Land Grant Films’ Howard Baker Documentary Premieres at CCI Board Meeting
Former U.S. Ambassador and longtime friend of U.S. Sen. Howard H. Baker, Jr., Arthur “A.B.” Culvahouse, Jr., addressing the crowd ahead of the screening of Land Grant Films’ Baker for America documentary.
College of Communication and Information master’s student Seth Reynolds vividly remembers his dad’s reaction when he shared he was selected to work on a documentary about U.S. Sen. Howard H. Baker, Jr.
“My dad’s jaw dropped to the floor,” Reynolds said. “‘That is my hero,’ he said.”
Growing up in East Tennessee, Reynolds’ dad idolized Baker because of his character and willingness to put the American people over party. As Reynolds learned more about Baker’s life while working on Land Grant Films’ Baker for America documentary, he found himself sharing his dad’s admiration for the Tennessee statesman.
Baker For America examines the senator’s life and how his principles could teach us valuable lessons today. The documentary was screened for the first time during the College of Communication and Information (CCI) Board of Visitors meeting in November. Special guests included members of the Howard H. Baker Jr. School of Public Policy and Public Affairs (Baker School) board such as longtime friend of Baker and former United States Ambassador Arthur “A.B.” Culvahouse, Jr.
“For A.B. Culverhouse in his opening remarks at the screening to say that this film accurately represents the man he knew, that was really powerful,” Professor and The Media Center Director Nick Geidner said. “So, we were really happy.”
The documentary is tentatively slated to air on East Tennessee PBS in January 2025.
Sharing Baker’s Message
Geidner said the former Baker Center—now the Baker School—commissioned Land Grant to make a documentary honoring Baker’s legacy after the success of the film outlet’s other documentary, The Library That Dolly Built.
Geidner knew the lore surrounding Baker, such as his famous “what did the president know and when did he know it” line during the U.S. Senate Watergate Committee hearings and his Panama Canal role, but he learned so much more while working on the documentary and relished the opportunity to share it with the world.
“I found his story fascinating. I found his life fascinating,” Geidner said. “And I thought that, from a pedagogical standpoint, it matched everything that we wanted to do, connecting to such an important statesman and providing real-world experience for our students.”
He said Land Grant could have approached this project as a biography about Baker, but instead they wanted to use Baker’s life as a vehicle to inspire discussion about the current state of politics. He hopes viewers can take away examples and tools they can use to help guide future political discourse in the United States.
Reynolds said one lesson he took away from Baker’s life is to always make a good faith effort to understand where someone of opposing views is coming from, because they might just be right. He added it is crucial to find ways to work together as nation.
“I think Sen. Baker would love this film because it does not glorify him, but because it made exactly the point that Seth has stated, that we are all in this together and that while we have differences of opinion, sometimes strong differences, the only way this democracy is going to work is for us to have what the senator called a decent respect for differing points of view,” said Baker School Board Member Patrick Butler.
Quality hands-on experiences
Reynolds joined the documentary team after responding to a blind call from Land Grant for a student cinematographer on an upcoming project. He initially saw it as just another opportunity to get some hands-on training in the field. He never imagined that decision would lead him to work on one of the most important projects so far in his young career.
The project took him across the country to interview political figures such as former U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, who represented Tennessee. He also got the opportunity to review tons of archival material while researching, including several of Baker’s photographs.
“Getting to have this type of experience with the equipment and the instruction I received was just so valuable,” Reynolds said. “One of the reasons I came back as a graduate student is because I wanted to get even more hands-on experience. Getting to do hands-on work like this documentary, through the Election Project, and other projects helps prepare you better than anything.”
Geidner said students were involved in every aspect of the project, from researching interview questions to editing the final product. Student involvement in the documentary production process is one of Land Grant’s primary goals. Geidner said he wanted to include more students, but since filming started at the tail end of the COVID-19 pandemic, he had to keep the crew small.
“I think every one of our Land Grant projects provides demonstrative proof that our students can do big, amazing, professional things if we give them the right tools,” Geidner said.
Land Grant Films’ Howard Baker Documentary Premieres at CCI Board Meeting written by Ernest Rollins and originally published on the College of Communication & Information site.