Ray Schmitt to present film workshop Aug. 9th, Lost River Craft Cooperative
Kevin Carpenter, president of the WVFFF, with Ray Schmitt in the middle, Kevin’s wife Doreen on other side - visiting spring WVIFF in downtown Charleston May 2008
Ray Schmitt is one of WV’s leading and most productive filmmakers. He was chosen as the “West Virginia Filmmaker of the Year” in 2004 while producing six films in one year.
He will be presenting his latest film, “Dead Girl Walking,” at The Lost River Craft Cooperative in Lost River, WV on Aug. 9 at 1 and 3 PM.
Visit his film company, Real Earth Productions, to learn more about some of his many films.
Here is the press release by Kristen Colebank with LRCC -
Deep down, Ray Schmitt is a storyteller. That’s the simplest way to describe his passion. On a professional level, the Mathias, W.Va., resident might go by titles such as music and film producer, award-winning filmmaker, or owner of Real Earth Productions. But really, deep down, he admits it. He’s a just a storyteller. And he loves telling stories – about his neighbors, about artists he admires, about musicians that pique his interest – he’ll even share stories about himself. The difference is that Schmitt’s stories are committed to high-tech digital recording equipment, professional sounding editing, and then shared with the world at large on the big screen. But Schmitt never forgets what lies at the heart of all of his films – the story. And that his stories depend upon the heart. The latest tale he’s sharing, “Dead Girl Walking,” is about singer-songwriter Marcy Brenner of
Ocracoke, N.C. As usual, Schmitt admits the project had a serendipitous start. He got in touch with the artist after hearing one of her CDs while on vacation in the Outer Banks. “I contacted her when I got back home and by the end of the day I am setting out on another film. I have no problem coming up with ideas. To the contrary, I have too many,” he says. The film will be released in September at the Deepwater Theater, Ocracoke, N.C., but Schmitt is offering a special preview of the 35-minute film Saturday, Aug. 9, at the Lost River Craft Cooperative in Lost River, W.Va., with 1 and 3 p.m. showings.
Schmitt describes Brenner’s film as a story of survival. In promotional materials for the film, Schmitt writes, “Marcy Brenner was diagnosed with breast cancer the same year she lost her mother to ovarian cancer. She was 34. This is her story from the brink of despair to being truly alive. This film is for breast cancer survivors and their partners, for spiritual seekers and for anyone whose life has been touched by a life-threatening illness.” Similar themes of hardship, survival and triumph appear in many of Schmitt’s films, whether recounting the struggles of a theater troupe in a rural
West Virginia community, to the financial and cultural barriers a Chinese woman battles as she becomes an internationally recognized sculptor, to the potentially life-threatening medical condition Schmitt himself faces. Schmitt says his love of film began early in life. His father was also a film buff, and enjoyed using a 16 mm camera to record home movies. When Schmitt began working at the Library of Congress in 1971, he met other people who enjoyed film, and began working with silent 8 mm films as a hobby. The first serious film work he completed was in 1975. “I produced a dark, Gothic film called ‘Gates of Hell’ and a comedy, ‘Dr. Billy Saves DC,’ he recalls. “I also did a short film based on a feature-length screenplay that I wrote called ‘Reflections.’ When a film reviewer wrote his favorable critique and understood what I was trying to say in my film, it gave me validation to go on as a filmmaker.”
With his wife Judy as a collaborator, Schmitt started a production company, Real Earth Music, in 1974 to record albums for bluegrass groups in which Schmitt was playing. In the mid-1980s, they switched to Real Earth Productions to reflect the additional video production work in which they were engaged. The husband and wife team produced more than 30 films over two decades, a collaboration which tragically ended last September when Judy died suddenly. “Judy had a knack for going right to the heart of an issue whereas I tended to want to include too much,” Schmitt explains. “While I did most of the hands-on stuff such as the actual nonlinear computer editing, I would buzz her on the intercom and she would drop whatever she was doing and come up to my office and watch what I wanted her to see and discuss it with me.” Dealing with loss has become a theme that Schmitt says he plans to explore in future projects. “I have begun working on a spiritual film examining my own belief system,” he says. “I want to make a film that may give some comfort to someone losing their own spouse. What I am trying to accomplish with my interviews, readings and discussions is to build a bridge between the scientific world and the spiritual world.” As Schmitt works out the central themes of his future tales, the essence of love and loss, the traditional hymn comes to mind:
I love to tell the story, it did so much for me; and that is just the reason
I tell it now to thee.
Ray Schmitt with Les Blank in Shepherdstown March 22, 2006.
Photo by Allan Balliett.
Ray Schmitt and Morgan Spurlock, “director of Super Size Me!’ and “Where in the world is Osama bin Laden?” Spurlock also produces the TV series for FX, “30 Days. Spurlock received the Pinacle Award, an award from at The 2005 WV Filmmakers Film Festival in Sutton.
