Heritage Museum Virtual Tour

2020 – A “unique” year to say the least.  Racial strife and polarized politics all wrapped in the arms of a pandemic.  Group events cancelled, some entire towns and cities locked down, retail establishments operating under restrictions, entertainment venues, sporting events and museum activities curtailed.  The Francestown Heritage Museum being one of those whose doors had to remain closed to the public at large.

2020 was the year we were going to complete our expansion into the lower level and reorganize our exhibit areas to include some 150 new exhibits.  Both of these were accomplished but to little avail as the public could not come and view same.  Since the public could not come to us a decision was made that we would go to the public by means of a virtual tour of the museum and the exhibits.  All that needed to be done was just go and get a cinematographer, write a script, obtain folks to act as tour guides for each of the various exhibit segments, film the site, record the voices, edit the production, select a media and voilà – done.  Oh, and one other small point, do this with a budget of zero.  One other issue that arose was the day of the actual filming was also the day of the pre-Christmas snow storm.  It was freezing cold (you will recall that the museum has no heat), snow was piling up, the wind was blowing a gale and every time the snow slid off the museum’s metal roof it made such a racket that we would have to refilm that segment.

Problem #1 was where to find not just any cinematographer but one who knew how to put such a program together because none of us had a clue.  How about right here in Francestown?  Meet Sylwia Karwowska.  Sylwia has lived here less than a year with her husband and while looking for a job was hoping to get more involved in town activities.  The following is a snapshot of her resumé:  A photographer and cinematographer she holds a BA in Culture Knowledge and Film, an MFA in Film and Television Photography Production and an MFA in Intermedia and Multimedia. She was the chair of the Scientific Association of Alternative Photographic Techniques. Work has included nationwide and international production, marketing, advertising, product launch, and image.

So with that background I figured she would probably be able to handle anything we were contemplating for our virtual tour.  Last but not least, she was willing to volunteer her expertise and equipment.  So any of our readers who are in need of, or know someone who is in need of a cinematographer – look no further.  Sylwia’s web site is:  https://sylwiakarwowska.tumblr.com/.

One of the museum’s ongoing efforts is to encourage student participation not only in the museum but in understanding the role that their ancestors played in history and how that helped to shape their lives today.  Again, we were fortunate to find two young ladies who were willing to act as the tour guides (our docents if you will) for the transportation segment of the production.

Katie (Keityn) MacKay is 13 and attends Great Brook Middle School. She is the youngest of 9 children. Katie loves to sing and play the violin. She can be found in town walking her Bernese Mountain Dog Ellie or at the library choosing a new book.

Riley Heider is 13 and attends Great Brook School. Riley loves to read and to play soccer in the fall. She also loves cuddling with her dog Odin and swimming in Pleasant Pond.

The Virtual Tour can be viewed on the Francestown Web Site  -  https://www.francestownnh.org/museum-virtual-tour