By: Skylar Fondren with Dr. Andrew Yox, Honors Director
“My bad.” It was an expression heard more than a few times during the seven days of filming undertaken recently by the NTCC honors program, Honors Northeast, and the NTCC Webb Society, 6, 9-14 August. Of the eighteen involved, only six had previously experienced the etiquette of on-set, film-crew procedures. Most of the eighteen not only took turns with the crew, but also acted. Among those multi-talented students is entering honors scholar, Jordan Chapin, and returning Texas Heritage National Bank Scholar, John Rodriguez, taking on two or more roles.
One goal of the endeavor was to provide the first feature-length story of the great automobile developer, and NTCC philanthropist, Carroll Shelby. Honors Northeast, the honors program of NTCC, has leveraged such experience to develop a national reputation. It has been the sole honors entity of the 900 honors programs and colleges of the National Collegiate Honors Council to be featured as a panel on film-making eight times, 2013-2018, 2020, and again, this coming October. Another society, roughly coterminous with Honors Northeast, but a bit more inclusive, The Walter Prescott Webb Society, is a part of a state society of the same name. It is the collegiate auxiliary of the Texas State Historical Association. For its part in the filmmaking, the NTCC Webb Society has won three Caldwell Awards for the best historical project in Texas history undertaken by any university or college group, and four Webb-Chapter Awards, for the best project undertaken by freshmen and sophomores.
Observers of this process might still be skeptical. Certainly, at first glance one may assume the worst because many participants are honors students who have had no experience acting. As most are coming into honors for the first time, there is a general wait-and-see attitude that inhibits grand organizational schemes during the summer. I urge you to hold your judgement until you have witnessed the final amalgamation of our work. Many times, students just need some guidance to perform admirably in front of the camera.
The script is not frozen until 1 August, so there is a running uncertainty throughout most of the summer about casting. This year several roles were thrust upon students at the last minute, and yet, they did not crack under the pressure and played their part. All eighteen students who participated had many parts, though, there was one role left unfulfilled: prop director. This led to some almost comical arguments regarding the current location of some realistic-looking toy guns, wasteful trips to retrieve them, and curious side-discussions, such as whether Andrea Reyes would ever get her attractive decanter back. Dually enrolled student Jessie Parchman elected to bring her dance competition trophy for lack of an actual racing trophy. Clothes go everywhere. Women tend to over-pack. The guys never have enough ties or sports jackets to go around, so one might surmise how desperately a prop director was needed.
I asked Dr. Yox, NTCC’s Honors and Webb Society Director, about this almost chaotic situation. “Serendipitous aspects of the filming,” he noted, “have their drawbacks. But the challenging nature of the experience also serves, I believe, as a memorable learning experience. Students learn in a rather dramatic and personal way, the value of high-fidelity recall, the fun of putting emotion into their discourse, showing initiative, and of collegiate teamwork. Beyond this, our excursions in niche cinema—filming the un-filmed legends of our region—promotes a patriotism and awareness of Northeast Texas. Every year we discover remarkable legends about our area, and ways in which our local people have affected national culture.”
Freshmen like me often dive into honors with no foreknowledge on what is to come. However, there were two tiers of the Honors Northeast tradition that proved helpful. The key to success of any organization lies with its leadership. Dr. Yox, being the director of Honors Northeast, has been directly involved in the making of ten years’ worth of student films. To add to Dr. Yox’s leadership are two remarkable women who were both in the first class of Presidential Scholars when the program started, and provided essential support to this year’s group of actresses. Andrea Reyes, a former Hughes Springs valedictorian, is now the key liaison between Honors Northeast and Phi Theta Kappa at the college. As a coordinator and mentor working for the college, she is not only a terrific, model actress, but a confidant for students like me, who are still learning the ropes. Alongside her is Ann Goodson, whose husband Kenny Goodson has been the composer for two films for the series not including the upcoming film. Mrs. Goodson had very definite ideas about elocution, and historical authenticity that greatly improved the accuracy of the final product. Whereas even Dr. Yox was content to cut corners in the interests of economy or time, Goodson’s iron will helped to sharpen the historicity and visual appeal of the film. The girls were also extremely thankful to have Mrs. Goodson’s assistance in achieving hairstyles accurate to their era.
I was actually most impressed with the sophomore student tier. Director Brian Ramirez was not always as organized as one might want a director to be, but he inspirited the set. He had a great inner sense of what needed to happen, where it should happen, and when. His personality inspires one to listen to his directions, thus moving filming along at a faster pace than expected. Cade Bennett, playing the titular role of Carroll Shelby, was a natural, with a believable drawl, and an impressive memory.
The group filmed at the Whatley Center, the Shelby Automotive Shop of NTCC, The nursing practicum classroom, UHS 127-128 at NTCC, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Mount Pleasant, Union Church in Jefferson, and the following Jefferson homes: Kennedy Manor, San Jacinto House, Sara Jane Cottage, and the White Oak Manor.
Unlike the award-winning 2019 Ford v Ferrari film that dramatized Shelby’s friendship with racer, Ken Miles, and victory at Le Mans in 1966, the NTCC film portrays Shelby over the course of his entire life. This film depicts Shelby’s more personal struggles, to represent the epitome of the American muscle car ideal, relate to the women in his life, and find meaning in his final years when he was peripherialized by the big auto makers and faced major medical issues.
The NTCC film series has been indebted over the years to Jerald and Mary Lou Mowery of Mount Vernon, the patrons of Honors Northeast, and quick and creative administrative decisions made by the staff of NTCC. As with previous years, the NTCC group hopes to have a trailer by October, and the premiere by March of 2022. The premiere then would come ten years after Shelby’s death, and 100 years after his birth.
