Twenty-three year-old Scott Matthews has been a CAP member since he was fifteen years old.

"A friend of mine got a flyer at an air show in 1993. We went down to the local squadron - Beach Cities Cadet Squadron 107 - and he didn't join, I did."

From this humble beginning a relationship was started that has taken him to many interesting places -- and promises to take him further still. In fact, CAP and his interest and skill at film-making could well take him to every corner of the country this summer.

"There have been talks of possibly going to as many national activities this year as possible and filming segments from each one, to make a new Special Activities video. Nothing is set in stone yet, but I'm looking forward to the possibility."

Nobody who's seen Scott's short film on the 1999 California Wing Encampment is likely to be surprised that he's being courted by National Headquarters. From the dramatic opening 'fly by' through the California Wing Cadet Programs emblem to the final credits, Scott's effort is a nothing short of a triumph. But it takes a long time to become an overnight success!

"I started making home movies at eight when I found my parents' VHS recorder. My friends and I would spoof TV shows, and make up skits and film them. I was shown an encampment video as a Cadet airman at my squadron, and from that point on I wanted to make one someday to great music."

Scott's one of those overachievers that CAP seems to attract in droves. He was home schooled until he was fifteen, when he passed the High School Proficiency Exam. Almost before he realized it, he had earned an Associate's degree in English at El Camino Community College. Currently, as a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer, he works in the Information Technology department of Shoreline Communications and he's started working on a degree in Digital Motion Picture Technology at Cogswell Polytechnic College in Sunnyvale, CA.

His Cadet career has been similarly impressive: Scott attended National Blue Beret twice, gaining accolades as Honor Cadet of his flight the first time and the second time holding a post as flight commander. His Blue Beret experience also prompted him to partner with another Cadet to write a new manual for the activity, which earned him a nomination for a Meritorious Service medal. He also commanded the 83rd Cadet Training Squadron -- comprised of over one hundred Cadets -- at one of California Wing's largest ever encampments. The Air Force Officers Association named him "California Wing Cadet of the Year" in 1999.

"The Cadet Program is special. While other teens are out learning how to master sports or woodcraft, CAP Cadets learn how to "master" people. You're training others and building their leadership skills while learning yourself. The skills that CAP has given me are the most valuable skills I have."

Scott is Spaatz recipient number 1390...

"In 1998, over the course of the year, I filmed a bunch of California Wing activities and edited them with two Cadet friends of mine: Brian Reisdorf and Kevin Johnston. We called ourselves 'G3' for Glory Cubed. That first video, Cadets in Action '98, was a lot of fun. After that I felt I was ready to finally go for it. So we started acquiring as much equipment and experience as we could get and did it again the following year."

And go for it they did. After the aforementioned opening flyby (created by G3 partner Brian Reisdorf), the film opens with, appropriately enough, Cadets beginning their week at the California Wing Cadet Encampment as Anthem, Part 3 by composer Philip Glass begins.

"When I watched The Truman Show I heard a great piece of music that turned out to be Anthem Part 2 composed by Philip Glass. It was from an all music film called Powaqqatsi, which had three versions of Anthem. I chose Part 3 because it is perfect story telling music, and a great length. There are distinct sections of the music, and a recurring theme that worked great."

A distinctive and very impressive shot -- one that demonstrates the sheer scope of a California Wing Encampment -- is the long Steadicam shot of the encampment formation. The flights of Cadets seem to go on forever...

"After Cadets in Action '98, I had been requesting a Steadicam to try out and amazingly someone at Wing just happened to have one they weren't using. The Steadicam balances the camera on a gyro and allows for fluid movement with the camera. I instantly fell in love with it. With our encampment formations growing to huge proportions, I couldn't pass up the opportunity for such a dramatic shot. I teamed up with a Senior Member who had a Jeep, and we drove by the formations while I hung out the window with the camera rig trying to compensate for the bumps. It takes a lot of getting used to!"

You get an understanding of the dedication and intensity that Scott brings to everything he does. He wants to do it, he wants to do it right and he's willing to put forth the effort it will take to get it done that way.

"We shot ten hours of footage throughout the course of the ten day encampment. I listened to the music about a hundred times, then wrote down the key moments of the encampment in chronological order. After that I worked at fitting those moments into the musical scheme, kind of a visual outline. Only a few scenes in the final edit were planned, mainly the intros to each "section" of the encampment, the rest were pulled because they meshed with the music."

Thanks to his long Cadet experience and his service as a staff member on many encampments, Scot knew just the which shots deserved special attention during the filming and would be featured in the final product.

"Having been in the chain of command so many times helped me pick important moments in the video because I remembered what impacted me. My favorite is the "Officers Center" movement when all of the Flight Commanders and their Guides form their special formation and all of the guidons are dropped in a massive salute. There are four or five angles of this! The entire encampment video grew from that moment."

And what was it like for a long-time encampment attendee and leader to simply watch?

"It was interesting to attend the Encampment as a pure observer. Being outside the situation that I had been in so many times before was like walking around inside a memory. Encampments are so clean-cut, so carefully planned and executed. It really made me see what a great activity it is, and how rewarding it is for everyone involved."

Not willing -- or perhaps not able -- to rest on his laurels, Scott has plans for projects in the near future.

"We shot enough footage to make several different videos of the same encampment, and there's been talk of doing just that: making videos targeted at specific audiences, Cadets, parents, staff applicants, et cetera."

"I just acquired permission to use music in a short-film project that Brian Reisdorf - the remaining member of G3, since Kevin Johnston is currently attending Naval OCS - and I will be working on. Brian is attending Cogswell as well, taking the 3D graphics route. We hope to form a quality production company in the future."

The staff of CadetStuff has no doubt that Captain Scott Matthews will accomplish whatever he hopes to accomplish. We thank him for his efforts and dedication and look forward to seeing more of his work in the future.

We thank him also for this interview and for permission to feature his film on CadetStuff.org.

Good luck, Scott!

Semper Vigilans.