Pictured: NTCC Presenters (from left) Ruben Guerrero, Skylar Fondren, Jordan Chapin, Evan Sears, and Victor Diaz.
By: Dr. Andrew Yox, Honors Director
The NTCC Webb Society, comprised mainly of students of Honors Northeast, presented their seventh trailer of an upcoming film at a fall meeting of the State Walter Prescott Webb Society, 15 October. The trailer and coming film are entitled, “Pedal to the Metal: The Life of Carroll Hall Shelby.” The group is working to premiere this spring, the first feature-length film on the life of the preeminent promoter of the American muscle car, Carroll Hall Shelby.
The Walter Prescott Webb Society, initiated in 1973 by University of Texas Professor, Joe Frantz, is the collegiate auxiliary of the Texas State Historical Association.
Five first-year presenters discussed the making of the Shelby film, and the development of his story. Film scholar, Evan Sears, discussed the legacy of Shelby as the “doer-developer” of the American muscle car. As with Mikhail Kalashnikov, in the development of the AK-47, and Glenn Curtiss with the development of naval aircraft, Shelby was both an expert user, and a developer of a niche technology. Jordan Chapin, hailed later by Skylar Fondren as a young actress who for her came alive in the filming last summer as a dazzling young actress, discussed the experience of being a first-time actor. Quoting Meryl Streep, Chapin discussed the importance of empathy, and how self-discovery proceeds from the attempt to discover another person. Ruben Guerrero followed with an assessment with the technical challenges, dealing with wind, air-conditioners, and the race to reconfigure any environment to appear as it might have a century ago. Skylar Fondren spoke for the film leaders, including Film Director, Brian Ramirez, noting the twin objectives to motivate and keep a time frame. She described the experience as a “lot of fun in any case,” and suggested plans for next year’s film. Finally, Victor Diaz, the producer, presented the trailer. Previously the maker of ten-minute films, Diaz is being challenged this time around to deal with green screen backgrounds (the first time, this technique has been used in an NTCC honors film), the never-ending effort to equalize audio, and the sheer bulk of takes in over a week of straight filming.
Shelby, from the town of Leesburg, in Camp County, became late in life a leading philanthropist and supporter of Northeast Texas Community College. Among all colleges and universities in the United States, the Carroll Shelby Automotive Program at NTCC is the only car-related program that can use the Shelby name.
The official film trailer is still being upgraded. Texas composer Kenny Goodson, who also plays the role of Dr. Herb Riedel in the film, has just recently completed some of the film’s main musical motifs. However, his work at narration is present in the trailer as is Diaz’s green screening, and hints of Ramirez’s over-all artistic vision.
NTCC students presenting the next day for the East Texas Historical Association, joined the Webb presenters the evening before. NTCC’s Phi Theta Kappa—Honors Coordinator, Andrea Reyes drove as well as Honors Director, Dr. Andrew Yox.
