By Anthony Rifilato
Ray Schmitt, a 60-year-old Baldwin native, has just released an independent feature called "The Lights" a sci-fi docu-thriller about UFOs in West Virginia.
Born and raised in Baldwin and a 1960 graduate of Baldwin High School, Schmitt left Long Island to attend college at Waynesburg College in Pennsylvania. He then went on to work as a pension specialist at the Library of Congress in Washington, got married, had kids, and settled in Mathias, West Virginia.
Although he has been making films in his spare time since 1975, "The Lights" is the first fictional feature he's made since he retired in 1997.
Two-years in the making, "The Lights" premiered at the West Virginia Filmmakers Festival back in October of 2001, but because of re-edits, a computer crash and a new ending, the film was officially released on July 4, 2002.
Shot on location in the Lost River Valley of West Virginia, the film is in the spirit of "The Blair Witch Project" and realistically tracks two young female students who get caught up in a mysterious chain of events after witnessing strange lights.
While the film may be fictional, down in West Virginia, people
were really seeing weird lights, said Schmitt.
"The publicity from the film led to calls from locals who said they were seeing strange things," said Schmitt.
Schmitt said the idea of the film came from local myths, in which people would claimed to see triangular light patterns and lights shooting around like humming birds in Mathias. He noted that because New York is constantly awash in electricity and illumination, strange sightings are easily dismissed up here, but not in his state.
"Two guys said they saw a UFO go down the side of a mountain in the middle of daytime," Schmitt said.
Because of the numerous sightings, Schmitt is doing research for a new documentary just on the sightings.
For now, "The Lights" will be shown at various film festivals and select screenings in West Virginia and at the Mary Pickford Theater in Washington this month. Schmitt said he's trying to get the film shown on independent film channels as well. The film is available for purchase on Schmitt's web site, www.wv-thelights.com for $19.95.
Now that he is retired, Schmitt said he will have more time to pursue his passion.
"I have a lot of time on my hands now and I'm looking forward to making more films," Schmitt said.
But Schmitt is no beginner. He's made over 30 films ranging from original dramas to documentaries and has won many awards for his movies. His documentary about disability issues, "Coming to Terms," was a finalist in the Outstanding Educational/Documentary film category for the 13th Annual Media Access Awards in Los Angeles and received a blue ribbon at the 1992 American Film and Video
Festival.
He put his knowledge of the pension system to great use when he made 1999's critically acclaimed "$4 Trillion and Counting: The Pension System in America."
With all the recent accounting scandals and corporate frauds, Schmitt said he's thinking about updating that film. "I'd add stuff like 401k and address the scandals," he said.
Schmitt changes with the times and employs a digital approach to filmmaking these days and uses computer editing and digital cameras. He relies on a shoestring budget to make his films.
"For the price of a used car anyone can become a filmmaker," Schmitt said.
Along with his wife and sons, Christian and Rich, Schmitt has also produced music videos and comedies. His wife has worked as a co-producer and editor on his films. Both of his sons are musicians and work on the soundtrack to his films, among other things.
With his newest effort, Schmitt said he will try to generate some buzz for his sci-fi thriller on his home turf.
"We'll try to get showcases for the film in New York," Schmitt said.
In the meantime, he will soon make the trip north to visit his parents, Ray, 93, and Hermine, 90, who still live on Schuman Place in Baldwin.
