Recreating history for a television audience

When Deerfield Beach, Fla., officials discussed the idea of recording the stories of early city pioneers to celebrate the city’s 75th anniversary, they were thinking about an eight to 10 minute presentation. They ended up with a 65-minute show, shot in a television studio in front of a 150-person audience. “Deerfield Days,” as the video is called, captures and presents unique historical information about the city, and it is designed so that everyone, from hard-core historians to those with a casual interest in the city, can enjoy the history of one of South Florida’s early pioneer towns.

The city applied principles common to traditional television production and expanded upon those to include more innovative ideas. For instance, the show employs a traditional TV talk show format, along with pre-produced voice-over cut-away packages, set to upbeat period music. (The latter is a technique common in traditional documentary programs.) Additionally, the town created an authentic replica of the front porch of an early 1920s Florida bungalow – complete with a rusty corrugated tin roof, screen door, oak barrels, oil lamps and antique props – on which the eight pioneer panelists sat as they were filmed.

The shoot and final production of the show relied heavily on historical resources. The show’s producers tapped the expertise of the Broward County Historical Commission and leaned on many historical consultants who provided specialized knowledge, skills, expertise and resources. The historical team was an integral part of the production, verifying the facts used in the narrative text, authenticating photographs appropriate for specific time periods and serving as a conduit to other historical organizations that helped verify information.

The Deerfield Beach Historical Society, the Broward County Historical Commission, the Boca Raton Historical Society and the Florida State Archives provided many of the more than 200 photographs used throughout the show. In addition, dozens of photographs came from Florida residents’ private collections.

Deerfield Beach’s rich history – the town was the first stop on Henry Flagler’s FEC railway and one of the first cities in the state to incorporate – is recounted by the eight panelists, all seated on rocking chairs donated by a local Cracker Barrel restaurant. The porch was built inside local resident Don King’s massive TV production facility, where 30 production professionals filmed the participants. Four hours of filming was edited down to 40 minutes.

City Manager Larry Deetjen calls the show an “incredible, invaluable and irreplaceable resource, learning tool and document of Broward’s and Deerfield’s pasts worthy of preservation.” “Deerfield Days” is airing on cable access channels throughout South Florida and will be available to the public through the Deerfield Beach Historical Society, the Broward County Historical Commission and all public schools and libraries.