Mark Mattison-Shupnick, Jobson’s director of education and training content, sat down with Kris Koenig, writer, producer and director of “Sight: The Story of Vision,” for an update on the documentary and multimedia project, scheduled to air later this year.

Vision Monday: Kris it’s been six months since we’ve spoken. How is the “Sight” project going?

Kris Koenig: It’s going great! We’re close to completing the edit of the documentary “Sight: The Story of Vision” and we premiered the companion planetarium show, “Seeing: A Photon’s Journey Across Space and Mind,” at the Hayden planetarium as part of Vision Expo East.

VM: That’s a Zeiss Vision Care event, correct?

KK: Yes, Zeiss came on early as the sole underwriter of “Seeing” and we can’t thank them enough for their support for this component of the “Sight” project.

VM: Speaking of components, how many moving parts does this project have?

KK: Many. First, there is the film “Sight”, which is a 1-hour documentary that will be broadcast on Oct. 13, 2016, which is also World Sight Day, on Public Television stations across the U.S. and internationally through Bell Media distribution. Then there is the planetarium film “Seeing” that will be distributed to over 1,500 theaters internationally by the International Planetarium Society.

Collateral components include a mobile iOS and Android app called Second Screen that will present additional and expanded content simultaneously as you watch the documentary making the experience interactive. Essilor is the underwriter for the Second Screen.

There is also an E-book being developed with Jobson’s help and there’s an expanded website that will provide even more information on vision and vision care.

The most important part of this project is the free vision screening events we will be doing with participating Public Television stations and participating eyecare providers and industry leaders. Luxottica/OneSight and VSP have committed to sponsor three events each and USC/Keck Eye Institution will be sponsoring a screening event in the Los Angeles area.

VM: How will these events work?

KK: Select Public Television stations will promote the event with online and on-air promotions prior to a rebroadcast of “Sight.” The events will be targeting screening children’s eyes within the first 10 years of a child’s life, which is very important. Sir Elton John, “Sight’s” narrator, has an on-camera PSA encouraging parents to bring their children to the events and have their eyes checked.

VM: Can more of these events be sponsored?

KK: Yes, originally we were just targeting the top 30 markets but several professional optical societies have decided to sponsor events in addition to our corporate sponsored events.

Sponsors commit to a tax-deductible donation of $15,000 that covers the direct event costs the public television station will incur (location, staff and airtime). It also covers Southern Oregon Public Television (SOPTV), our presenting station’s expenses to coordinate the screenings. The sponsor also needs to provide qualified staff to conduct the screenings. SOPTV and the local station will handle all the details for the event; all the sponsors need to do is show up and conduct the screenings. Any company, organization or individual interested in sponsoring an event should contact me directly at Kris@KoenigFilms.com.

VM: The two films, e-book, Second Screen and web project should be enough to convey the story of “Sight.” Why hold the screenings?

KK: All of the interlinked content of the “Sight” project was created to encourage the public to have their eyes checked. The events provide an opportunity for the viewer to follow through on that call to action. Also, some viewers may lack the financial ability to get an eye exam and this is a way to at least identify those individuals that are at risk and need future care. This is really important for young children so that their school education is not affected by poor sight.

VM: Can you expand on how these events will be promoted?

KK: Each station will start 30 to 45 days out by including an article we provide them for their monthly newsletter and website that expands on the importance of the eye screenings. There will also be an article on how to use the Second Screen app while watching “Sight.”

About two weeks out, the stations will begin promoting the broadcast of “Sight” and will air the promo that Sir Elton John made urging parents to bring their children to the screening. This promo will also feature the sponsor or sponsors’ logos. Sponsor-branded web banners will also be provided for the stations to promote the events online.

We will also execute a local PR campaign to get other regional news organizations to cover the event. Our goals are to educate and engage the public while making as many impressions as possible for our underwriters.

In addition, Alcon has provided their downloadable e-book, “Howard and the Amazing Eye Exam,” available at no charge for kids and their parents. The story describes how Howard the Hedgehog gets ready for his first eye exam and teaches his class that visiting the eye doctor isn’t scary at all. The e-book will also be available through a link on the “Sight” website.

VM: What can you tell us about the international distribution of “Sight?”

KK: Bell Media of Canada has taken the international right to “Sight” and they also have taken the film to MIPTV convention in Cannes, France, to secure distribution by international broadcasters. That convention is happening April 4 to 7 so we should have an idea of who will be broadcasting “Sight” by mid-May. In a perfect world, we would love to see “Sight” broadcast globally on World Sight Day, which is Oct. 13, 2016.

Understanding the Components of Sight Multimedia Project

“Sight: The Story of Vision” will provide the public, both domestic and international, with a set of multimedia products to improve their understanding of science, history and knowledge of how sight works while increasing their appreciation for their own sight and educating them about the worldwide vision crisis. The project is comprised of six parts.

The project and 1-hour documentary for Public TV/PBS and International distribution would not have been possible without Southern Oregon Public Television and the funding of the project’s underwriters, Alcon Foundation, Brien Holden Vision Institute Foundation, Carl Zeiss Vision International, Dante Alighieri Society of Massachusetts, Essilor, Reade Fahs, Dr. David and Jacqueline Fleishman, Eric Fleischman, Dr. Robert and Marcia Fleishman, Dr. George and Rita Foster, Wayne Godlin, Luxottica, NA, The Ohio State University, OneSight Foundation, Opticians Association of America, Opticians Association of Massachusetts, Dave Sattler, The Vision Council, Vision Service Providers (VSP) and VOSH International.

Seeing, A Photons Journey Across Space, Time and Mind is a 22-minute full-immersion planetarium program, which uses 4D animations and video to teach how human vision works. The Planetarium program will be distributed free to 1,500 planetariums around the world through the International Planetarium Society.

Seeing is underwritten by a grant from Carl Zeiss Vision. The Ohio State College of Optometry will provide downloadable student/teacher guides for the schools visiting the Planetarium shows from the “Sight” website. For elementary school age children and their parents, Alcon provides the downloadable book, “Howard and the Amazing Eye Exam” for both the Planetarium and outreach events.

Second Screen, an interactive iOS/Android app will deliver additional content concurrently with the TV playback of the film and is underwritten by a grant from Essilor.

Both the website, The Story of Sight, (http://storyofsight.com/) and the Sight e-Book will allow anyone to dig deeper into the topics of “Sight” with extended and in-depth text and video content, from the library of interviews.

Finally, a series of Sight PTV Affiliate, Outreach Events are critical to reaching as many U.S. households as possible with the “Sight” message. Sponsors commit to a tax-deductible donation of $15,000 that covers the direct event costs the public television station will incur (location, staff and airtime) and Southern Oregon Public Television (SOPTV), the presenting station’s expenses, to coordinate the screenings.

The sponsor also needs to provide qualified staff to conduct the screenings. SOPTV and the local station will handle all the details for the event; all the sponsors need to do is show up and conduct the screenings. Any company, organization or individual interested in sponsoring an event should contact Kris Koenig at Kris@KoenigFilms.com.

The project is still seeking sponsorship for both Closed Captioning (text for the hearing impaired) and Descriptive Video (simultaneous audio for the partially sighted and blind) additions to the film. These sponsors will be noted in a separate call-out in the minute before and after the film.

Contact Kris Koenig at Kris@KoenigFilms.com for more information.