PHOTOS: ‘Casting call’ day for community video shoots commemorating West Seattle Bridge reopening

12:02 PM: That was the scene a short time ago at Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza, as people started gathering to participate in the first of four shoots as part of the community-planned video to commemorate the West Seattle Bridge reopening, as announced earlier this month. If you’d like to be in it, there are three more stops today with video director Ryan Cory – if you can get to any of them, the plan is:

12:45 pm Admiral Theater
1:45 pm Alaska Junction by Easy Street
2:45 pm at the bridge’s west entrance

The bridge remains on schedule to reopen this Sunday, September 18th. SDOT isn’t saying yet exactly what time.

P.S. These two had our favorite outfits seen at the Alki shoot:

1:15 PM: Just got word from Stephanie, one of the people coordinating this, that if you can make it to the 2:45 pm shoot on the bridge, meet at Pecos Pit (35th/Fauntleroy; WSB sponsor), “graciously feeding us with sliders and tastes of potato salad.”

5:02 PM: Thanks to Laina Vereschagin from the community coalition for these photos from the last shoot of the day, on the bridge’s west end – first the “cast” with director Ryan Cory:

Even the Chief Sealth International High School cheer squad turned out:

The full video might not be out till month’s end but snippets are expected to debut soon.

Clay Eals September 14, 2022 (1:24 pm)

I just participated in the second shoot, in front of the Admiral Theater. The video premise — of people learning of the bridge opening on their phones, then running wildly toward the bridge — was as fun as it was brief, and it’ll be great to see the finished result. (Thematically, it didn’t hurt that “Three Thousand Years of Longing” was on the marquee.) I encourage others to come to the final two shoots.

john September 14, 2022 (1:26 pm)

love those “i want to believe” shirts

CB September 14, 2022 (2:12 pm)

Is this taxpayer funded or is this an independent project?

WesC September 14, 2022 (2:54 pm)

Taxpayer
R2 September 14, 2022 (4:46 pm)

Why do you ask?
- Blbl September 14, 2022 (5:27 pm)
  
  I want to know. Because I don’t want one penny of mine going toward this marketing fiasco.
- justwow September 14, 2022 (6:17 pm)
  
  Doesn’t sound rhetorical to me. Probably wants to know the answer. Just a guess though. Is it classified information?
- CB September 14, 2022 (6:33 pm)
  
  Wondering if we are spending taxpayer money to celebrate the incompetence of our SDOT.

WSB September 14, 2022 (6:43 pm)

Early on, the community coalition was lining up local sponsors for the various events they were planning. Then SDOT said “no events on the bridge” and that apparently shut that down. Then SDOT said it would likely throw a community-appreciation party. THEN SDOT said no, but it might give community orgs money to plan their own celebrations. So with the question here in the comments, I asked today if that ever happened. Replied SDOT spokesperson Ethan Bergerson, “As part of our Reconnect West Seattle effort to partner with Duwamish Valley and West Seattle organizations which represent communities most-impacted by the closure, we plan to sponsor community-led events by the South Park Neighborhood Association, West Seattle Chamber of Commerce, and Georgetown Community Coalition. These three non-profits have been key partners with our Reconnect West Seattle project since the bridge closed, and each organization will receive up to $10,000 to fund events and activities of their choosing. This is also based on public feedback that many would prefer for us to sponsor community organizations rather than plan a city-sponsored event.”

Blbl September 14, 2022 (7:26 pm)

Wow. SDOT spends $30,000 of taxpayer money to celebrate the end of a giant mistake that they caused. Wow. Can I just have working bridges, please?

hj September 14, 2022 (7:57 pm)

I feel like I just wasted $30,000 of my precious time reading all of this incessant whining.

Pete September 14, 2022 (7:40 pm)

A portion of the funds that were given to the West Seattle organization were in fact used to underwrite the cost of this video production.

YoureMistaken September 14, 2022 (8:07 pm)

This video was in no way funded by your taxes. It’s a volunteer-led project that’s been in the works for months, even after SDOT shut down the fun event that was originally planned

Pete September 15, 2022 (6:54 am)

But YoureMistaken the money to pay for the actual videographer is actually your tax dollars that we’re received from SDOT.
- YoureMistaken September 15, 2022 (12:44 pm)
  
  Feel free to clarify with the correct parties, but that’s only partially true.

1994 September 14, 2022 (8:32 pm)

Fiscally conservative here but liberal leaning. So much of our tax dollars in general appear to not be maximized but we may as well ‘enjoy’ a bit of our tax money going towards a goofy video of our fellow West Seattle neighbors acting goofy over the bridge being repaired. Just don’t have Heather Marx in the video.

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