Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
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Item A critique of the portrayal of grizzly bears in contemporary natural history films(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2005) Shier, John Walter; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Ronald Tobias.Natural History films and television programs are based on the perception that the grizzly bear is an animal that only lives, that only belongs in wilderness. These films and programs spread and strengthen this perception among audiences, compelling them to relegate grizzlies to the few parcels of land that still meet our society's definition of wilderness. The perception ensures that the grizzly's long-term survival in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is threatened; the regions wilderness areas simply don't provide enough habitat for the bears and many people are unwilling to tolerate the presence of grizzlies anywhere except wilderness. Natural history films require a new grizzly archetype if they are to have a positive impact on behalf of the grizzly. This archetype, which perceives the grizzly as an appropriate species for both wilderness and rural landscapes, must be based less on an anthrocentric perception of the grizzly and more on an ecocentric perspective.Item An ecofeminist model for wildlife film(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2005) Graziano, Tracy Ann; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Ronald Tobias.The most dominant form of wildlife film for broadcast currently upholds a dangerous separation between culture and nature with production practices, editing and film subtext. If wildlife films are to change and incorporate science, they must also relate that science to other discourses to present the subjectαs greater reality. Wildlife films have a duty to represent their subject fairly, and in that fairness propose a preservation ethic that will serve for many as a stepping-stone to environmental salvation. A look into ecofeminist discourse provides a new methodology for producing wildlife films.Item How documentaries can help shape how society copes with death(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2007) Garton, Katy-Robin; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Ronald Tobias; Philip Savoie (co-chair)We live in a society that fears, denies, and attempts to conquer death. This dominant cultural attitude towards death is detrimental to everyone involved in the dying process. There is a collective of people comprised of doctors, therapists, parents, spouses, nurses, and children who believe in the human capacity to die well. This group of individuals has a vision for transforming how we die in our country. At the center of that vision is an effort to effectively communicate to the general public that there is a crisis surrounding end-of-life experiences. Moreover, this group of individuals discovered that the most effective way to communicate this message to the public is to share stories of those who have died in a manner that both informs and educates the public. Documentary films focused on death and dying stories that both inform and engage the viewer have the ability to greatly sway social constructs surrounding death and dying. Thus, the documentary, if done well, can be a powerful tool for helping people cope with the process of dying. By examining three death and dying documentaries, and isolating the techniques used by filmmakers to inform and engage the audience, I provide recommendations for making an effective death and dying documentary.Item Employing visitor studies and video media to better communicate science in National Parks(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2007) Koch, Alison Lindsey; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Dennis AigThe future of the National Park Service depends upon the agency's ability to educate the public to care for and preserve America's parks. In order to achieve this, parks must provide accurate, up-to-date scientific and preservation management information to visitors so that they gain a greater appreciation of parks by understanding what they protect. Although the Park Service has gone to great lengths to ensure scientific information is utilized in all management decision-making, no management documents or Park Service programs currently provide practical guidance or are adequately equipped to directly address communicating accurate and up-to-date scientific and preservation information to those who hold the future of parks in their hands: the public. Demands placed upon interpreters, who are the park staff primarily responsible for front lines visitor communication and services, are such that science communication can get lost in an array of other informational needs.Item The use of archival footage in documentary rhetoric(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2006) Grue, Amanda Michelle; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Ronald Tobias.This thesis examines the ways in which archival footage are used in documentary rhetoric. Based upon Aristotle's Rhetoric, there are two types of proof: inartistic and artistic. I argue that there is an inherent truth claim to archival footage based on its indexical bond to the historical event it captures and suspends in time, which gives the footage merit as evidence. However, evidence alone is not absolute truth. All evidence is subject to interpretation and argument. Once archival footage is placed into the larger context of a documentary film to support or refute an argument about a particular historical event, it becomes artistic proof. I use examples such as the Zapruder and Holliday footage to demonstrate inartistic proof (the truth claim of footage), and the compilation films of Emile de Antonio and Esther Shub to demonstrate the use of Aristotle's three types of artistic proof: ethical, emotional, and