The documentary film “Ships of the Great Lakes” airs 4 p.m. today on PBS-WVIZ.
The program takes viewers on a seven-day journey aboard a 1,000-foot Great Lakes freighter as it delivers coal to Silver Bay, Minn., and taconite (iron ore) to Indiana Harbor, Ind.
Beacon Productions, an Ohio company, produced the one-hour documentary. A 90-minute version is available from shipsofthegreatlakes.com, which also has a trailer for the show.
“I think we are going to see more interest from the public about the Great Lakes shipping industry as shows like ours and the History Channel’s ‘Great Lake Warriors’ start to air,” said Len Brown, producer and director. “It’s an amazing industry that not many people know about. It’s also an industry that plays a very important role in driving the American and foreign economies.”
The Browns’ next project for PBS is “Engineering Tragedy: The Ashtabula Train Disaster.” The documentary will be filmed later this year in locations throughout northeast Ohio and Pennsylvania using local talent and crew.
“It was really the Titanic of its day,” said Patti Brown, producer/writer. “There are so many twists to the story, including the investigation of the Ohio Legislature and the murder of the railroad’s chief engineer of bridges, Charles Collins, shortly after he testified before the legislature. Then seven years later, the railroad’s president, Amasa Stone, who was held responsible for the faulty design and eventual collapse of the bridge, committed suicide. I love history, so it has been fun writing the script. I think people will find this story fascinating.”
The film is in pre-production and the producers are seeking funding. They have assembled an impressive crew with national and Hollywood experience. Len Brown said the budget is going to hit the $300,000 mark, which would qualify it for the Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit.
More information on the Ashtabula Train Disaster project is at engineeringtragedy.com.
Local News
Great Lakes documentary airs at 4 p.m. today
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