedicated to bringing World War I to life. Discover the blend of research, writing, and technical skill required to reconstruct such a massive historical narrative.

The 'THE GREAT WAR' project is presented by Indiana Neidell, with Indiana Neidell credited for the writing. The team responsible for this endeavor is quite large, involving Toni Steller as the Director of Photography and Toni Steller and Julian Zahn for editing. Research was conducted by Indiana Neidell, while Latoya Wild and David Voss handled the fact-checking process. The project also credits Bojan Novic for the sound design and features licenced material from British Pathé.

The project draws upon a variety of scholarly sources for its background knowledge. These include works such as *The First World War. A Complete History* by Picture Alliance Gilbert, Martin (Holt Paperbacks, 2004), and *World War One. A Short History* by Norman Stone (Penguin, 2008). Further academic texts cited include *The Great War* by Peter Hart (Oxford University Press, 2013), *The Great War. 1914-1918* by Peter Hart (Profile Books, 2013), *The First World War* by John Keegan (Vintage, 2000), *Catastrophe 1914. Europe Goes To War* by Max Hastings (Knopf, 2013), *Enzyklopädie Erster Weltkrieg* by Gerhard Hirschfeld (Schöningh Paderborn, 2004), and *Der Erste Weltkrieg. Wirkung, Wahrnehmung, Analyse* by Wolfgang Michalka (Seehamer Verlag GmbH, 2000).

The project's development involved a concept provided by Spartacus Olsson, and the visual concept was handled by Astrid Deinhard-Olsson. Astrid Deinhard-Olsson and Spartacus Olsson are credited as the Executive Producers. Furthermore, Florian Wittig serves as the Social Media Manager, who posts links, facts, and behind-the-scenes content on the associated social media channels. The team also acknowledges receiving support from its audience, noting a milestone of 100,000 subscribers.

The depth of resources suggests a comprehensive approach to the conflict, spanning multiple academic viewpoints and production roles. The involvement of multiple authors and specialized roles—from sound design to fact-checking—indicates a commitment to detailed historical representation, drawing from sources published across different years, such as 2000, 2004, 2008, 2013, and 2014.

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