by Michelle Galey; photos – Brigette Moss

On this crisp fall morning, it's obvious why Montana calls itself "Big Sky Country." Against the crystal blue sky, lush green mountains surround this busy little campus town called Bozeman– the town filmmaker David Scheerer (B.A. Literary Studies/minor in radio and television, '82) calls home.

Just returning from New York, David has been filming footage for his upcoming documentary The Mirror and the Hammer. A documentary on documentaries, David is the first to make a film of this kind.

"It was a great trip," says David. "I was able to meet and interview some of my biggest documentary heroes."

The heroes David refers to are Ricky Leacock and Albert Maysles, two individuals who have made an impact on the way we see cinema today.

"Where I'm located is so important to my work. I need to work in large cities like New York but I want to live in Bozeman. Sure, you can't eat the scenery but to come back to Bozeman, where it's so quiet...you can't beat that."

So, how does a filmmaker get to work in cities like New York, but reside in places like Bozeman, Montana? David says it's all about choices.

Occasionally, David's students at the university ask him what it takes to be successful in the film business.

"Students often define success as fabulous wealth and fame beyond their wildest dreams," says David. "But, this type of success is rare."

According to David, of 100 film students, 10 will have some level of success. And, one of 100 film students may become fabulously wealthy and famous.

David traded in a potential lifestyle of fame and success for a chance to live and work in an environment he loves. He did this by choosing the "independent" route.

But, back then, David defined success differently. And, he still does.

"I'm happy with my life. I can't measure success by fame and fortune but by my own satisfaction. And, I'm as successful as I ever dreamed I could be."

As a child, David knew there was something happening on the big screen that touched him and changed him in ways plain words couldn't. As the years went by, his fascination with the film industry continued. However, in Omaha, where David grew up, there weren't many options for a kid interested in film. David began exploring his creativity through writing novels and poetry. After being invited to an elite writers' conference in Vermont, specifically for talented and upcoming writers, David decided to make writing a career.

A friend in the writing program at Whitworth College, and a strong desire to live in the Northwest, eventually lured David to Spokane where he majored in literary studies at Whitworth for three years. David transferred to Eastern and finished his degree in literary studies, receiving a minor in radio and television, with an emphasis in screenwriting.

"I had an epiphany at Eastern. I realized I could write for the big screen and make a career of it," recalls David. "I wrote some 30- and 60-second spots for radio and TV while taking a commercial writing course at EWU from Dr. John Fahey (now retired). And, in my youthful wisdom I failed miserably at it, thinking it crass, pandering to the masses like this. But, the important thing was that this class, for the first time, linked my passion for writing with the possibility that one could actually make a living writing for the screen. In essence, writing suddenly became a marketable skill for me in that EWU classroom."

After graduating from Eastern, David pursued a master's of fine arts degree (MFA) at Brigham Young University (BYU).

Deciding where to receive his MFA was one of two tough decisions David made regarding his film career. Although very interested in the University of Southern California (USC), renowned for its film graduate program, David had a wife and young child to consider.

David's wife, Margene, whom he met in Spokane, was working on her master's degree in library science at BYU. With only a year to go, she would have to start over if she didn't finish that year. And, both David and Margene had hesitations about raising their son, Miles, in Los Angeles.

"So, I took a gamble on my career and stayed," recalls David. "And, fortunately, it turned out to be the right decision."

Right down the road from BYU, Robert Redford was starting up Sundance, "the" institute for independent films and filmmakers. David auspiciously obtained an internship at the forefront of Sundance's success, becoming friends with some of the Institute's influentials, such as Sterling Van Wagenen, a co-founder of Sundance with Redford, who later helped shepherd some of David's projects.

While at BYU, he finished The Tumble- weed Kid in 1986. A film about a 5-year old and his dog, it won a regional award in the student academy awards and in both the motion picture and television academy of arts and sciences. It also won grand prize for the national broadcasting society.

"This film opened doors for me in ways I didn't dream of. I received agent offers and one agent in Los Angeles told me they could get me a feature film within four years."

So, here was L.A. beckoning again. Now a father with two children and a realization of what was important to him, David faced his second tough career decision. During his time at BYU and his internship with Sundance, David had become a disciple of the independent film movement.

"Independent films were going to awaken the sleeping giant," recalls David. "There was talk about independent filmmakers being legitimate and I wanted to be at the vanguard of that."

David also took his position as a father very seriously.

"I knew I would have to give this up if I went to L.A. I've seen it. Guys working 80-hour work weeks. I didn't want to sacrifice my personal life for my career. I wanted to have both."

Another concern of David's was being pigeonholed– a common practice in the film business. Just like actors, directors are often labeled. Directors may receive $50 million to make a feature film, such as Batman IX or X, but they aren't allowed or offered anything else.

"That just wasn't and still isn't my dream. I didn't want to become known as the guy who directs Batman movies or whatever genre Hollywood would have handed me. Independent films are films of the heart. They are lower budget, of course, but they are films about people. And, they have an edge to them you can't find in feature films."

So, again, David remained in Utah. He worked on a variety of projects ranging from locally produced films to national commercial spots. Eventually, in 1990, BYU asked David to come in on a one-year basis and teach production classes.

