While Jasper National Park has been home to several movie shoots over the years (River of No Return), it will receive a starring role in its own production this summer.

As part of a national Parks Canada program, a group of students have been hired to document park life for 2010.

Cameron Koerselman, 25, has been hired to create three films about Jasper, as part of a nationwide project to celebrate the the creation of the parks system.

“The program initially was to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the creation of Banff National Park and the National Park systems,” Koerselman said.

Set up with a high definition Panasonic camera, a mic kit and a pair of headphones, Koerselman’s films will include subject matter such as Parks Canada employees, landscape and visitor experience. The young filmmaker’s first days have been spent tracking the old Raven totem pole in its journey across western Canada.

Koerselman has finished his first year of veterinary school at the University of Calgary, and took a number of courses at the Bamfield Marine Science Centre, where he studied photography and wildlife filmaking courses. He put together a documentary on the black oyster catcher, which he used to apply for the Jasper National Park job. While he aims to be a veterinarian, he has a passion for film making.

“I’m fortunate to have gotten this job. I want to do film for the rest of my life,” he said.

He sees a very practical application for combining his interests.

“I’m interested in communicating scientific ideas through film,” Koerselman said. “A lot of science is more abstract than it needs to be. Filmmaking is a great teaching tool.”

While his aspirations are different than that other Canadian director named Cameron, Koerselman professes a love for wildlife documentary filmmaking – something he hopes to explore in Jasper National Park.

After attending school in Calgary and growing up in Lethbridge, he knew he wanted to land the job in the Rockies.

“I was most interested in Banff and Jasper,” Koerselman said.

The program is also part of a Parks Canada initiative to make protected areas more accessible to young people. By allowing students to document their experiences, the agency hopes to interest more young people in the park.

Korselman’s work will be posted on the Parks Canada website at the end of the summer. Jasper National Park is still sorting out what events Koerselman will film this year.