The next documentary project for Professor Greg Mellott and his film and video students will begin shooting next spring.

It will be based on the book “The Grand Energy Transition” by Robert A. Hefner III.

Hefner is a lifetime natural gas explorer, and the documentary will be about his life and his book.

Hefner is sometimes referred to as the “father of natural gas” and this story will depict how he fostered that title, Mellott said.

Mellott and Gray Frederickson, OCCC’s artist-in-residence and Academy Award-winning producer of the “Godfather” trilogy, will be filming with Hefner.

He said the project will also include interviews, stock footage, and archival footage, Mellott said. The film will probably be under an hour in length.

Mellott, along with Frederickson, won Emmys for their documentary “Dream No Little Dream,” a biography of Oklahoma businessman Robert S. Kerr.

Mellott said all but one person involved in the documentary was either a graduate of, or a student in, OCCC’s film program.

“That is a testimony to what a great group we had to work with,” he said. “It was a very cool experience.”

Hefner became interested in making the documentary after seeing “Dream No Little Dream,” Mellott said.

Mellott and Frederickson saw it as a great idea for the students in the program and also a way to bring Hefner’s story to the screen.

Recording, editing, and set productions are just a few of the components necessary in making a successful documentary, such as “Dream No Little Dream” and “The Grand Energy Transition.” OCCC film students are capable of doing all of these, Mellott said.

OCCC’s film program has grown enormously since its birth from the Oklahoma Film Institute, he said. He hopes it will continue to grow through films such as this upcoming documentary.

Mellott has been a professor at OCCC for four years.

For more information, e-mail Mellott at gmellott@occc.edu or call 405-682-1611, ext. 7793.