Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://scholarworks.montana.edu/handle/1/733
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Item Anthropomorphic expression in first-person natural history documentary(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2021) Harvey, Colleen Ruth; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Cindy StillwellThis paper argues a case for the first-person mode of address in natural history documentaries to better frame anthropomorphic interpretations by the viewer and enhance the filmmaker's creative potential. Four documentaries are analyzed to illustrate how forms of narration can influence anthropomorphic effect. I will evaluate 'March of the Penguins' (United States release) and discuss how the filmmaker's use of third-person, expository narration conceals a human bias in the documentary's rhetorical construction. This narration forces anthropocentric moments onto the non-human beings that often result in 'crude anthropomorphism,' while at the same time over-generalizing the non-human animal experience and scientific knowledge. I will also discuss how first-person narration in documentaries is able to highlight the human bias of the author by allowing her or his subjective preoccupations to drive the storyline. In this manner, the first-person author brings emotional complexity to the documentary through the human subject, rather than uncontextualized human emotions projected onto the non-human animal. I will investigate the ways in which a first-person narration allows for different techniques to move between objective and subjective viewpoints to reveal current scientific knowledge about and behavioral understandings of the non-human animal. To this end, I will examine three first-person natural history works: 'Of Penguins and Men', 'My Life as a Turkey', and my documentary film 'In the Land of Sea Turtles'. I argue that the first-person authors demonstrate greater conscientiousness to truth in the storylines chosen, values asserted, and scientific claims about non-human animals than the expository authors of 'March of the Penguins'.Item Anthropomorphic narrative : humanizing animals in factual writing and filmmaking(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2015) Bailey, Caitlin Marie; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Theo LipfertAnthropomorphism, a strategy for storytelling whereby human characteristics are applied to non-human characters, has been criticized for its anthropocentrism and tendency to misinterpret animal behaviors. Evidence suggests that anthropomorphism makes an audience more sympathetic and better able to connect with an animal character since they can metaphorically see themselves reflected in said animal. I propose that anthropomorphism needs to be analyzed in layers. In this paper I look at the first layer of anthropomorphism: anthropomorphic narration or the humanizing of animals through story. I caution against describing species as "bad", or emphasizing behaviors or characteristics that humans do not find pleasing or particularly interesting. Misrepresenting a species can lead to social stereotypes that harm its conservation potential. Finally, I explore the use of religious themes as applied to "humanized" animals. The French documentary "La Marche de l'empereuar" (2004), the graphic novel "Maus: A Survivor's Tale I" (1986), Jim Trainor's short films "The Bats" (1999) and "The Moschops" (2000), and my thesis film "Hunting the Horned Horse" (2015) are used to explore anthropomorphic narration.Item Imaginative embodiment : a strategy for incorporating nonhuman agency in nature films(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2015) Roqueta, Edward Michael; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Cindy StillwellThe natural history filmmaking genre is the primary strand of documentary cinema that features narratives about wildlife, the environment, and nature issues. However, the genre has adopted storytelling and filmmaking conventions that express anthropocentrism, a hierarchical worldview that values human rationality and morality as superior to nonhuman nature. Natural history films tend to either negatively anthropomorphize animals by projecting uniquely human emotions or morals onto them (anthropomorphic error) as a way to increase view identification, or avoid anthropomorphism altogether in favor of objective human-perspective narration that depicts nonhuman nature as mechanistic and void of any creative, intentional, or active experience. In this paper I argue how imaginative embodiment, or anthropomorphizing a nonhuman with an informed and expressed attentiveness to their biology and sensory capacities, can be a useful strategy that gives agency to animals in film while committing minimal anthropomorphic error. I use the films, GREEN (2011), Bear 71 (2012), and my thesis film SUN BEAR (2015) as case studies to explore how cinematic language and voiceover narration imaginative embodiment strategies can be crafted in ways that express the point of view, intentionality, and agency of nonhuman others in an ethical manner. Imaginatively embodying an animal through cinematic language and voiceover narration allows viewers to ethically consider the moral status of a nonhuman other without having to negatively anthropomorphize them, describe them as being human like, or lose their agency and intentional stance in objectifying scientific language. An ethically important aspect of using imaginative embodiment to tell stories of the natural world is that it supports an environmental ethic that appreciates the vast entanglement of agentive life forces and helps to abolish repressive human-animal or culture-nature binaries in favor of an environmental ethic expressive of biocentric sensibilities. As the natural history genre of documentary filmmaking continues its evolution as the major media outlet representing, educating, and telling stories about nature, wildlife, and environmental issues, imaginative embodiment can be a useful tool for incorporating agentive first-person nonhuman experiences in non-fiction cinema.Item Animal sapiens : the consequences of anthropomorphism in popular media : the consequences of anthropomorphism in popular media(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2012) Schneider, Simon Marshall Beattie; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Ronald Tobias.The creators of popular media have long used anthropomorphism of nonhuman animals to promote human morals and values and learn more about ourselves by looking at animals. Focusing on the portrayal of penguins in popular media, I will demonstrate the consequences: a society that lesser understands the scientific accuracy of animals and that places humans at the center of everything, anthropocentrism. Although seeing 'human' emotions or characteristics in animals plays an important role in promoting empathy for them, I will argue that it also muddies the water when determining what is best for a species in terms of conservation and management. The use of blatant anthropomorphism often pits the best interest of an individual versus the best interest of a species - a clear contradiction to the basic principles of evolution. My thesis film, 'Animal sapiens', intends to expose the pitfall of popular media's use of anthropomorphism in developing the viewers' attachment to the individual thus jeopardizing conservation of a species. I propose a moderate approach to anthropomorphism, which avoids making blanket statements and instead describes the similarities between humans and nonhumans while providing room to describe the difference simultaneously. As our developing, cultural world continues to distance itself from the natural world - with the advance of technology, population, and environmental degradation - it is important to better understand and reexamine the role of anthropomorphism in our society.Item How different styles of nature film alter our perception of wildlife(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2012) Choate, Christina Shirley; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Dennis Aig.Different styles of natural history film evoke distinct feelings and emotions about wild animals which viewers use as a basis for their perception of wildlife. I define three categories of nature film which reflect varying degrees of human-animal interaction, anthropomorphism and aesthetics: the testimonial, explanatory and non-verbal styles. Although each one is limited in its ability to represent wildlife accurately, it is important to realize that they all show animals from different perspectives (from most to least human-centered, respectively). Given that the majority of people today gain most of their knowledge about wildlife from natural history programs, it is critical for viewers and filmmakers to understand the impact of these films on society--as both emotional and intellectual conduits into the natural world.