>>> I don't think it's a secret that Staten Island
is known out of the five boroughs as the Forgotten
Borough and someone who was born and raised in
Staten Island for 25 years of my life, I've lived here.
I'm very territorial about my island and I defend my island
because I understand there's so much rich history and
culture to be found here.
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>>> Located along the Arthur Kill, the Staten Island
ship graveyard or Witte's Marine Scrap Yard serves as
the final resting place for these forgotten ships.
Opened in the early 1930's at its peak The Boneyard
was home to more than 400 ships, ferries, and barges.
Today less than a hundred vessels remain,
most decayed beyond repair serving as hollowed shells
of their old self. All that remains is rusted steel as the
water slowly eats away the stories the ships could tell.
A major motivation for filming "The Boneyard" came
in the form of telling the stories of these ships.
I noticed on YouTube specifically, there was a
lot of drone footage of the Boneyard, just static
drone footage over music, but from my perspective,
I wanted to know about the history of these ships if
it was even possible, because many of these ships
are so decrepit and they're almost unrecognizable,
but there's a handful that still are intact.
So, I started doing research, and I found a very vibrant
community of local historians that were identifying some
of the shipwrecks found in this Boneyard.
I came across a couple of very fascinating ships
that I wanted to tell stories on; one of those ships was
PC-1264. A submarine chaser PC-1264 was one
of only two U.S. Navy vessels to be manned by a
predominantly African American crew during World War Two.
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Built in 1943, she has an active service record
during World War Two as an escort ship defending
Merchant vessels across U.S. shores against German U-boats.
And to top off all this fascination,
I actually was able to find the commissioning of the
ship in 1944; black and white commissioning
footage showing the crew as they are. It's incredible.
You see the faces of these men as they prepare for battle.
It really came full circle with how the film turned out.
And when you see the ship as it is today,
there's one piece of the ship that's recognizable and it's
this circular wheelhouse without that the ship would
blend in with everything else and I get very close
up through my drone to the ship, and you really see
as it was and as it is now and it makes you realize that
this history is literally disappearing into the Earth.
And if I can tell even a piece of this story,
which I think is fascinating to Staten Island, but can be
reached to a larger audience and I felt like as a filmmaker
was it was important to do so.
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>>> My most recent documentary is called
“Loyalty and Rebellion”. It's a documentary chronicling
the historical significance of Staten Island during the
American Revolutionary War and the effect the war
had on island life at the time.
To understand Staten Island's experience during
the American Revolution we first must explore the
islands strategic significance during the British Invasion
of New York City. Located at the southernmost point
of New York State, Staten Island was selected as the
first landing spot for General William Howe then
commander-in-chief of the British forces in his siege
against New York City.
From someone from Staten Island, I didn't
realize what a critical role Staten Island played
during the American Revolutionary War.
It was the longest-held British territory during the
war for seven years and five months, and it was really
a staging ground, a home base for the British throughout
the entire New York campaign. So I had the opportunity
during that film to interview two prominent historians
and scholars, Philip Papas and Barnet Schecter to
really dive into a subject matter that I don't think many
Staten Islanders know.
>>> Staten Islanders almost saw like the Patriots
as being occupiers. And when the British land on
Staten Island they're seen as the liberators.
So Staten Islanders rejoiced at the British landing,
and there is one moment where Staten Islanders burned
effigies of leaders of the Patriot movement;
effigies of Washington, effigies of General Charles Lee.
They also burned Continental script which they were paid
by Continental troops and militia.
>>> Another short film I produced and directed
was called “The Seguine Mansion”. It tells the story
of the house, the Seguine Mansion, which is a
19th century Greek Revival mansion in Staten Island,
New York. And it tells the story through the lens of
a man named George Burke. George Burke is a 90-year-old
man who actually saved the home from the original owners.
The original owners were getting older, and he made a
promise to the original owner to buy this home.
He put a lot of money into it and saved the house,
and it's this gorgeous mansion on about four acres
of land in Staten Island.
>>> I always loved this house. I knew the Seguine
family for years and years growing up. I grew up with
the girls. We rode here. They were in the horses.
I was into horses. Mrs. Seguine, Bess, she was a great
horsewoman from Georgia, and I used to kid around say,
"Bess, I love your house. One day I'd love to own it."
And she'd say, "No, no, my girls they want it.
It's going to be their house." Well, I went into the military,
and I was gone for years, and I came back to Staten Island,
and I came down to see the house. Well, the house was
in not the best of shape. The grounds were overgrown;
the basement was flooded. There was no heating system.
The electrical was shot. Bess got ahold of me
and she said, "George, you always wanted this house."
She said, "why don't you save it." And I looked, and I said,
"There isn't enough money in the world to save this."
>>> It's true that a lot of people on Staten Island don't
know many of the stories that I'm telling.
And as someone who is young, this filmmaking journey wasn't
just a journey of telling you stories. It was a journey
about learning these stories. A lot of these stories,
I wasn't aware of either. So, it was rewarding in the fact that
it was an exploration for me as well. I think a lot of these
films can be used as educational tools. I've started screening
some of my films, specifically “Loyalty and Rebellion”
in schools, and I've gotten great feedback. When you
tell them that John Adams, the second president of
the United States, was in a house in Staten Island
where they live around the block, it really peaks
interest. And especially a film like "The Boneyard",
which is so visually striking and you get so up
close and personal to the ships through the use of
a drone, as an educational tool I think that's the
best way to get this out there. You start young,
and you develop the interest in history and
specifically local history. At a young age,
it will eventually grow naturally over time,
and that's what happened with me.
>>> Future generations will remember these ships
as they were not as they are; learning from stories
and pictures devoid of feeling and emotion.
And if all we can do is appreciate the present and
the beauty this world has to offer, I think that's enough.
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