A Tail to Remember: Film students release Basil documentary

Basil the Greenhouse cat lives on in the hearts and memories of the Niagara College community – and a new student-created video.

A group of students first-year Broadcasting – Radio, Television, and Film students have released a documentary as a tribute to the College’s beloved cat: A Tail to Remember.

The video includes interviews with supervisor, Greenhouse Operations Matthew Orr, and School of Environmental and Horticultural Studies staff members Theresa Sherwood and Jennifer Laverty. It also includes footage from College videos starring Basil (created by the College’s Marketing department), including a holiday video and footage posted to Basil’s Instagram account.

The Basil documentary was initiated by first-year student Adam Moreau after he heard the sad news of Basil’s passing in early July.

“I really enjoyed visiting Basil over the years and was devastated by the news of his passing,” said Moreau. “I know how much he meant to so many people from all walks of life.”

He decided to shoot the video for his first-year film class, but noted that the project was so meaningful to him, that he would have moved forward with it even if he was not permitted to submit it for class.

Through the documentary, Moreau aimed to share who Basil was to the College, its students and staff, as well as visitors. He also wanted to document what happened to Basil for those either unaware of Basil’s passing, or unaware of Basil’s importance at the College.

“I know how much he meant to so many people from all walks of life,” said Moreau. “He was like a mascot for Niagara College but was also a counsellor and friend to many. He will be very missed.”

Moreau took on the roles of director, editor, audio mixer, camera, director of photography, audio recordist, interviewer, script writer, research, animation (end credits), and media collection. The film crew included his classmates Tabi Highley (assistant director, producer, assistant editor, audio recordist, boom operator, camera, script assistant, research, and media collection); Lucas Claxton (camera, interviewer, research, consultant, and media collection), Bryan Kuhn (camera, and boom operator), Sarah Cedeño (boom operator, animation – picture collage, research, and media collection), and Josh Sabourin (audio recordist, and media collection).

“I feel that the Basil documentary is a wonderful tribute and shows just how much Basil meant to the college community,” said Sherwood. “Adam and his team were very professional and the finished project shows the hard work that went into it.”

A Tail to Remember was uploaded to YouTube on August 14.

“I’m hoping everyone enjoys the video and shares it with those who want to know about Basil,” said Moreau. “I hope I did a good enough job that Basil himself would be proud of my work.”