WEST SEATTLE BRIDGE: ‘Casting call’ for community video

(WSB photo from last week’s media tour of bridge)

16 days until the scheduled reopening of the West Seattle Bridge on September 18th, two and a half years after its sudden shutdown. As previously noted, no giant party – but the reconnection will be celebrated and commemorated in other ways. This one has a role for you, if you’re interested: The “West Seattle Best Seattle” community coalition would like to invite you to be part of a video shoot. Here’s the announcement:

It’s a casting call! We’d like to invite any and all West Seattleites to be the stars of a video we’re putting together to spread the excitement about the reopening. It’s purely for entertainment, but we hope to create something fun and interesting that people inside and outside West Seattle will watch and engage with. The basic idea is to celebrate the reopening, attract people back to West Seattle, and help support neighborhoods/businesses that have suffered through 900+ days of the bridge closure.

We’re working with local filmmaker Ryan Cory to shoot a short video on Wednesday, September 14th. We’ll be shooting clips at four locations through the day, with a culminating group shot on the west end of the West Seattle Bridge (which we’ve cleared with SDOT). We’re asking people to come as they are (no clothing with profanity allowed), and we can’t provide transportation or guarantee parking. The optimal number of people in the first three locations would be 100 (though we’d happily take more), with a special focus on having at least 200 (or more!) for the final bridge shot (big drone camera finish). We’ll do our best to include everyone who shows up. We’re working with the visual concept of, “Wow, I just got a message that the bridge is going to reopen, and I’m so excited, I’m going to meet up with others and celebrate,” and so having people bring their phones would be great.

Here’s the schedule for September 14th, and showing up a bit early is encouraged, because we’re on a tight timeline:

11:45 am Alki Beach by the Statue of Liberty
12:45 pm Admiral Theater
1:45 pm Alaska Junction by Easy Street
2:45 pm at the bridge’s west entrance

The video would be used across all social media platforms and websites affiliated with West Seattle, and will be sent to as many media outlets as possible. We’re working on releasing short clips before/during the reopening, with a longer version, about two minutes long, available by September 30th. Participants must be able to follow directions onsite and be quiet and respectful when the director is speaking through the megaphone. There may be some hurry-up-and-wait type of moments, so we’re asking for some patience, too. There will be no payment, in-kind gifts, or actor credits given.

The link for you to register for one or all of the locations is here. Questions about the project can be directed to wsbestseattle@gmail.com.

35 Replies to "WEST SEATTLE BRIDGE: 'Casting call' for community video"

  • Sherri Chun September 2, 2022 (11:37 am)

    Here’s a good one already!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yle0UsqImM

    • Azimuth September 2, 2022 (1:15 pm)

      Thanks Sherri! 

    • CJLove September 3, 2022 (7:57 am)

      Thank you for sharing!  This started my day off right.

    • Kake September 4, 2022 (12:32 pm)

      Loved the video!!! Thanks for sharing.

    • Laina September 12, 2022 (4:44 pm)

      That’s such a great video! It definitely needs to be more widely seen!

  • Steve September 2, 2022 (12:14 pm)

    Count me in. See you at Alki. Longboard in hand. 

  • Gay September 2, 2022 (12:28 pm)

    ”we can’t provide transportation or guarantee parking.”  We’re all used to that.

  • Jort September 2, 2022 (12:28 pm)

    Imagine a bridge for automobiles being the single most unifying monocultural element of your community. 

    • WSB September 2, 2022 (1:44 pm)

      What would you propose as an icon instead?

      • Jort September 2, 2022 (9:24 pm)

        I can imagine thousands of things that would be more interesting and enriching as a cultural focus for our community. Currently, the car and all that it entails remains the primary unifying cultural element of our American society. This blog is a reflection of this community and 7 of the 10 posts today (Saturday) are about cars/streets/roads. That’s not a criticism — that’s just who we are. This is uniquely American, but most of us are so embedded in it that we can’t even see how it surrounds and defines us. This also might explain why people’s emotions are so intrinsically linked to this subject. Cars truly are a monoculture, and when people question it, people take it very personally.  You can see this in people’s responses to my comment: they make it about me, “Jort,” and not about the subject. Maybe we could all use some reflection on this. 

        • Dm September 2, 2022 (10:12 pm)

          I agree Jort:  Our ability, or inability, to move vehicles through our city/region dominates our culture.  It is sad.

        • JB September 4, 2022 (2:21 pm)

          “I can imagine thousands of things…”

          Proceeds to name none of them. Focuses only on ranting.

