Wide Awake Films helps preserve Civil War history (cont'd)

To those with a passing interest in the Civil War, it might seem strange that a company located in Kansas City be so hugely invested in the conflict. Take a deeper look, though, and it makes perfect sense. Antebellum clashes between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in Kansas and Missouri were beyond vicious. These weren't the kind of grand battles fought at Gettysburg and Antietam, either. It was outright guerilla warfare. Nothing ... no one ... was off limits.

"A lot of what went on here on the Kansas/Missouri border, you could argue that it helped trigger the Civil War," Seley says. "It's like a pebble thrown in the pond ... those ripples went out. It was brutal. There were families who still haven't recovered."

The company's Bad Blood documentary focuses on that sad chapter of American history. Other Wide Awake DVD documentary releases include:

• Spotsylvania Courthouse: The Clash of Grant & Lee at the Crossroads
• Shiloh: The War is Civil No More
• Manassas 1861
• Chickamauga: High Tide in the West
• The Battle of Stones River: The Fight for Murfreesboro
• The Battle of Perryville: The Invasion of Kentucky

In many cases, footage for these documentaries was shot on the actual battlefield. An avid "living historian" Civil War re-enactor himself, Seley has been both in front of and behind his cameras many, many times.

"When we shoot at a national level event, our crews, based upon our experience level, are usually the only crews allowed on the battlefield," Seley begins. "We dress in the clothing of the clothing of the side we're on -- Union or Confederate -- and even camouflage our camera gear with natural colors so that we blend into the event ... and so we don't ruin our own wide shots."

Its work with corporate partners is Wide Awake Films' "bread and butter," admits Seley. The Civil War, though, isn't about to get left behind. Not a chance.

"The Civil War is something that we've always kind of had a passion for," Seley says. "We're real active in battlefield preservation. We donate a lot of time, services and footage to the Civil War Preservation Trust. ... That's what we're about. We're really into history and we hope to see more of the history thing blossom. We're really working in that regard, especially with the 150th anniversary of the Civil War [coming up] in 2011, that's a big part of where we see our company going."