“From the Hear t: The Freeman Legacy”

Inspire, Educate, PreserveA Mult imedia Project

Production Team

“From the Heart: The Freeman Legacy”

was a co-production of the City of

Burnaby and Simon Fraser University.

Partnership funding was also received

from Veterans Affairs Canada and

Burnaby School District 41. Script

and teaching guide consultation was

conducted with the Burnaby School

Board during the development of

the project. The Simon Fraser Media

Production team in the Learning &

Instructional Department Centre carried

out the overall production. Simon

Fraser University has a long history of

producing documentary video for both

educational and promotional purposes.

Synopsis

“From the Heart: The Freeman Legacy”

is the story of fi ve World War II veterans

from Burnaby, British Columbia who

served their country with distinction, and

upon returning to Canada continued to

serve their country equally well. Each of

them was taken out of a known world

and thrown into an intense confl ict

involving great sacrifi ce.

Canadians contributed to the war effort

in many ways, and veterans all have

their own unique stories. These stories

do not end with the war. Once home,

the veterans had to readjust to civilian

life. The fi ve veterans profi led in “From

the Heart: The Freeman Legacy” served

their communities with distinction and

steadfast dedication for many years

and were subsequently awarded the

honorary title of ‘Freeman’ by the City of

Burnaby. They are superb role models

who demonstrate how service to one’s

community can carry over a lifetime.

General and

Educational

Distribution

The feature television documentary is

approximately 47 minutes long and

was designed for broadcast purposes on

national and local television networks.

To reach specifi c target audiences, the

fi nal product is also modular, with the

feature television documentary re-edited

into shorter versions to suit elementary

school and secondary school audiences.

These shorter programs are also available

on DVD with an accompanying teaching

guide and other non-video components.

In addition to these traditional distribution

methods, there are also compressed

webcast versions available for viewing on

the Internet at:

www.burnaby.ca/fromtheheart

Rationale

This multimedia documentary project

humanizes individual sacrifi ces

Canadians made during a time of great

need. It also honours the public service

careers of fi ve citizens whose lives were

interrupted by war. The framework of

World War II sets up a linkage between

wartime service and service to the

community. Such an approach should

have national appeal as it ties into a

growing movement of private citizens

doing public good.

Concurrently, there is a great need to

increase the civic and citizenship skills

of young people. The project aims to

expand young people’s awareness of

our history, stimulate critical thinking,

develop ethical decision-making skills,

and uphold valued principles. The

story of these fi ve veterans inspires,

educates, and preserves, offering a

topic worthy of discussion at both the

peer and intergenerational levels.

DONALD BROWN

ALAN EMMOTT

DAVID HERD

GEORGE MCLEAN

JAMES LORIMER

Viewing

Audiences*

• Elementary Schools

• Secondary Schools

• General Public/Special

Interest Groups

Before & After Viewing

Supporting Library

1. Teaching Guide

- classroom discussion

- classroom activities

2. Short Videos (3 versions*)

3. Feature Presentation

4. Video Games

Feature Television

Documentary (47 min.)