Lexington, KY - Since first airing in the 1960s, Kentucky Educational Television has been lauded for breaking down geographic barriers within Kentucky to provide a public broadcast platform for a variety of statewide issues. Covering topics from the arts to health to public affairs, the network has given broad applications to the concept of "educational television," and with a new series conceptualized in 2009, that definition now includes educating the public on the work of Kentucky filmmakers, many of whom have not previously had a public outlet for their work. Airing a variety of short films by Kentuckians each season - ranging from serious documentaries to experimental art shorts - "Reel Visions: Spotlight on Kentucky Filmmakers" highlights the diversity and creativity of the state's filmmaking community.
"You don't always think of Kentucky as having bizarre art films, but we like to put those out there too, so people can see an array of things that people are making (in the state)," said series producer Sara O'Keefe. "A lot of people have stories that they just don't know how to tell in other ways."
Though it features work from filmmakers from all over the state - and even former Kentuckians now living and working elsewhere - the series is very much a Lexington brainchild. Lexington musicians created, recorded and mixed the theme music, and local artists even created the stop animation features that are used as the intro to the series and as transitions between segments. The idea for the series originated with former KET employee Kelli Burton, who was inspired in part by a series of short film collections issued by the publishing house McSweeney's, called the Wholphin DVDs.
"While I was watching (the Wholphin DVDs), I thought how cool it would be to collect a fair amount of Kentucky short films and have them air on KET," Burton said. "I knew a few Kentucky filmmakers, respected their work and thought others should certainly see it."
After getting the initial go-ahead from the network, Burton started working any and every connection she could imagine with filmmakers around the state. She had been involved with the Cincinnati 48-Hour Film Festival, and grew up across the street from Gregg Hale, the producer of "The Blair Witch Project," so she used those contacts to get the word out about submissions, and contacted Appalshop, a media center in Whitesburg, Ky., as well as the film departments at every state university. Though Burton moved to New York last year to pursue her own filmmaking career, the series has continued, and the number of submissions continues to climb each season.
The series accepts submissions of films up to 25 minutes long created by filmmakers with Kentucky ties. This month, the series will launch its third season, and like the seasons past, it will feature the short films of a handful of Lexingtonians.
According to Peter Cook, a Lexington filmmaker whose film "Within" will broadcast at the end of August, "Reel Visions" is creating excitement among local filmmakers.
"It gives us a much needed opportunity to showcase our work," said Cook, who grew up behind the scenes with his father, filmmaker Barry Cook, who has worked as an animator for a number of Disney movies, and directed the 1998 Disney movie "Mulan."
Cook, alongside a team that included three other graduates of Asbury College's Media Communications program, created "Within" for the 2009 Louisville 48-Hour Film Competition. "Reel Visions" producer O'Keefe said that the series has received a handful of submissions from various 48-Hour Film Competitions in and around the state, as well as student film submissions and professional documentaries. The series has also forged a relationship with the Lexington Film League, and will feature five films this season from the LFL's "Doers Contest," a local competition that asked entrants to create short films highlighting the people and organizations doing great things in their communities.
Many local filmmakers will agree that the inception of the Lexington Film League and the increased activities of other film societies in the region have served to strengthen and support the local filmmaking community in recent years.
"The creation of the Lexington Film League seems to have opened people's eyes to the fact that there are a lot of people making videos and films in Lexington," said Jeremy Midkiff, whose film "Ronnie Reader," about a longtime Lexingtonian named Ronnie Cooper who likes to read aloud in Cheapside Park, will air in August. Midkiff cites the digital studio at the Northside branch of the public library, where users can learn to use various editing programs and edit their own movies for free, as a great new asset for local filmmakers
"There are a lot more film societies around, and a lot more interest," O'Keefe said. She added that with the increased availability of cameras, from cell phone video cameras to the user-friendly Flip camcorders, filmmaking has become more accessible to people who never thought they could create a film the past. "People are learning Final Cut Pro on their computers, or MovieMaker or iMovie. People are getting more confident in doing their own movies. Hopefully, this series will be an outlet for people who want to become a filmmaker."
"Reel Visions" is currently accepting submissions for the next season. The deadline is Dec. 1, 2010. Films must be sent in one of the following formats: DVCAM, DV, Mini-DV, DVD or high resolution video file; must not exceed 25 minutes; and must be appropriate for all viewing audiences. Submissions should be sent to Reel Visions at the KET offices (600 Cooper Dr., Lexington, KY 40502).