MTSU’s True Blue TV offering special broadcast of Smyrna High feature-length film

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — True Blue TV, Middle Tennessee State University’s television station, is offering a special double broadcast of a feature-length film produced out of Smyrna High School’s film production class.

The thought-provoking drama “REAL” is the second full-length, cinema-released movie created by Smyrna High School’s feature film division, Rock School Studios. The movie follows high school student Dante as he is forced to question humanity when a group of synthetically made humans have integrated into everyday life, exploring the line between technology and humanity.

True Blue TV will premiere the film at 8:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, May 23 and May 24, kicking off Memorial Day weekend.

Ty Whitaker, senior manager, True Blue TV, Division of Marketing and Communication — Ty Whitaker

“We once again are excited to be able to collaborate with these young filmmakers and give them a platform to display their award-winning work,” says Ty Whitaker, senior manager of True Blue TV. “We hope that offering opportunities to young students will empower them with a passion for storytelling, something our own renowned College of Media and Entertainment does with their students.”

True Blue TV airs on Comcast Xfinity channels 9 and 1096 in Rutherford County, on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and 24/7 at https://www.mtsu.edu/truebluetv/stream/ or on the True Blue TV app located on both Apple and Android products.

The bottom of this promotional poster for the film “REAL” credits some of the Smyrna (Tenn.) High School students involved in the production of the student-directed feature-length movie, which was produced by SHS film teacher Kyle Dietz, who guided the student team. A teenager is forced to question humanity when a group of synthetically made humans are integrated into his everyday life. (Submitted image) — ***Promotional poster for the film “REAL” directed and produced by Smyrna High School teacher and film instructor Kyle Dietz and his students. (Submitted image)***

Following the success of the first film produced by the school, “REAL” aimed to take what students had learned the first time around and create something even greater.

Smyrna High School film instructor and film producer Kyle Dietz says the idea for attempting to create feature-length films came about after his students were assigned to recreate famous film scenes over two years ago. Given how well the students performed, he believed that they were capable of creating their own content.

“This film was much more ambitious than the first one,” said Dietz. “I think such a high standard was set with the previous film, (so) expectations were very high, and the students rose to the occasion.”

Concept development started last August within Dietz’s Film Production course where students were able to conceptualize, outline and begin writing their script for the film. Auditions for the cast were opened in September, and the five months of filming began in October.

Pre-production for the film happened during class where students prepared for each shoot, while an estimated 250 hours of filming was performed after school hours at over half a dozen locations.

“This film was shot almost entirely on location, which was quite the challenge. Securing locations, getting a student cast and crew to those locations, and then shooting at times in public, sometimes late into the night. But these were some of the best scenes of the film,” said Dietz.

Smyrna High School film teacher and producer Kyle Dietz, center, discusses a scene with student cinematographer Xavier Miller, left, and assistant camera operator Miley Sigharath while filming a scene of the student-directed movie “REAL” inside the school in Smyrna, Tenn. MTSU’s True Blue TV will air the feature-length film Friday and Saturday, May 23-24. (Photo courtesy of Keegan Dietz/Dietz Photography)

Smyrna (Tenn.) High School student director Gavin Averhoff, second from left, guides cinematographer Xavier Miller and script supervisor Noah Panek, right, while filming a scene for for the student-directed film “REAL” inside an SHS classroom. MTSU’s True Blue TV will air the film Friday and Saturday, May 23-24. (Photo courtesy of Keegan Dietz/Dietz Photography)

Students wrapped production during the last weeks of March, before spending the next three weeks editing, sound designing and recording overdubs. The finished film premiered at the Malco Smyrna Cinema on April 22, with additional screenings in the weeks that followed.

Since release, “REAL” has been awarded for Best Director and Best Actor in the 2025 Rutherford County Student Media Awards. The film will also be available for digital rent or own on Amazon Prime by late July.

MTSU’s Video and Film Production program is part of the university’s Department of Media Arts within College of Media and Entertainment and offers three concentrations — filmmaking, live production and motion design.

Students learn the art of cinematic storytelling and how to apply those skills to any genre, like TV, music videos, commercials, web content, documentaries and more. Learn more at https://mediaarts.mtsu.edu/

— Karli Sutton (Karli.Sutton@mtsu.edu)