demonstrative. The final section of this essay discusses my film, The Great Ocean of Truth, which is a compilation film, and its use of context to create meaning, and the importance of both inartistic and artistic proofs in documentary rhetoric.Item The depiction of indigenous African cultures as other in contemporary, Western natural history film(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2006) Shier, Sara Ann; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Ronald TobiasImages of the indigenous other have always been used in accord with the imperialistic movements of the Western world. Filmmakers continue to use the basic model of depicting people of indigenous cultures as exotic and more primitive than people of Western cultures with the effect of validating Western values and reinforcing the perceived superiority/authority of Western values over other value systems. This form is readily apparent in the treatment of the indigenous people of Africa in natural history films from the inception of the medium to present day. I will examine films from the 1920s through the present day. If filmmakers are to create successful natural history films that incorporate people of indigenous cultures, they must critically study the histories and mythologies that inform these films in order to avoid making the same mistakes.Item The power and potential of performative documentary film(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2007) Little, John Arthur; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Ronald TobiasIn this thesis, I argue the performative mode of documentary filmmaking is an emerging, intrinsically powerful and virtually unexplored weapon in the arsenal of science documentary. Through selected theoretical and academic writings, I examine origins and pathways of documentary film that ultimately lead to the performative documentary. I contrast the performative mode against a common paradigm that documentary, and particularly science documentary, demands a filmic text that embraces traditional conventions of narrative, realism, empiricism, causality and evidentiary truth claims. I then analyze the utility and application of common elements in performative documentary films including my performative science documentary, At the Risk of Being Smote.Item An assessment of historic and contemporary models of native representation from ethono-entertainment films to experiential education films(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2006) Chaikin, Eric Justin; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Walter Metz; Dennis Aig (co-chair)Ethno-entertainment is a term that makes apparent the merger of entertainment and science in the depiction of the Native presence in film. This approach to filmmaking is assessed and is determined to be defunct. Experiential-education filmmaking is offered as an alternative approach. It is suggested that Native science can inform this approach in a way that allows a contextual understanding of Native language and culture. My video thesis work, K'anecho'xdekdiigh- I'm Not Going to Teach You, is suggested as an example of how the prominence of Native science may promote survivance rather than perpetuate ethno-entertainment's focus on absence.Item Mythologizing the history of Easter Island through documentary films(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2005) Boyd, Laura Jean; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Dennis Aig.Documentaries have the power to rewrite history and perpetuate myths in our society. In the case of Easter Island, documentary filmmakers have sensationalized the history of the Rapa Nui people, dwelling on dramatic concepts such as eco-disaster, cannibalism and mysteriously vanishing cultures. As a result of poor filmmaking, we have a mythologized history of Easter Island. In my attempt to create a science-based documentary about an issue affecting contemporary Easter Island society, this mythologizing of history became a major obstacle. It became apparent that I had to first inform audiences to the fact that they had been misinformed by previous documentaries about Easter Island and I had to change their interpretation of the alleged facts. In my thesis paper I examine the documentaries that created sensational statements about the island and reveal why documentary filmmakers rely on dramatic elements. I also examine my approach to the process of making my graduate thesis film, Caballo Loco on Easter Island, and review the methods I used to ensure the people of Rapa Nui were accurately represented.Item Remote outreach cinema campaign : (R.O.C.C.)(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2006) Kellett, Ian Alexander; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Ronald TobiasThis thesis proposes strategies for the making and exhibition of films that amplify conservation values and efforts in rural communities. The films support and promote the missions of local leaders and the agendas of respected environmental agencies. The filmmaking strategies entail identifying existing conservation values as experienced through broad themes such as quality of life, economics and community development. By focusing on the collaborative process of making and projecting a film, these strategies serve to inspire innovative solutions promoting responsible stewardship of the land and sea. This model of media creation and delivery is designed to empower local politics and communities with the momentum necessary to plan a future consistent with their environmental values. I call this media creation and delivery strategy, Remote Outreach Cinema Campaigns (R.O.C.C.); Remote, because the media is targeted towards rural audiences, Outreach because the media supports the missions of established environmental agencies, Cinema, because the final delivery is on a large screen and viewed collectively. And Campaign, because the final film is only one part of a process.