          Never change, Jort.

        • Genessee5Points September 7, 2022 (1:24 pm)

          I fully embrace the car monoculture @Jort…. Proud to live in it, be part of it and contribute to it. Excited for the bridge to be open and for all the high viz vest wearing, tiny little helmet rearview mirror having, hand signaling bikers off my route to work.  Now they don’t have to get mad at me when I’m 2.99 feet away vs. the 3 feet that the orange sticker overlords instruct. Moreover, I don’t have to get mad at the disregard for road laws that only are followed when it suits their convenience.  We can all be segregated in our little areas…. Car folks in the areas designed for cars and bikers in the areas designed for cars, back to normal :)        

    • Anne September 2, 2022 (2:43 pm)

      Only you are saying that. 

    • My Name Is Jort September 2, 2022 (5:59 pm)

      Imagine feeling the need to make snarky self-righteous comments on literally every thread about this topic for 2 and half years straight.

      • Jort September 2, 2022 (9:15 pm)

        … but am I wrong? 

        • WSResident September 3, 2022 (12:11 am)

          No you are not.  Keep up the good work!  Nonsense needs to be called out for what it is! WSR

    • Mike September 2, 2022 (6:22 pm)

      Just think, Jort, you’ll have all that road space to yourself again when the thousands and thousands of people who fund everything for you, no longer come near you.

    • Jill Loblaw September 2, 2022 (6:54 pm)

      There always has to be the negative comment. Do you ever post anything positive?

      • Craig Threlkeld September 2, 2022 (9:02 pm)

        Are you still waiting! Jort will have no reply just like they never have a solution to their anger. That would obstruct the snark. Can’t allow that.Snark Uber alles!!

  • Melissa September 2, 2022 (1:43 pm)

    You forgot to include the community that all the traffic has cut through these past 2 and half years.

    • m September 2, 2022 (1:54 pm)

      They sure did! We’re only good for our roads I guess.

      • Tom September 8, 2022 (1:00 pm)

        This is casting for part of the video and not all of it.

    • Dina September 2, 2022 (2:24 pm)

      Melissa, I agree! ~ from Highland Park (bordered by both ROXBURY and HOLDEN ST)

    • Dm September 2, 2022 (2:47 pm)

      Our Highland Park neighborhood is definitely going to need a period of detoxing from all the traffic!

    • Tom September 8, 2022 (11:26 am)

      Not forgotten – this particular casting call is for the areas listed. There’s footage of the other areas.

  • Yup September 2, 2022 (4:55 pm)

    On Holden and I totally agree,  you people are crazy drivers. Get off the phones and back to your bridge already.  Thank you

  • Me September 2, 2022 (5:03 pm)

    I’m sorry but you need to pay people for their time to have them down there all about West Seattle born and raised but you need to pay people for their time

    • Adam September 2, 2022 (5:13 pm)

      What about all the ppl who want to be there? I mean I don’t. I think it’s silly. But nowhere near as silly as your idea. Has everyone forgotten the value of a dollar? You really think the city should be paying ppl for this?

      • WSB September 2, 2022 (5:20 pm)

        To be clear:
        This isn’t a city project.
        This is a community project. The West Seattle Chamber of Commerce and West Seattle Junction Association (both nonprofits) have been leading the community coalition, which originally formed to plan a big party and when that was thwarted turned their attention to other components, this being one of them.

  • Maggie September 2, 2022 (7:41 pm)

    No profanity on t-shirts allowed so I guess my real feelings for SDOT’s & Herbold’s handling of this situation to maximize the misery cannot be shared.  As Bill Radke said on NPR’s Week in Review upon hearing that SDOT had cancelled their self-congratulatory party, “I guess they read the room.” Yep, just let the bridge open and let us get on with our lives. 

  • Shaheen September 2, 2022 (11:54 pm)

    Why not reach out to local celebrities (Tom Hutyler, Ayron Jones, Eddie etc. and/or team mascots both professional and high-school? 

  • Fiona @ West Seattle Music Boosters September 3, 2022 (9:14 am)

    Do you want the HS Marching Band? Can I hook you up? westseattle.musicboosters@gmail.com

  • Ms_F September 13, 2022 (12:28 am)

    Why can’t we have a party?  After waiting 2-1/2 years, I want a party, dang it! 😫

  • Cheri September 13, 2022 (10:51 pm)

    Very cool idea! I can’t wait to celebrate for this day!

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