Toy Soldier marches on

The filmmakers at Toy Soldier Productions came back from the International Freeski Film Festival in Montreal last week with some hard-earned hardware.

Bozeman-based Toy Soldier, co-owned by 2006 Whitefish High School graduate Shane Dowaliby, won best amateur ski film for their latest production “Act Natural.” The award is tangible proof that the startup company has paid their dues and is ready to take their work to the next level.

“It’s a good honor,” Dowaliby told the Pilot on Monday, just back from Montreal. “A win at the festival legitimizes ourselves. Next year we move up to the pro category.”

Toy Soldier has evolved in many ways since their 2010 debut film “Come Find Us,” which was exclusively shot in Montana. Their second film “Set Your Sights” crossed state borders, introduced new riders and set the stage for this year’s premiere.

“It was a stepping stone,” Dowaliby said. “We met new riders who brought with them the skills, attitude and drive that it takes.”

“Act Natural” is a rider-based movie with each athlete getting their own 3-4 minute segment to showcase their aptitude for riding steep lines and flipping over massive jumps. The film features about 13 skiers, and one snowboarder, Dash Kamp.

“He’s a snowboarder that wishes he was a skier,” Dowaliby joked, noting that Kamp is one of the best riders he’s seen.

“Act Natural” was shot on location in Montana, Washington, Colorado, Utah, California, Wyoming, Minnesota, Idaho and Alberta, in both backcountry and urban settings.

“We try to be all encompassing,” Dowaliby said. “We tried to do as much backcounty as possible, mostly in Cooke City, but we kept finding unsafe avalanche conditions.”

Which forced them into riding more urban settings. One scene in “Act Natural” features a skier clearing a 60-foot gap over a skatepark.

Montana skiers Shay Lee and Brock Paddock play key parts, while Canadian Sandy Boville earned high praise at the Freeski Film Festival.

Dowaliby says the higher level of skiing is what separates “Act Natural” from Toy Soldier’s first two films.

“We jump up a few rungs on the ladder in skills,” Dowaliby said. “From the filmmaking standpoint, behind the scenes we’re a lot smoother, too.”

Dowaliby graduated from Montana State University’s film department in May of 2011. He currently devotes all of his time to Toy Soldier, filming all winter, editing in the spring and going to festivals and on the premiere tour in the fall.

While the ski film industry can be cutthroat with film budgets growing into the millions of dollars, Toy Soldier continues to make its mark using the resources available to a small shop. Mostly it’s sweat equity, though.

“I put 17,000 miles on my car last winter,” Dowaliby said. “We know how to get things done relatively cheap.

“It’s still weird to hear people say they liked our movie just as much, or more, than the big budget ones. They like that it’s homegrown.”

“Act Natural premieres in Whitefish on Sept. 27 at the Whitefish Performing Arts Center at 8 p.m. Tickets are available at the White Room and Sportsman Ski Haus. Event sponsors are: M.Elihu, Great Northern Powder Guides, White Room Mountain Shop, Sportsman & Ski Haus, Great Northern Brewery, Surface, Causwell, Dye and Kendama Co.