New Park Service film tells stories of Apostle Islands

I had the pleasure of viewing the new film on the big screen at Apostle Islands. What a spectacular achievement. You should take great pride in the quality of the film. Thanks for all your leadership and expertise for the film. For many years, visitors will receive a very special experience through your efforts.”

Tom Richter
NPS Midwest Regional Office

Movie captures beauty of the National Lakeshore

By Rick Olivo, The Daily Press, Ashland, Wisconsin, January 5, 2003

BAYFIELD — The many moods of the Apostle Islands in all four seasons of the year offer an ever-changing tapestry of beauty for those who will take the time to experience what the islands have to offer.

To capture the stunning beauty of water, land and sky, the pristine wonder of the Apostles is a daunting task for any artist.

Taking on that task, a National Park Service crew of filmmakers has labored for several years to produce a 20-minute film entitled “On the Edge of Gichigami — Voice of the Apostle Islands.”

Assisted by many local volunteers, historic reenactors, Native American artists, poets and others, National Park Service producer and director Anne Tubiolo and cinematographer Steve Ruth produced a four-season film bringing the voice of the islands to life.

The film interweaves breathtaking visuals of the islands and the surrounding Lake Superior with haunting Native American music, and the voices of over two dozen speakers talking about the history of the islands, their spiritual qualities and awesome scenic beauty.

Bob Krumenaker, Superintendent of the Apostle islands National Lakeshore said the film was “a work of art.”

“For many of you, it was a labor of love, but it is also a huge and complicated undertaking.”

He said when the proposal to make a film about the Islands was made to National Park Service officials, they unhesitatingly said producer Anne Tubiolo was the only person who would be able to do justice to the project. Krumenaker observed that Tubiolo and her husband attended the premiere at their own expense, traveling from their Virginia home for the event.

“Clearly it is a labor of love for them, as well,” he said.

Krumenaker said Tubiolo was known for her “can do attitude, her creative sense and her success at tackling park films in different and non-traditional ways.”

He noted that Tubiolo had been present at every shoot and at every interview .

“That was not only because she wanted to assure the quality of the product, but because she truly loves the area and was fascinated by every aspect,” she said.

Tubiolo acknowledged the contribution of local people in getting the film made.

“It was a team effort, my crew and I could not have done it without your help,” she said.

Tubiolo said when the project began it was decided to make a film with very little narration, instead letting people who lived, worked and visited in the Islands to be the voice of the film.

“Over the course of several years and five or six trips up, we recorded about 20 hours of stories, thoughts and impressions. When I began the editing process I listened again to all of the audio and I was left humbled by what I heard,” she said. “Let me tell you, it was hard choosing what went into the film. It was agony reducing the 20 hours to 20 minutes.”

She said in showing the film to family members and co-workers, they all, to a person, said they wanted to visit the Islands.

“This tells me your powerful, passionate and eloquent words along with the images of this remarkable place have captured, at least at some level, the essence of the Apostle Islands,” Tubiolo said. “My hope is that this film will encourage people to explore the islands , learn the history, meet the people and come away with stories of their own.”

Following the showing, Tubiolo said the filming of “On the Edge of Gichigami” was one of the most memorable of all of her cinema projects for the National Park Service.

“I absolutely fell in love with this park. The fact that we were here in every season increased my love for the area. Any chance to get up here, I took,” she said.

She said that she and cinematographer Steve Ruth both began their tenure with the National Park Service on the same day 17 years ago.

“We have sort of grown up in the audiovisual department and we can go out to a location, and it’s sort of an unspoken thing, he knows what I like. I give him direction on some shots but left to his own devices I know I would get a great film,” she said.

Tubiolo said she was glad the film was shot as a four-season piece.

“This is a place where you have to experience in all seasons in order to really get an inkling of what it is like up here,” she said. “There are things out there that are really subtle and there are things that smack you in the face.”

She said when she got the project she was “a little spooked” because of an inclination to seasickness.

“The magic of this place is such that I didn’t get sick once,” she said. “It’s incredible”

Filming winter scenes on frozen Lake Superior also had an unnerving quality, Tubiolo said.

“They gave me these two icepicks on a string to put around my neck and they said ‘If you fall through the ice, just kind of claw your way back up.” And I’m thinking, it ain’t going to happen, I’m going to sink like a rock.”

Fortunately for film viewers, Tubiolo remained safely above the surface of the ice. She even learned to appreciate the stark beauty of the frozen lake.

“It was magical. When the sun hit that snow out there, it sparkled like a field of diamonds. It was absolutely stunning,” she said.

Tubiolo recalled one of her favorite memories, after a hot day of filming, floating in the lake near Stockton Island .

“I was floating there, under the stars thinking this is so cool, it’s just an amazing place. I have grown to love and respect this park. I have worked in many, many parks, some renown for natural beauty, some culturally significant, and every now and then a park rises above the rest; and this for me is one of those.”

Anne Tubiolo produced, directed, and edited “On the Edge of Gichigami, Voices of the Apostle Islands”, a 20 minute film produced by the National Park Service and a host of Apostle Islands friends. The film had a premiere at the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore Headquarters Visitor's Center in Bayfield, Wisconsin on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2004. The film features cinema images of the history and unique beauty of the Apostles, voices of individuals intimately associated with the islands, and music of the region.

Copyright © 2003 The Daily Press

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HFC Audiovisual Arts »

Apostle Islands National Lakeshore »