|
The WVDOT’s
Communications Office is currently producing a documentary
entitled CROSSINGS - Bridge Building in West Virginia.
This film, due for release in March 2006, will show the
formidable terrain our forefathers faced and how they overcame
these transportation barriers with innovative, award-winning
structures.
CROSSINGS -
Bridge Building in West Virginia, courtesy of a Federal
Highway Administration Transportation Enhancement grant, will
be edited for distribution to Public Television, the History
Channel, the WV Board of Education, state libraries and other
media outlets.
"West
Virginians have a transportation system they can be proud of,
particularly if they are made aware of it," says Terry Lively,
writer and executive producer for WVDOT on the project.
"This documentary will encourage people of all ages to take
pride not only in their transportation system but also in those
who first created the framework and the builders who followed."
Another
positive outcome of this documentary will be its impact on
transportation-related tourism. With the state’s 17 remaining covered
bridges completely renovated, they will be an attractive magnet
for history buffs.
Digital Vision Works, a production company
from Dunbar, WV, was awarded a contract to film the one-hour
documentary.
Among several
national and international awards Digital Vision Works has won
is the recently added "Award of Excellence" given by the
International Videographer Awards for their work on another West
Virginia-based production, "The Captives." This educational
docudrama is based on the life of Mary Ingles-Draper. They share
this award with Jude Miller, a Roane County teacher who wrote
and directed the story.
"The film/video
industry generates millions of dollars in other states across
the country and there is no reason why we can’t do that here in
West Virginia," says Ronn Smith, executive producer for Digital
Vision Works. "We have the tools and the talent here in-state."
Digital Vision Works hopes the
attention this documentary will generate helps the film/video
production industry to continue to grow throughout the state. |
