Lights, Camera, Action at The Depot

DAYTON-Women with Edwardian hairstyles, men in waistcoats, and trained horses were seen waiting patiently outside Dayton's Depot Museum last week. They were not waiting for an arriving train but to film their scenes for a short film produced by Walla Walla University.

As the actors waited, the producers, Walla Walla University film students, and production staff, including director Richard Ramsey, were busy preparing for location filming.

I met with one of the producers, Matt Webster, on the Dayton set. Webster is also the production and facilities manager for WWU's Communication and Languages Department. On that day, he was dressed in period costume to participate as an extra, making it clear that all involved would do whatever was needed on set.

Webster said 15 students and 18 professionals (local and out of state) were working on the project. Korey Scott Pollard, a producer and assistant director on movies and series including "The Orville" and "Chicago Fire," was brought in as an advisor to help the students prepare a professional concept film.

The film will not be a full-length feature but a proof-of-concept project. These are typically short films with only scenes that best represent the story's potential to be a full-length feature or series. This film, written by Josie Henderson, a 2020 alumna of Walla Walla University's Cinema, Religion, and Worldview master's program, follows five sisters in 1909.

According to the Director for Marketing and University Relations Aaron Nakamura, the hope is that a production company will pick it up to develop it into a series. Ten episodes have already been written.

Dayton Historical Depot Society board member Ginny Butler was on hand at the museum and said she was surprised by the production's scale. She was pleased to see the costumes and activities, reminding her of past events at the museum. Coming up on August 5, 2023, is the annual fundraiser, Evening at the Depot. Support The Depot at http://www.daytonhistoricdepot.org.