Passion, spirit and unity mark Virginia Tech sports fans, but two area filmmakers have captured the phenomenon in a documentary premiering Aug. 31.
Virginia Tech alumni Sean Kotz and Chris Valluzzo will premier their new film company, Horse Archer Productions, with “Hokie Nation.” The film was inspired by the spirit displayed for their alma mater.
Team spirit blankets Blacksburg, but Kotz believes the documentary is the first to focus on the fans.
“Just driving around town, you see 200 Hokie things in a day. So, in a way it’s pretty obvious, but then again, nobody has ever really done a fan documentary,” Kotz said.
Filmed by letting fans, football coaches and prominent players of the past attempt to explain what it means to be a Hokie, the documentary has no narrator, but instead, has clips of 114 interviews conducted during the 2006 football season.
While he said there was no true definition, Kotz said the film shows being a Hokie unites people across boundaries society often sets.
“I think it is a sort of Appalachian family value. You might have different political views, be of a different economic status, but if you’re Hokies, you become friends,” Kotz said. “It’s amazing. All those dividing lines seem to become insignificant.”
Following the football team from camp through the bowl game allowed Kotz, Valluzzo and their crew of cameramen to sample many different ways people cheer on the Hokies.
They also began to gain recognition in the Tech community, making their search for characters more efficient.
“Walking around the parking lot, we looked for people who looked like good subjects. We also looked for people who had big vans or elaborate tailgates — you can tell they put a lot of money into it and are big fans,” Kotz said. “We also put the word out through Blacksburg Sports Club and a couple of other organizations. After just a couple announcements, we had plenty of people who wanted to do it.”
Buzz for the Aug. 31 premiere at the Lyric Theatre is growing. Lyric representatives said there has been a consistent wave of callers expressing interest in the opening.
Blacksburg resident Jim Berkson said the release is timely before the beginning of the 2007 football season, which kicks off the next day.
“It sounds like a lot of fun, just the thing to get everyone fired up before football season,” Berkson said.
In order to make the project a reality, Kotz and Valluzzo pushed themselves financially, using three different cameras at most times and, of course, making some road trips.
“For the most part, [the funding] was from our own pocket,” Kotz said. “Some family helped out, we had some supporters, and we sold sponsorship, but that really was not a great deal of money.”
Kotz said the tragedy at Virginia Tech on April 16 motivated the production crew even more, as filming had wrapped up just days before. Eventually, they cut about 80 hours of film down to 100 minutes and began setting up showings and DVD sales.
After the film makes its debut at the Lyric, it will have several encore opportunities before beginning a tour across the state the following week. Norfolk’s Naro Theatre, Richmond’s Byrd Theatre and the Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse are planned destinations.
Kotz said there are also showings still in the works.
“It could land in Roanoke,” Kotz said. “And I’ve been encouraged to show it in Charlottesville.”
“Hokie Nation” is an officially licensed Virginia Tech product. DVDs can be reserved at the bookstore or online at www.hokienation.com.
A release date for the DVD has not been set, as Horse Archer Productions is waiting to hear about a pending deal that would broadcast the documentary on the television screen in addition to its showings on the silver screen.
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