Train Crossing Saskatchewan River at The Pas ~ 'Muskeg
Special' (1979)
Information about the project may be explored through
the following topics:
INTRODUCTION___ABOUT
THE DVD___PROJECT INFORMATION___CREDITS
FILM CREW___EQUIPMENT___PRODUCTION SCHEDULE___TRANSCRIPT
PRODUCTION STILLS 1___PRODUCTION STILLS 2
BRIEF HISTORY OF REGION___RESEARCH___INTERVIEW
with Oscar Olson
NEW ~ VIEW 2 MINUTE 'MUSKEG SPECIAL' TRAILER ON
YOUTUBE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnTrN1YVKfI
INTRODUCTION TO THE DOCUMENTARY
MUSKEG SPECIAL began as an independent documentary
commemorating the 50th Anniversary
of completion of the railway from The Pas to Churchill, in Northern
Manitoba, Canada.
During the summer of 1979, the film's director, Gregory Zbitnew, and an intrepid crew
from the Winnipeg Film Group, recorded footage of many unique
individuals
then living in small communities along the Hudson Bay Rail Line.
Originally, 12,600 feet of colour 16mm film was processed
and workprinted;
(equivalent in running time to about 5.5 hours). In addition,
approximately
12 hours of sound was recorded on 1/4 inch audio tape.
[Transcript
of unedited footage provides a list of communities and people
interviewed]
In 2006, Dream Logic Corporation obtained sponsorship
to finance digitization
of the film and sound, and by June 2007, editing and design of
the DVD was completed.
'Muskeg Special' also includes excerpts of 16mm movie
film originally recorded
by George Coutts (in the early 1930's)
along the rail line and at the Port of Churchill.
Footage used with permission from the Provincial Archives of Manitoba.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ORDER 'Muskeg Special'
[True North Edition] on DVD:
The feature-length documentary has a running-time of
approximately 2 hours.
To order a copy, send a cheque or money-order for $20
plus $5 for S+H to:
Gregory Zbitnew
c/o Dream Logic Corporation
517 McNaughton Avenue, Winnipeg, Canada R3R 3A1
Phone (204) 895-0658
or email: gregoryz@shaw.ca
'Muskeg Special'
[True North Edition] is distributed by WFG:
'Muskeg Special' DVD is primarily distributed by the
Winnipeg Film Group:
Shop On-line at: WWW.WINNIPEGFILMGROUP.COM
Email Distribution Coordinator, Monica Lowe: distribution@winnipegfilmgroup.com
or phone (204) 925-3452
[Winnipeg Film Group accepts payment by Credit Card]
'Muskeg Special'
is also available at these Northern Manitoba locations:
SAM WALLER MUSEUM (THE PAS): (204) 623-3802
CRAZY PETE'S TRADING POST (THOMPSON): (204) 778-6819
ARCTIC TRADING COMPANY (CHURCHILL): (204) 675-8804
MUSKEG SPECIAL ~ EDUCATIONAL EDITION
~ IS NOW AVAILABLE
The Educational Edition was developed through consultation
with Frontier School Division (Manitoba).
The DVD will be distributed to all 40 schools in Frontier Division
during the fall of 2008.
The Educational Edition contains approximately 2 hours of video
suitable for young audiences
with about 1/2 hour of alternative footage to the 'True North'
edition of the DVD.
The Educational Edition is available for purchase by other school
divisions and organizations,
since it is licenced for multiple viewer usage, it is priced at
$100,
( Frontier School Division is currently preparing a study guide
which will also be available.)
NEW ON DVD (October
2008)
BEEP IT! BEEP
IT!
An 8 minute behind the scenes look at the making of
'Muskeg Special' through
a collection of slate markers (Select link above for further information).
'Beep it! Beep it!' is available on DVD for $10 from
Dream Logic Corporation
and the Winnipeg Film Group (see contact information above).
NEW FEATURE DOCUMENTARY
CURRENTLY IN PRODUCTION
From August 12 to 20, 2008, Ed Ackerman (who originally
recorded sound for the
1979 documentary), and director Gregory Zbitnew, traveled the
Bay Line
once again at the request of VIA Rail to present 'Muskeg Special'
onboard an
excursion train to a group of travel writers. 46 attending members
of the
Canadian Chapter of the Society of American Travel Writers conducted
their
annual meeting in four dedicated cars which included a Skyline
car with observation deck.
During the trip to Churchill (and back) we recorded
24 hours of HD digital
wide-screen footage with the intention of creating a feature documentary,
as well as material (at the request of VIA) for their website.
This documentary is currently in post production.
Highlights of the trip included interviews with Percy
and Martha Laubmann of Pikwitonei,
and Brian Ladoon of Churchill, all of whom appeared in the original
1979 footage.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Below ~ LOCATION MAP ~ 510 miles from The Pas to Churchill
DISCOVER FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROJECT
THROUGH LINKS AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE
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