Volunteer Videographers Film One Day in the Life of Decatur for
WILL-TV
Twenty-one residents of Decatur took to the streets with their camcorders
in fall 2000 to profile people, places and events in Decatur for a WILL-TV program,
A Day in Our Hometown: Decatur. WILL-TV edited the footage into a 50-minute program to air on the station during
its Winterfest fundraising drive.
"WILL is doing the editing, but the video and narration were created by Decatur residents themselves," said WILL promotion coordinator Kimberlie
Kranich. "This is their story about their town in their own words."
Because of Decatur’s history, diversity and presence in the news, it was selected for the pilot documentary in what the station hopes will be a series of
A Day in Our Hometown projects. Volunteers attended a workshop to brainstorm about taping ideas, pick an assignment, and get a mini-lesson on videotaping from WILL-TV
videographers. Then on Oct. 14, they headed out to capture their city on
videotape.
Among the stories in the documentary are a mini-profile of Macon County Sheriff Roger Walker; a look at the history of WSOY radio and its local programming; a visit to the Greek restaurant, The White House; a segment about a 100-year-old study group of women interested in world cultures; and a look at the Decatur Area Habitat for Humanity group. Other stories include features on
BabyTALK, the Rock Springs Nature Center, the Decatur Children’s Museum, the Scovill Zoo, the Kenneth Knox Ensemble, the new Decatur bike trail and Decatur Master Gardeners’ landscaping of the area around the old Sears building, now the home of the Decatur Public
Library.
WILL-TV producer Alison Davis, who helped train the videographers and is editing the program said she was impressed with the stories captured by the volunteers. "Some people tackled big subjects and did a great job," said Davis. "But what I like most about this project is that all the participants love their hometown, and this spirit comes across in their stories."
A Day in Our Hometown series overview
|
See who was filming in Decatur.
Decatur businesses that supported the project. |
