{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Ask A Kansan","title":"Filmmaking in the Heartland with Ken Spurgeon | Kansas on Screen","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":3386,"description":"What does it take to bring Kansas history to life on the big screen? From dusty archives and reenactment camps to film sets across the prairie, history professor and filmmaker Ken Spurgeon has spent two decades mastering the art of visual storytelling rooted in the Great Plains. His latest feature, Sod and Stubble, filmed entirely in Kansas with a community that literally built a house for the production, represents both a love letter to pioneer resilience and a case study in what's possible when Kansans commit to telling their own stories.HIGHLIGHTS• Ken's journey from construction worker to history professor to award-winning filmmaker• How Civil War reenactments became the bridge between academia and cinema• Working with Rance Howard (Ron Howard's father) and learning to direct seasoned actors• The making of Sod and Stubble - filming in 95°+ Kansas heat with 100 crew members in Downs, Kansas• Why the community built a replica pioneer house specifically for the film• The challenges of independent film financing with 47 investors• Why Kansas needs a film incentive bill to compete with Oklahoma, Texas, and Georgia• The difference between documentaries and narrative features - and why \"movies are made in the edit room\"• Balancing teaching history at Friends University with directing feature films• Why Kansas filmmakers shouldn't fear outside competition or collaborationCHAPTERS[0:00] The Sourdough Journey - Sydney debates naming her sourdough starter[2:14] Podcast Theme: Kansas Filmmaking Month[3:20] Meet Ken Spurgeon - History professor and filmmaker[4:02] Origins of a Historian - The Civil War weapon that sparked everything[5:46] Finding the Teaching Path - Seven years away from school working construction[8:51] Favorite Eras and Curiosities - Early America, Civil War, and the American West[9:47] Reenactments to Film Sets - From living history to working on Gods and Generals[11:20] First Documentary Breakthrough - Tackling Bleeding Kansas[12:30] Lessons from...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/31uDhQmE-73zaqpWjXtwnyYffNMsUnDPiL6GtjTddEQ/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9mNzBm/YzFkNDBkODVjNGM2/MzMwMGViYjhmZTY4/Nzc0Mi5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}