Welcome to Pine Point

Welcome to Pine Point is an interactive documentary narrated by Mike Simons. Unlike the traditional narrative, Simons’ story is not only set but also revolves around a place: the town of Pine Point, which was once located in the Northern Territories of Canada and built for mining purposes. In so doing, he focuses on the people (or Pine Pointers) that had given this town life. Mike recounts the story of Pine Point through the memories of five main characters: Kim, Wayne, Lyle, Richard and himself. Their memories of Pine Point serve as a vehicle to exploring the history of Pine Point, thus bridging the present with the past, while revealing a side of the town unknown to mot people. The documentary reaches a turning point when the mine is closed in 1987, leading the entire town to shut down. As Mike describes, “Pine Point was no more.” Everything was erased; no traces were left other than the photos and memories that people held of what was once their home. This event is what drives the documentary and allows the characters’ stories to unfold.

As the documentary was initially intended to be a book, the narrative is told predominantly through text, however Simons also uses audio-visual material, such as videos, drawings, graphics, interviews and recordings, to tell the story and further engage the viewer. Through the use of past tense in the text, it is apparent that the narrative is being told from the present, yet looking back at the past. After recalling his visit to Pine Point as a child in the introduction, the narrative jumps back to the present where Simons researches what had become of Pine Point, which leads him to an unexpected discovery. To his surprise, Pine Point was not there anymore. This finding becomes a window to exploring Pine Point’s past and the ways through which the characters’ lives have changed. He uses a series of flashbacks at a varying pace to delve into Pine Point’s history through the eyes and stories of the characters. Although Simons did not experience any of the events or stories in the documentary first-hand, his narration seems reliable, for he uses research and interviews to unravel the story. However, the narrative is also limited because of this for, as he even notes in the denouement of the documentary, “everyone wants to be the editor of their story.” Memory is a fragile and malleable thing that cannot be taken as entirely factual, reliable and all-knowing.

Simons’ narrative employs certain elements and devices found in traditional narratives, yet when combined, offer a new and engaging way of telling Pine Point’s story. The story utilizes an altered version of the linear narrative. Like the linear narrative, Simons’ narrative begins with a setup. He introduces himself, his childhood memory of visiting Pine Point, his research of the town and his findings: Pine Point no longer exists. In so doing, he paints a picture of what the town once was for the viewers and where the story will take place. As previously mentioned, the turning point is the closing of the mine in 1987, which changes the lives of Pine Pointers from that moment on. Although a series of crises does not take place as it does in the linear narrative, Simons’ narrative follows a series of stories from the characters that are introduced after the introduction. This is where they disclose their past goals and achievements, their characteristics and old interests, what brought them to Pine Point in the first place and the marks that the town left on them. Their varying stories give a face and voice to a town that has seemingly been forgotten. The narrative comes to a climax when the documentary exposes where the characters are today. Kim, once an aspiring performer, is now a social worker while brothers Wayne and Lyle have become proud owners of three Tim Hortons. Richard, the high-school bully, now suffers from MS. But as viewers find out, he has always had a big heart and been a proud Pine Pointer. He is behind the Pine Point website. He keeps its story alive. Viewers become aware of how Pine Point has shaped the lives of these characters as well as the effects of the erasure of it.

As previously mentioned, Simons combines text, videos, drawings, graphics, interviews and recordings to narrator the story of Pine Point. By combining these various forms of media, he distances his narrative from the traditional narrative model and explores the realm of digital media. Viewers are invited to become part of the telling and development of the story by flipping the documentary’s pages. The narrative responds to the viewer’s actions, where they are no longer just viewers but participants in the narrative. At times, the pages are set up to resemble photo albums, web sites, year books or collages, thus correlating with the narrative and further captivating and engaging the viewer. In addition, the narrative is modular yet invariable. Its modularity is apparent through the narrative’s use of varying media, such as images, videos and text, which often uncover a new photo or message within the documentary when clicked by the viewer. However, the integrity of the work is not altered, and ultimately there is only one outcome for each page and one ending for the narrative.

When all of these narrative elements – both traditional and non-traditional – are weaved and worked together, they tell a story in an unconventional way. Apart from the elements already discussed, the narrative is also divided into chapters, which makes the viewer feel like they are taking part in the unfolding of a non-fiction book rather than a documentary. The way that the media are exhibited adds to the story as well: the looped sound and/or videos give the viewers a sense of having been to Pine Point, while viewers can click on objects to reveal hidden messages or undisclosed stories. By using the different characters to explore the history of Pine Point rather than retelling the story of Pine Point solely through facts and research, Simons conveys its story in a non-traditional manner. In so doing, Pine Point’s story is kept alive. 
Reflections:
The purpose of Welcome to Pine Point is to resurface the history of Pine Point, while telling the stories of the people and community that kept this town alive. By exploring the memories of this community, the story also questions how we remember the past and its effect on how we live our future. The interactive documentary would be targeted to the community of Pine Point and people that enjoy documentaries in general, as well as those who are interested in investigative stories and history. This work would engage this type of audience for it combines research and images to explore a history that has seemingly been forgotten