The following article is excerpted from a review by Mike Devich, Managing editor of the Kern Valley Sun, April 21, 2004

There was a full house Friday night at the Odd Fellows Lodge in Kernville as Chuck and Scott Barbee, father and son filmmakers, screened their new creation, "Wild West Wildwater."

Chuck, the senior Barbee, remarked to the audience that he had just come out of a 24-hour session in the editing room to finish a preliminary version of the 30-minute documentary in time for the screening. Barbee is a director/cameraman in Hollywood by profession. He spent many hours last summer shooting 40 hours of footage at the Wildwater World Cups international boating event, and with the help of his son, Scott, he has whittled that down to a precise and entertaining 30-minute documentary.
The audience of about 150 people was comprised of many of the volunteers who helped make that event a success, as well as interested onlookers. They cheered each time a familiar face, such as that of volunteer Jeanette Rogers, appeared on the screen.

Urner’s Appliances in Bakersfield donated the use of a 60-inch widescreen TV for the screening. The fidelity and sharpness of the video, especially shown on that big screen, was startling in its clarity. Barbee used a high-resolution Beta camera to shoot the footage. He and his son, Scott, then edited the footage and added specially created music by Kernville resident Butch Dubarri. The marriage of the music to the images worked in a spectacular way.

Before the screening started, Scott Barbee said, "I feel like I’m ready to take a final exam." But as the 30-minute documentary progressed, that apprehension lifted as the audience seemed enthralled. Many were tapping their feet or moving to Dubarri’s music. After it was over, there was long and loud applause.

Chuck Barbee rose to thank the crowd for coming. "I think half the success of this project, if it comes to be (Barbee hopes to sell the video to ESPN or other sports channels) will because of Butch Dubarri’s music."

The audience was impressed with what they had experienced. Tom Moore, of Sierra South Mountain Sports in Kernville, said, "It’s the best (Kern River) footage I’ve ever seen."

The footage was spectacular, with individual droplets of water clearly visible as the competitors’ boats went by. There was a segment that everyone enjoyed, which featured some of the boaters accidentally turning over. Some quickly righted themselves, but some had to exit the boat. One boat clonked loudly into a rock. This sequence was set to a Dubarri tune with lyrics explaining that sometimes you just make the wrong choice. Portions of this segment were comical, and got great audience response. One boater righted himself in a flash and started paddling furiously down the river, as the audience cheered.

The narration was professionally done by John Hodges of Kernville.

"I hope to do more of these," said Barbee. "I would like to get into some history of the valley. That’s what I really want to do." Barbee is a 1959 graduate of Kern Valley High School. "Digital processing makes it possible for a boutique filmmaker like me to do this."

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