David left BYU in 1995 and moved to Bozeman, where he is an associate professor at Montana State University and lives with his wife and four children.

"Moving to Bozeman was considered a horrific career move. We lost a lot of money on our home, I took a cut in pay and I uprooted my entire family. But, I did it because I knew I could find the happiness and success I wanted here."

And, so far, things are working out perfectly. In addition to his position as associate professor at Montana State University, where he teaches film studies, he is a producer at KUSM Public Television and the CEO of Orpheus Picture Entertainment, a film company he created to handle the legal and marketing issues making a film can entail. He also stays busy making documentaries through the university and is continuously working on film ideas for the feature film he hopes to make some day– independently.

The problem is money. Funding is the biggest issue independent filmmakers face. So, how does an independent filmmaker get the money? One option is to sell the film to other markets, but this requires giving away many pieces of the pie. In essence, they are selling all the rights to the film to get money to finance it. This usually gives the filmmaker no reward. There is a paycheck, but only around $30,000 after three years of working on one project.

Another option is to find limited investors. Or, perhaps, Mom and Dad, or that rich aunt across the country can fork out some cash. There's also the good ol' credit card„an option many independents have taken.

Limited partnerships involve many legalities. The filmmakers must file with the security exchange commission and have a lawyer, business plan, proposal, etc. Plus, there must be a preset budget. And, if filmmakers don't raise all of the money they set out to raise in a specified period of time, they have to start over.

One film David worked on had a budget of $500,000 but he and his partners only raised $350,000. This film is now sitting on the shelf with other great ideas he hopes will one day get funded. The great mystery for filmmakers is money; it always has been and always will be.

The popular Blair Witch Project was directed, written and edited by two University of Central Florida grads with a small budget of only around $30,000. No stars; no production values. Small budgets often limit filmmakers to two takes for each shot and no special effects. However, Blair Witch shows what a great script and idea can do, even with a limited budget.

Documentaries keep David busy when he's not working on feature film ideas or teaching. And, documentaries are easier to fund due to the availability of foundation grant monies.

David's recent documentary work centers around ecological themes with a strong emphasis on Yellowstone National Park. His most recent, Yellowstone: America's Eden, won grand prize at the '98 Grenoble Film Festival, grand prize at the '97 Eko Top Film Festival and finalist at the '97 Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival.

Unfortunately, Yellowstone: America's Eden can only be seen in Sweden, Montana and a few other select US independent stations. Due to the controversial conservation message at the end of the film, PBS and The Discovery Channel won't buy it for distribution and air it on a national level. The message gives an update about where the park is today and how to preserve it for tomorrow. According to David, PBS and The Discovery Channel want films with a 15-year shelf life.

The catalyst of David's Yellowstone projects was the information he discovered through research.

"Once you start researching, you unearth other evidence and findings," recalls David.

David's research found the only existing 1/4 inch film, Yellowstone Seasons, by Dave Condon, chief naturalist of the Park during the 1920s and '50s. Condon's 1959 film contained controversial issues regarding the Park's declining bear and bison populations. Ironically, after Condon released his film, he was transferred to Yosemite. David reconstructed Condon's Yellowstone Seasons, enabling the public to see this film again after 40 years.

David also produced Magic Yellowstone: The Historic 1920s Motion Picture of the Park by Official Photographer Jack Ellis Haynes. This project transpired after David visited the Montana Historical Society and found motion picture films made in the 1920s by Haynes. The Haynes family, known for their famous postcards, were the official photographers of Yellowstone National Park. Haynes had purchased his first motion picture camera and was commissioned in the 1920s by Northern Pacific Railroad to do a travelogue series for points of destination.

The archives contained six cans of nitrate film, which David preserved and transferred to videotape. To his surprise, he found films intact with inner titles. David used these films, with permission, to reconstruct Magic Yellowstone.

David's most current work, The Mirror and the Hammer, is the documentary that just brought him home from New York.

"It's amazing, but no one has ever made a documentary on documentaries," says David. "And, no one has told the story of Robert Flaherty and Jack Grierson, (both deceased), who forged the ideas of documentaries and whose ideas and theories are still used and taught today."

Flaherty recreated everything he filmed by staging the action and presenting it as what really happened. Grierson believed that documentaries should be propaganda and should be used to forge the social and political fabric of our world. David will take the approach of both Grierson and Flaherty in The Mirror and the Hammer and plans to take some very creative liberties with the film.

"Some are worried about how it's going to work, but today, you have to get people's attention and take a risk," says David.

"I feel very fortunate," exclaims David. "I have a day job as an assistant professor so I'm not only able to pay my bills but I'm also helping to inspire future filmmakers. Plus, I have to make movies at my job. It's like locking a kid in a candy store."

And, don't be surprised if in the near future, you come upon a feature film of David's while browsing over the independent channels on your television. Or, perhaps, even on the big screen.

"That's the one last thing for me," says David. "I figure that I have about 15 years left before I have to punch the clock. If I can make a feature film before I'm done, then I truly will be completely satisfied."