Help Tell the Story of "America's Best Idea"
May 2007
In the fall of 2009, PBS will air The National Parks, a major documentary film series produced and directed by Ken Burns and written and produced by Dayton Duncan. Burns is world-renowned for telling great American stories. His movie The Civil War is the most-watched documentary ever!
But now he's asking for your help with The National Parks. The film series is not a travelogue or a nature film; it will tell the very powerful, human story of how the parks came into being and what they have meant to Americans for more than a hundred years.
To help tell this story, Burns' production team would like to collect home movies of visits to national parks by families and individuals for possible use in the film. They are looking for home movies from the 1920s through the 1980s, and are most interested in footage of families and tourists in the parks.
If your home movies are used in The National Parks, you will receive a DVD of the series. If you happen to have footage of the Yosemite firefall and it is included in the series, you will receive the DVD, plus your choice of one other Ken Burns film.
If you have home movies you would like to submit, please follow the criteria listed below:
- Home movies from the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s.
- They are most interested in families and tourists in the national parks, not scenery without people.
- Do not send original footage: VHS or DVD copies only, please. THE MATERIAL WILL NOT BE RETURNED.
- Clearly mark the tape or disc with your name, address, phone number and e-mail (if available), so they can contact you if your footage is selected.
- Include a brief description, e.g., the Smith family, George and Martha, Bill and Sally, in Grand Canyon, 1955.
Please send your material by August 1, 2007 to:
Anne Harrington
WETA
2775 S. Quincy Street
Arlington, VA 22206
Email: eod@weta.com
This article is from the May 2007 issue of NPCA's Park Lines. Each month Park Lines takes you to a new park, highlights one of our campaigns, and keeps you informed about what the staff at NPCA are up to and how you can help. Read our latest issue and subscribe for your very own free copy.
