The Next Chapter

After 2 two heartbreaking seasons, the Ridge View Blazers go into their 2023 Spring Practice standing firmly on the principles that laid the foundation for the players and staff to build a legacy, unlike any other program in the state. Coach Derek Howard II embraces failure and adversity to instill a growth mindset in his team and teach them lessons in football and life. We join the Ridge View Blazers as they finish up their last three practices before their Spring Game and catch a glimpse into what will eventually lead to their success as a team and contributing members of our community.

This is “The Next Chapter” in Ridge View Football.

  • Jason Kendall (kendallprojects)
    Director
  • Jason Kendall
    Writer
  • Jason T Kendall
    Producer
  • Faith V Kendall
    Producer
  • Ridge View Football
    Producer
  • Derek Howard II
    Key Cast
    "Head Coach"
  • Ryan Kendall
    Key Cast
    "Defensive Coordinator"
  • Myles Brown
    Key Cast
    "Linebacker"
  • Jeylon Boyd
    Key Cast
    "Quarterback"
  • David Matthews
    Key Cast
    "Linebacker"
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    37 minutes 7 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 28, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    35,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital 4k
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Jason Kendall (kendallprojects)

Kendallprojects is an exploration of the artist’s personal experience. Jason Kendall was born and raised in Columbia, S.C. He briefly majored in Studio Art while playing football at the University of South Carolina and North Greenville College from 1994-1998. He quit to escape the negative physical and psychological aspects of the sport and to pursue a career as an artist.
Kendall received his B.F.A. in Sculpture from the Ringling College of Art & Design in Sarasota, Florida, and his M.F.A from New York University. During this time, he developed the umbrella title, kendallprojects, which provided a canopy for the variety of genres, media and ideas in his work. As he explains, “the studio practice I employ is devoted to the exercise of exhausting the possibilities of different physical materials and experiences in popular culture by attacking the notions of drawing, painting, sculpture and performance through film.”

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Director Statement

This film results from Coach Howard taking a chance on me. Our initial thought was that we would come out to film practice, shoot a few short interviews and get some highlights from the spring game to use in putting together some content that could be used to boost interest in the football program, show off for spring, and make something that could benefit everyone involved. What ended up happening was I was witness to one of the most compelling football stories in high school football. As the days went by and the footage accumulated, I knew that I had something extraordinary on my hands, and I had to do justice to the team, coaches, players, program, school, and community by creating the best representation of the narrative I witnessed as my skill set would allow me to make. The concluding film will be a document I will stand by as something that changed my business and artistic trajectory forever. I hope it can do the same for the school, the program, the player, and the coaches.

I abandoned my football roots many years ago and immersed myself in the art world while dissecting my experience as a player. Doing so, I became disengaged from the sport on all levels. There were many years when I didn’t watch a down of football, much less the sport's pinnacle events like the National Championship or Super Bowl. It wasn’t until I completed a body of artwork that spanned over 20 years of investigation into the sport did I begin to embrace my history as a football player again. It took watching the Netflix series “Last Chance U” to shift my mindset to realize the need for positive narratives around our local football teams' stories.