{"id":799979,"date":"2019-10-01T20:00:34","date_gmt":"2019-10-02T02:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/?p=372361"},"modified":"2019-10-01T20:00:34","modified_gmt":"2019-10-02T02:00:34","slug":"of-moose-and-men-filmmaker-details-colorados-moose-documentary-ahead-of-frisco-event","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/local-news\/of-moose-and-men-filmmaker-details-colorados-moose-documentary-ahead-of-frisco-event\/","title":{"rendered":"Of moose and men: Filmmaker details \u2018Colorado\u2019s Moose\u2019 documentary ahead of Frisco event"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Filmmaker Sean Ender’s new documentary, “Colorado’s Moose,” will screen for free on Wednesday at HighSide Brewing in Frisco.<\/strong>
Courtesy Sean Ender<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

FRISCO \u2014 In fall 2016, Sean Ender grabbed his Sony FS5 and auxiliary camera gear and returned to the place he first saw the massive, majestic creatures that would be a part of his 2 1\/2 year passion project.<\/p>\n

The filmmaker and Loveland native trudged back to the Nokhu Crags near Cameron Pass. It\u2019s a place he saw moose for the first time feeding in the willows nearly two decades prior.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had the same reaction as anybody else when they first see a moose,\u201d Ender said. \u201cHow incredibly big they are. They are so much bigger than even elk, and they kind of let you hang around if you keep \u2019em at a distance and don\u2019t startle \u2019em. It\u2019s just cool to see these giant animals move across the willows and landscape.\u201d<\/p>\n

In February, the 30-year-old Ender wrapped up work on the passion project, which he estimated involved 45 days of filming. In between his work projects, Ender wanted to be out there to see a bull shed its velvet as the fall became winter. He wanted to be there to see a 7-foot-tall moose make its way through 5 feet of powder in the winter. And he wanted to capture newborn calves getting to know the world in the springtime.<\/p>\n

From a distance and with a thorough understanding of the creatures, Ender filmed them \u201cas much as his batteries and cards would allow.\u201d In the end, he had 60 hours of footage, spending six months combing through the editing process before the hourlong \u201cColorado\u2019s Moose\u201d made its world premiere in April at the International Wildlife Film Festival in Missoula, Montana. It also will screen later this month at the Wildlife Conservation Film Festival in New York City.<\/p>\n

Through the entire process, Ender tasked himself with shooting some of the most stunning 4K footage of Colorado\u2019s moose while carefully chronicling the story of how the species was reintroduced to the state in the late \u201970s. Ender ultimately tells the story of the lingering effects and realities of reintroduction.<\/p>\n

Ender filmed primarily in the North Park area near Walden. By the end of filming, he said the area had become almost a character in the film.<\/p>\n

The filmmaking process led Ender to one interesting character after another tied to Colorado\u2019s moose story. That included photographer Fi Rust, who Ender learned from in terms of focusing on cows and their calves.<\/p>\n

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Filmmaker Sean Ender will be showing his new documentary, \u201cColorado\u2019s Moose,\u201d during a free screening Wednesday at HighSide Brewing in Frisco.<\/strong>
Courtesy Sean Ender<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Ender also met important figures tied to the management of the reintroduced wildlife. Ender learned how there aren\u2019t necessarily the same resources devoted to moose as other species and detailed the challenges an agency like Colorado Parks and Wildlife has in managing them in a cost-effective manner.<\/p>\n

Ender learned how moose eventually spread to the Collegiate Peaks in the heart of the Rocky Mountains and as far as Creede and Grand Mesa to the west.<\/p>\n

The filmmaker also experienced the hunting element of the species\u2019 story here in Colorado. Filming at Silver Spur Ranch in Walden, Ender tells the story of how a young hunter, Billy Lor of Brighton, works with the ranch guide to harvest a cow, one that isn\u2019t still breeding or a member of the healthy population.<\/p>\n

Ender also followed wildlife biologists working with the animals deep in the maze-like willows. In total, Ender conducted 13 interviews, including many members of Parks and Wildlife. That included Parks and Wildlife researcher Eric Bergman and wildlife officer Josh Dilley of North Park, two of the most important characters in the story. Dilley helped Ender get to know local ranchers to understand how the private residents work with Parks and Wildlife to manage the effect of the moose on civilization as well as civilization\u2019s effects on the moose.<\/p>\n

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