Western alumnus Chris Koser began filming in high school, progressing from limited equipment and family actors to producing films of all lengths with professional gear and real car crashes. Photo by Hailey Tucker
While most children dreamt of future jobs as firefighters and teachers, Western graduate Chris Koser had decided at an early age that he was going to be a paleontologist.
As a young boy, Koser was serious enough about paleontology that his parents decided to take him on a trip to Montana to dig up fossils.
However, when Koser first set his eyes on Steven Spielberg’s popular film "Jurassic Park" at the age of nine, he knew right away filmmaking had become his new passion. After watching the movie, he thought, “Why be a paleontologist when I could create something that is able to take you to another place or world?”
Koser is a 2009 Western graduate who has a great deal of experience with filmmaking at the university. Koser has done short films for Western’s Office of Sustainability and the Vehicle Research Institute on campus and won the iMovieFest and Western’s film festival two years in a row.
Koser was impressed with the idea of creating something that no one else could imagine and inventing a nonexistent world. That day at the movie theaters had signified the beginning of his devotion to film.
In high school, Koser began saving money so he could buy his first video camera. He produced his first short film soon after and titled it “High Stakes.”
“I would go around and make short films and convince my friends and family to be my actors and actresses,” Koser said.
Koser’s early stages of filming were devoted to action movies. As his films began to develop, he said he recognized his real passion was dramatic movies.
“Right now I am interested in creating films that address oppression issues that our generations are facing,” Koser said. He mentioned issues such as global warming and peak oil.
“I like my films to be metaphoric and force people to look at the world in a different perspective,” he said.
Koser’s favorite film he has directed is a short film called “Union Street," a crime drama about revenge. Koser and his friends gathered together for one long, grueling 12-hour day and shot the 11-page film which, under normal circumstances, would take three to four days.
In an 11-page film, one page is equal to one minute. Considering the props Koser and his team used—such as police cars, real police officers in full uniform, cars used for crashing and real guns—a film with this much intensity would usually take more time and coordination.
“It was freezing and pouring rain,” Koser said. “It was also challenging and chaotic but I think everyone enjoyed themselves.”
How did a college student in Bellingham get this far?
“I just went out there and was confident and asked around. People will only take you serious if you take yourself serious,” Koser said.
When Koser came to Western in 2004, he studied English, film studies, psychology and theater, but he ultimately majored in filmmaking. Koser had been accepted to other film schools, but said he chose Fairhaven’s school because he said he believed he would have the freedom to create the type of work he desired. Koser was introduced to the idea of creating a video for the Office of Sustainability by a friend.
“I thought this video would definitely get people thinking, and it was a good way to talk about some relevant issues,” Koser said.
Koser filmed Western’s Office of Sustainability coordinator Seth Vidaña for the short film on sustainability.
“We needed to tell the story of sustainability on campus,” Vidaña said. “Chris is a great guy and the whole crew far exceeded my expectations for the project.”
Soon after Koser shot the video for the Office of Sustainability, he was approached by the team captain from the Vehicle Research Institute to create a video for their team.
“I love cars, so when I was approached about the film I accepted right away,” Koser said.
He spent a month and a half with the crew and with the cars.
“It felt like a big family project,” Koser said.
Since Koser graduated from Western in 2009, he has been working for a high-end production company in Bellingham called Hand Crank Films. He has shot a feature-length documentary; he has produced feature-length films, directed short films, co-filmed short films and filmed 10 commercials.
“I am incredibly lucky,” Koser said. “It’s one thing to find a job in this economy but another thing to get paid for doing what you love,” he said.
Koser said he has a genuine love of movies and that he is thankful for his mentors and incredible peers who have helped him along this continuing journey.
“If you are doing the right thing for you then the doors really open for you,” Koser said. “You just have to get out there and know that it’s possible.”
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