Fox Lane Graduate’s Award-Winning Film Hits Close to Home

Before he finished producing his first award-winning film in May, new Fox Lane High School graduate Sam Griff had a keen sense of place.

Griff grew up in Bedford and could easily relate to his surroundings, so producing an historical documentary about the local Wood Family of Croton Lake Road was well within his grasp.

His feature-length film, “The Woodpile” tells of the homes owned by generations of the Wood family, houses that are still lived in today. One Wood home, known as Stonecrest, is next door to where Griff lives.

“The Woodpile” runs just over an hour and was awarded the prestigious 2024 Fox Lane High School Tingley Scholarship of $10,000. The film will premiere at the Bedford Playhouse next Tuesday, July 23 at 7 p.m.

Even though Griff had produced several sports videos for Fox Lane’s athletic teams, he never created an academic film like “The Woodpile.”

“It’s the longest and largest project I’ve made,” he said.

A one-man production team, Griff shot, edited and narrated the documentary. For the sweeping aerial shots, he used a drone camera. Viewers will appreciate the wealth of historical detail shared in the film by Bedford Town Historian John Stockbridge and Wood family historian Elin Peterson.

The story of the Wood family starts in 1809 when James Wood purchased the family farm on Croton Lake Road. He built the first of what became known as the Woodpile homes in 1848, which was Brambleworth Cottage. Wood’s three grandsons, Henry Wood, John Jay Wood and James Wood II, went on to build their famous Woodpile homes, which are Evergreen Lawn, Brambleworth, Braewold and Stonecrest. Airlie, the last of the Woodpile, was built in 1903.

Each house contains different architectural styles that were popular during the era in which they were built. The Woodpile was added to the National Register of Historic Places as a historic landmark district in 1992.

Griff interviewed the current homeowners of Brambleworth, Evergreen Lawn, Braewold and Stonecrest.

“I was very impressed with the knowledge and the willingness everyone had to talk about their homes,” he said. “When writing up the storyboard I thought of what I’d like them to say. But once I started filming, I found that each person wanted to share their personal story, which led to a very cool balance. It wasn’t just about the history of the houses but about living in them and stories about the Wood family. It was different than what I had envisioned.”

Editing down five hours of raw footage to just over an hour was a challenge.

“The goal of the film was to tell the stories that were worth being told while being interesting and engaging,” Griff explained.

An upbeat and varied soundtrack enhanced the visuals, which for Griff, who plays the cello, was key. It was also a way to highlight his musicianship.

“Music is so huge in filmmaking,” he said. “Being a musician, you have that feel for it. You know how long a clip lasts and where to place and layer the music.”

Griff said he couldn’t have produced “The Woodpile” without bouncing ideas off of Stockbridge, Peterson, his parents and teachers.

Next fall he will be attending Lafayette College where he will major in film and media studies.

“Creating this film had the very high impact of a new project, and now I feel like it’s more important to make documentaries,” Griff said. “It took energy, time and organization and was unlike anything I’d ever done. It was a huge learning experience for me for my journey in filmmaking.”

At the end of the film, Griff adds a personal touch by appearing on the well-known stone wall in Bedford frequented by those seeking dramatic sunsets.

While making the film, he discovered his own connection to the Woodpile. A parcel adjacent to the Wood property was owned about 200 years ago by a man named Elijah Moseman.

“Through making this film, I’ve discovered that my house is the house owned by Mr. Moseman,” Griff said.

For Griff, keeping local history alive is essential to informing how we all live.

“It comes from a place of gratitude and appreciation for the people that came before us and the institutions they created,” he said.

Attending the film’s debut next week will be local supporters from the Bedford Historical Society, Bedford Central School District and the Town of Bedford. A Q&A with Griff and local historians follows the film.

The Bedford Playhouse is located at 633 Old Post Rd. in Bedford. Tickets to the screening are $10. For more information and tickets, call 914-234-6704 or visit www.bedfordplayhouse.org.