Real Canadian Story
I recently binge watched Season 1 of “Big Timber”. The series is produced on the Canadian History channel and featured on Netflix. It’s the story of the Wenstob Family from Wenstob Timber Resources which is the last independently owned sawmill on Vancouver Island. The family business is headquartered in Sooke, BC. This engaging series depicts the universal theme of the heroic individual leading his team through immense obstacles that they continually overcome. The audience is drawn into the emotions of real-world experiences as the team pushes their human and equipment limitations to the limit to get dangerous jobs done.
This Story Has Spine
The story spine is evident. Each episode has clear structure and purpose. Meet Ken Wenstob, logger, and sawmill owner, who is a larger than life opinionated force to be reckoned with. Every day his sawmill produces the best possible quality lumber from timber he and his team harvest from his claim that is far away up Vancouver Island on a mountain. In each episode, Ken the protagonist, is seriously challenged by an unforeseen antagonist. His team must keep the logs coming down the mountain, so that Wenstob sawmill survives. Every episode is a nail biter.
The challenges are so amazing the viewer must watch just to see how there can possibly be a solution. Ken and his family struggle against a wide range of antagonists including:
- changing seasons
- mountain roads
- bridge failures
- equipment failures
- local regulations
- big competitors
- staff turnover
The episodes are simple and focused. We want Ken, the main character, to succeed. It’s admirable what he chooses to do and amazing that he always succeeds! Ken is driven by fear of his business not surviving if he does not find or create solutions to get 200 loads of logs out of their logging claim before winter comes and their claim expires. But, after they embark upon dangerous and often unimaginable solutions, Ken and his team always experience success or partial resolutions that keep them moving forward with new routines and solutions.
At the end of Season 1, the team achieves 220 loads of logs or 10% more than the required goal for the winter. There is a team celebration lunch on the mountainside. Although it was a very challenging year, Ken announces he has purchased another claim for the next year.
Powerful Visuals
The “Big Timber” story breathes strong storytelling principles, is inherently visual, and is best suited for a visual digital medium. In addition to enjoying the interactions of the Wenstob team, I am continuously drawn in by the spectacular landscape colors, pictures, and movements of the immense equipment in the forests. The visuals of logging equipment and the operations team cutting the giant trees on the mountains are breath-taking.
According to Ashley Fell, science confirms we process visuals 60,000 times faster in the brain than text. Story visuals from these episodes kept popping into my mind the next few days after I viewed them. This series really connected with my heart. I found it so interesting I could not stop watching; it instructed me about the disappearing entrepreneurial lifestyle around logging on Vancouver Island; I became very involved with the characters’ stories; and I was truly inspired by the courage of Ken, the protagonist.
I am ready and waiting for Season 2! This amazing story of one person’s undefeatable will and leadership must continue to be told.
EXSM 3989 - Digital Storytelling Class Blog 