Scene 8: Welcome to Collossal Productions Silent Film Park!

What would be a unique way to exhibit the works, people and activities that made movie making during the turn of the century in Niles Canyon possible? There is already a museum there, (The Niles Essanay Film Museum) that does an excellent job of bringing the early movie filming era to life with displays, photographs, films (see left photo; Essanay's Film Museum's movie theater) and other ephemera that is on display and for sale. How can we take all that and bring it over the top? (photo source: Broncho Billy and the Essanay Film Company by David Kiehn)

The way people learn things is mostly by doing and experiencing it themselves. So, I have a crazy but doable idea....... Why not turn Niles itself into a sort of amusement historical park? There is already a train there and the historical buildings are already in place. This idea has been successfully done in many places across the United States.

In Tucson, Arizona movies have been shot for many years at Old Tucson (see http://www.oldtucson.com/) in combination with an "Old West" themed amusement park that draws millions of people every year. They have staged gunfights, authentic looking old buildings, trail rides, can-can dancing girls, and old silent films. There are also other attractions such as rides and restaurants for patrons to enjoy as well. They even have a steam train! In addition, they have an active movie studio where directors and film companies have been shooting pictures for over 70 years.

Another area of interest is an historical monument, Columbia which is located in the Sierra Nevada foothills near Modesto. They have AUTHENTIC buildings and the town is a major part of California's Gold rush days of 1849. This town represents a real and still active history of California. The emphasis is on history, not profit.

(upper left photo : shooting a movie scene at Old Tucson Studios, middle photo; Old Tucson Theater floor show, right photo; Old Tucson movie set [all fake!]) Source Photo's: Old Tucson web site.

Now, what does all this have to do with Niles? A lot! Niles has a train, old buildings, and a hsitory of movie making, in addition to gorgeous scenery. There's one big difference from Old Tucson and other existing theme parks. They are reproductions and fakes! Conversely, Niles is Real....every inch of it! So, why not combine the historical elements with bringing in some amusement theme attractions that will give the town a financial boost? By attracting more people and their children, they can "experience" history in a real environment. As profits grow, Niles as a town can afford to enhance their history even more, by purchasing more silent films and building a structure to preserve and house them properly.

Specifically, a replica live sound stage can be built near the exact location that was used by Essanay Studios. Visitors could dress up, perform and see themselves on a movie screen later in a theater built for that purpose. In fact, why not build an exact replica of the Essanay Film Studio building?

Pictured above right is "old" Niles main Street c 1915. Some of the original buildings are still standing and the rest could be rebuilt to represent the originals. They could be used as areas to display Niles movie history in addition to other uses to generate revenue, such as restaurants, and quaint B&B's. Visitors would learn how movie making was done through docents in costume that would operate the cameras and direct them in simple scripts they could act out with their family members.

The Niles Essanay Film Museum already has the original movie cameras on display that can still be used for this purpose. (see right photo) Or, if they do not wish to use these cameras, exact functioning replicas could be built to use for this purpose.

Automated movies can be showing through the lenses to give users of the equipment a real feel of what a camera man of 1915 saw when he was filming a scene!

I took the picture on the left during a Charle Chaplin film festival recently at The Niles Essanay Film Museum. Patrons love to participate in these events in full costume and in doing so, relive the history of silent film making. Giving people the opportunity to come and share this history in a theme park setting would immerse them in history and at the same time add to Niles economy by purchasing outfits in the local stores. There are such events going on now at Niles anyway, so why not do this on an ongoing basis?

Today we live in a highly mechanized society. Computers, digital graphics, and sophisticated electronics literally dictate to us how we run our lives. In fact in most cases they run our lives for us! So, to be able to find a haven in order to escape to a simpler time, and live life at a slower pace (even for a few hours) is rare and restorative to the human spirit. By experiencing history for ourselves rather than just walking past it while our eyes fleetingly glance at a display behind a piece of glass will make a lasting impression. It is a visceral learning experience that will stay with everyone that visits "the park".

My goal is to make my "park" as low tech as possible, so people can come here and connect with Niles on their own terms. It's a place where we can enjoy a literally human historical experience and at the same time physically interact with the surroundings by what we see, hear, feel, and do. There is nothing "virtual" here! They will hear a real train, and speak with a living person about the past. Children and adults can ask questions and gather information the old fashioned way. Actors will be hired to personify Charlie Chaplin, Broncho Billy and others to interact with each other and visitors. They will tell "their" stories of where they fit in to Niles history, and their influences on the movie industry as well. Many of today's comedians like Robin Williams and Dick van Dyke have taken their cues on the antics of Charlie Chaplin and other actors of the early movie making era. They can be invited to join in on scheduled events and would be a catalyst in attracting big crowds to Niles.

Visitors will have the tactile experience of operating an antique movie camera, and acting in a movie on a real set! They will learn history by literally being in it every time they step into one of the original historical buildings here, or ride (and smell) a horse in Niles Canyon. They will see for themselves the "back lot"real scenery behind the actors featured in the old films they can watch in the museum's theater.

Niles has some very interesting antique stores that will add to their tactile experiences and impressions of the past as well. There will be no admission fees or hidden charges because it is expected the consessions and increased flow of visitors will generate higher revenues for the businesses and township of Niles as a whole. In closing the main goal is to introduce people to a realistic historical learning experience and above all have fun while they are doing it. See you in the movies!

Photo of Ben Turpin courtesy of David Kiehn.