SHU'S DEPARTMENT OF MEDIA STUDIES AND METRO-NORTH RAILROAD CO-PRODUCE TRAIN SAFETY
FAIRFIELD, Conn.—A safety video that may save lives has been produced by Sacred Heart University's (SHU) Department of Media Studies and Digital Culture in conjunction with MTA Metro North Railroad (MNR). It's a joint creative effort between a former student, current students and faculty that's sure to have a big and lasting impact on the public.
Jon Silhavey, an SHU alumnus with a degree in Media Studies, contacted SHU in the spring of 2004, when Metro North decided to make a new train safety video. Silhavey, who had been a video intern with Metro North in the summer of his freshmen year, went on to work in their Public Safety Department after graduation.
“I knew the Media Studies Department often participated in outside projects and called to ask if they were interested in working with us,” Silhavey said. “Our safety program for the 12 to 18 year olds needed an upgrade. So I called the school to see if they were interested in working with us to create a similar video. It seemed like a perfect fit.”
Silhavey met with Dr. Andrew Miller, an associate professor of Media Studies at SHU, who is a former assistant director in film and television, having worked on productions of The Doors, Of Mice and Men, Beverly Hills 90210 and Dear John. A deal was struck to jointly produce a public service safety video, and the fruits of their labor, “The Train Always Wins,” became a reality.
“When Jon approached me, I thought it was something we could take on in a course I was teaching, an advanced video production course structured around collaborative work,” Dr. Miller recalled. “After a semester, the class had shot a lot of footage but there was still more work to be done. A media studies major, Anthony Cernera, Jr., expressed interest in working on the project. During the summer and fall of 2004, he completed additional photography, and digitized and organized the work but the project was still unfinished.”
Finally, in the spring of 2005, a high school senior heard about the project from his father, who happens to be the Dean of Students at SHU, and called Dr. Miller. Chris Wielk got permission, for his last few months of high school, to work on the safety video project instead of attending his regular classes. He completed the job in June, 2005.
At the end of the short, well-photographed, and engrossing film that explores real rail dangers such as electrical hazards, trespassing on train tracks, and at railroad crossings, Silhavey is credited as the executive producer. Dr. Miller says he served as creative producer guiding the look and feel of the project and occasionally applying his skills to the actual production.
“Generally speaking, you could say that the Digital Filmmaking II class shot most of the principal photography; Anthony Cernera added more footage and helped to organize the materials. Chris Weilk added still more footage, put the pieces together and crafted the final edit.”
Together, they created a dramatic and well-crafted video that will be used by the MTA to save lives. Silhavey said Metro-North has sent the video to Operation Lifesaver who will use it in their national and regional programs. Metro-North also plans to show the video at public events, post it on their website and use it as in-house training video.
“Even though we intended to create a video for young people, “The Train Always Wins,” turns out to appeal to all age groups,” Silhavey concluded. “As a student I would never have imagined that I would have been able to bring my time at SHU, my internship and work assignments together in such a unique way. Working in Metro North's Safety Department has shown me first hand the impact that the problem of grade crossing accidents and trespassing has. At one point during taping, a tractor-trailer cut in front of the train we were on. It was a pretty scary moment. Hopefully, by presenting the material in the way that we did, we will be saving lives.”
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