A 2015 graduate of Lincoln High School and current student at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, SD, Daniel Bergeson has been involved in production since he was two years old, when his father cast him in a PSA against littering. Daniel has always seen film as his best way to connect with the world, and sort through its complications.
When I wrote the first draft for Unearthed, I didn’t want to show it to anyone. This, you might say, is the nature of first drafts. However, my protective instinct toward the first few revisions was largely due to the fact that I didn’t feel like I had the right to create these characters, or the story that encapsulates them. Truthfully, sometimes I still feel that way, even after having exported the final cut.
I don’t know.
I feel strongly that every person should be encouraged to explore stories and characters with which they are largely unfamiliar, because the insights you can gain from sincerely taking the energy to write thoughtful dialogue in the voice of another has the potential to be nothing short of life-changing.
Anyway, I hope you connect with this film as much as I did with my 3:30 a.m. first draft.
-Daniel
Student & Young Filmmakers FEEDBACK Film & Screenplay Festival 