Katy Baldock didn’t go to Texas A&M with filmmaking in mind. The Nacogdoches High School grad studied agricultural communications and journalism at A&M with a minor in art.
But in Aggieland, Baldock gained knowledge and experience in journalism, while an already flourishing interest in photography ultimately grew into a life-altering passion.
“I learned a lot about storytelling from my professors at Texas A&M,” she said, “and developed an interest in telling stories in a visually compelling way.”
Baldock was a member of the Class of 2013 at NHS. She was in Nacogdoches Thursday evening for a screening of “Deep in the Heart,” a wildlife documentary she produced with Fin and Fur Films. A question and answer session with Baldock was scheduled for after the viewing.
“Deep in the Heart is a visually stunning celebration of Texas’ diverse landscapes and remarkable wildlife found nowhere else,” according to the press kit provided by Baldock. “Narrated by Matthew McConaughey, the film aims to conserve our remaining wild places, to show the connectivity of water and wildlife, and to recognize Texas’ conservation importance on a continental scale.”
Filmmaker and production company founder Ben Masters wrote the script for “Deep in the Heart” and directed the documentary.
It was while still in school in College Station that Baldock became aware of Masters’ work. She joined Fin and Fur’s staff in late 2017, before finishing at A&M, then moved to Austin where the position quickly evolved into a full-time job. Baldock relates her then-burgeoning interest in visual storytelling to the work Masters was doing at the time.
“I became aware of [Masters’] film work, and he was doing just that – telling stories about wildlife and conservation in Texas in beautiful and entertaining films,” Baldock said. “I reached out to Ben when I was about to graduate college in 2017, with the idea that my background in journalism and photography could translate well to documentary film work.”
These days, she works with his production company on a number of projects, splitting time between the office and being in the field.
Some of that field work for “Deep in the Heart” brought the filmmakers behind the pine curtain, near Baldock’s hometown here in East Texas. One sequence explores the biodiversity of the Big Thicket, a national wildlife preserve, and the Angelina National Forest. Another sequence, on the alligator gar – a fish more closely resembling a prehistoric creature, was filmed at Richland Creek Wildlife Management Area southeast of Dallas.
“Our goals for the film are to showcase the beauty and diversity of Texas, get as many people to see the film as possible, and to raise awareness for conservation issues across the state and encourage viewers to contribute to conservation efforts,” Baldock said. “Our team of cinematographers beautifully captured the beauty of Texas' landscapes and the incredible diversity of wildlife in our state.”
The film is making its way into around 70 theaters across Texas, Baldock said. The hope is it will spark interest in people, who can then learn from the film’s credits and websites about different nonprofit organizations to get involved with for conservation purposes. Fin and Fur is also developing a K-12 curriculum that’s expected to be available at no charge later this summer.
“So we hope the information in the film and the curriculum can inform and inspire younger generations to appreciate our natural resources,” Baldock said.
It’s a bit outside the norm for a wildlife documentary like “Deep in the Heart” to be distributed in wide release, Baldock said. And Fin and Fur decided to self-distribute the film, which meant additional work but provided more flexibility for community screenings, like the one taking place Thursday evening at The Fredonia Hotel.
“We worked with a theatrical booker who has a lot of connections with Texas theaters and was able to work out all of the theatrical deals and plans for us, as well as a publicist and digital advertising team to help create awareness around the film,” said Baldock. “It also helped having Matthew McConaughey as the narrator!”
“Deep in the Heart” was also on screen this week at AMC Classic Theater in Nacogdoches.
Photos courtesy of Fin and Fur Films.