Mode of Program Participation
Performances and Arts
Participation Type
Roundtable
Session Title
The "Hillbilly" in the Media- Documentary work-in-progress screening and discussion
Session Abstract or Summary
Please join us as we screen a clip from our feature-length documentary work-in-progress, to give feedback and to discuss issues raised in this film (currently untitled) about Appalachia in the media. Funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the West Virginia Humanities Fund and Executive Produced by Silas House, this film examines the past century of the Appalachian stereotype in film and television, uncovering the roots of the classic “hillbilly” archetype and offering a look at a more contemporary and complex Appalachia. Silas House, Field Producer Tom Hansell, and Co-Directors Sally Rubin and Ashley York will discuss the process of developing and producing the film, creating a script and a narrative for the project, following subjects for the film, and building partnerships for the project with the region, and will lead a roundtable to open up a dialogue about the role and responsibility of media in portraying Appalachia. Please visit www.hillbillymovie.com for more about the film.
Presentation #1 Title
Documentary Development
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
Our documentary's Co-Director, Sally Rubin, will discuss the research and development process, outlining how the filmmakers came to the topic and how we have conducted initial research and story development. Rubin will share how the filmmakers have put together an advisory board and a production team, and how we have gotten our fundraising efforts off the ground.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Sally Rubin (Project Co-Director/Producer) recently completed Life on the Line, about a teenage girl living on the US Mexico borde, broadcast nationally on PBS. Previously, Rubin co-directed Deep Down, about mountaintop removal in eastern Kentucky, which was nominated for an Emmy Award and broadcast nationally on PBS' Independent Lens documentary series. Rubin Associate Produced David Sutherland's Country Boys, about two boys growing up in Prestonsburg, Kentucky. She is a documentary professor at Chapman University and a graduate of Stanford University's MA program in Documentary Film.
Presentation #2 Title
Documentary Production
Presentation #2 Abstract or Summary
Co-Director Ashley York will discuss the process of producing our documentary, covering challenges of working in the field, methods for uncovering archival materials to be used in this primarily historical documentary, issues involved in gaining access in a community away from one’s home, and the beginnings of post-production.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #2
Ashley York (Project Co-Director/Producer) is an Appalachian-born mediamaker whose interests include documentaries, socially conscious media, and emerging modes of storytelling. She has worked on Academy Award winning teams and on projects that have premiered at the Sundance, Berlin, and SXSW film festivals and on Netflix, A&E, IFC, HBO, and Sundance Channel. Her film Tig, which she co-directed and produced was acquired by Netflix and premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in addition to the Hot Docs Canadian International Festival, Outfest, Istanbul Independent Documentary Festival, and International Documentary Festival of Amsterdam.
Presentation #3 Title
Writing the Documentary
Presentation #3 Abstract or Summary
Executive Producer Silas House will discuss the process of treatment and script-writing for the documentary. House has written both the treatment and the script for this documentary-in-progress, and he will share about his experience crafting this documentary concept into a thorough narrative with three-act structure, scenes, and character development woven into these paper road maps for the film.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #3
Silas House (Co-Executive Producer) is a well-known novelist, NEH Chair of Appalachian Literature, and Chair of the Appalachian Studies Department at Berea College. He was born and grew up in Lily, Kentucky. House’s novel, Clay’s Quilt, appeared briefly on the New York Times’ Best-Seller List and became a success throughout the South. His book Parchment of Leaves (2003) was a national bestseller and was nominated for several major awards.
Presentation #4 Title
Documentary Field Producing
Presentation #4 Abstract or Summary
Field Producer and filmmaker Tom Hansell will discuss his work field producing for this documentary, including putting together and filming a scene with young Boone, North Carolina residents watching and discussing stereotypical Betty Boop and Simpsons cartoon clips. Tom will also talk a bit about his own work field producing in the Appalachian region, and challenges that tend to arise while working in the field.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #4
Field Producer Tom Hansell teaches Appalachian Studies and Documentary Studies at Appalachian State University. His 2002 documentary Coal Bucket Outlaw screened in China and Indonesia as well as throughout the US. Hansell’s 2010 documentary, The Electricity Fairy, premiered at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Hansell’s current documentary, After Coal, explores how communities in the coalfields of central Appalachia and south Wales have survived the collapse of the coal industry and premiered at the Hay-on-Wye Festival in the UK.
Documentary Development
Our documentary's Co-Director, Sally Rubin, will discuss the research and development process, outlining how the filmmakers came to the topic and how we have conducted initial research and story development. Rubin will share how the filmmakers have put together an advisory board and a production team, and how we have gotten our fundraising efforts off the ground.
