The air of the Paramount Theater was filled with eager filmmakers biting their nails while awaiting their results. The crowd was large, as was the tension lingering in the air from the anxious, animated contestants.

   Tech Theatre students  Emily Moore and Caleb Gibbons attended the UIL State Film Competition in Austin on March 1. Their film, Heart of Gold, ranked fifth place in Division One Documentary. Heart of Gold is a film about a tradition the residents of Stephenville have. A special guest is invited to the pre-game pep rally and the night’s game, both of which honor the them and their battle. These guests aren’t just any guests; each of them were born with or developed a life threatening health hardship.The proceeds from the Heart of Gold t-shirts go to the special guest and their family.

  “This film isn’t so much aimed to influence our peers, but to influence the community. We wanted to draw attention to a special cause; Luke Nelson. Just one surgery costed 1.5 million dollars, and there were many other medical expenses, and I don’t think many people knew the full extent of the hardships the Nelson family had to face. This film helped the community really understand what we do,” said Caleb Gibbons, senior.

  All it took was one great idea given by a trusted advisor for this film to come to life.

  “Mrs. Mindy Pope caught me before school one morning and was talking to me about the State Film Competition. She knew Caleb and I were mulling over some ideas and suggested Heart of Gold,” said Emily Moore, senior.

  There aren’t many requirements to participate in the State Film Competition.

  “Anyone can enter. One of the only requirements is having the film seven minutes or less. You must be a highschool student to enter, but you don’t have to star in the film; you can have all adults in your film,” said Gibbons.

  Heart of Gold was only one of the 150 films that were chosen for the whole contest.

  “Contest managers send out 800 different films to teachers, who reply with feedback on each one. There were 100 films in our division and we were one of the six that went to state,” said Moore.

  Heart of Gold has been a tradition at our school for the past eight years. It has become the community’s way of giving back to families, neighbors, and friends.

  “Heart of Gold started in 2009 with a girl named Presley Boydstun, the 12 year old niece of our very own Yellow Jacket offensive coordinator, Greg Winder. She fought Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia,” said Lisa Hughes, athletic secretary.

  Filmmaking is not an easy process; it takes a lot of time and dedication to ensure that the film is up to par with the state film standards.

  “Editing was, by far, the hardest part. We spent 36 hours in total just editing the film,” said Moore.

  While both Moore and Gibbons feel extremely proud of their film, there were some things they would go back and change if they could.
  “We wish we could have used better equipment, such as better microphones and a camera stand. It would have improved the film quality,” said Gibbons.