Student films fight against drugs

A scene from Mark Macpherson's PSA. photo provided Mark Macpherson of Sisters is taking his personal fight against drugs and alcohol onto a broader battlefield.

The 17-year-old senior whose own struggle with drinking and drugs landed him in serious trouble is trying to help his peers avoid his mistakes through a film project he launched at Sisters High School.

"I used to have a pretty serious problem with drugs and alcohol," Macpherson told The Nugget.

"I did a lot of things I never thought I'd do and ended up assaulting a (police) officer."

The incident put him in juvenile detention and led to his expulsion from Sisters High School.

The traumatic plunge to the bottom pulled Macpherson up short and turned him around through a period of rehab and a serious re-evaluation of his future.

All the youth thought about during that time was how he could communicate his experience to others.

Earning his way back into Sisters High School, Macpherson took a video production class with teacher Jon Renner.

He knew just what he wanted to put on film.

With the help of local law enforcement and fire personnel and from local merchants, Macpherson filmed a short movie involving a drunk driving accident scene and an armed robbery at Sisters Market.

Art Davis of Davis Towing donated a wrecked car for the filming of a vandalism segment.

"The movies turned out great," Macpherson said.

He will premier the film at the Outlaw Film Festival on June 8 at Sisters High School.

The film is also being edited for use as a Public Service Announcement.

Macpherson is currently exploring several avenues for airing both the 2-minute-30-second movie and the 30-second PSA.

He is also organizing an activist group with the acronym DEAD -- Drugs End All Dreams.

He is passionate about spreading his cautionary message in an arresting manner that will grab and hold teenagers' attention.

"And I think filming is the way to do that," he said.

The teen may have also found a path for his future -- a future that didn't look so bright not so very long ago.

He's interested in pursuing a career in film, noting that creativity provides the same rush -- with much better consequences -- that chemicals once did.

For more information on Macpherson's projects, call 549-1718.