Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://scholarworks.montana.edu/handle/1/733
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Item Experimental cinema and embodiment in nature-based video installations(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2017) Mullen, Catherine Mary; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Cindy StillwellNonfiction filmmakers have a variety of different approaches they can take to produce science and nature based documentaries. In my paper, I focus on a slow, experimental style of filming and editing. I stress that by using these techniques when it comes to films with the environment or animals as subject matter, filmmakers can stimulate the senses within the audience to garner a greater intellectual connection between viewer and film. I analyze 13 Lakes (2004) by James Benning and Landscape (for Manon) (1987) by Peter Hutton to illuminate specific slow, experimental techniques that also appear in my thesis film Birding Blind (2017), a three-channel video installation.Item The personal essay film and large carnivores: moving beyond science in search of empathy and action(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2017) White, Annie Beth; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Dennis AigDespite their common usage in natural history documentary films, appeals based solely upon scientific facts, expert testimony, and rational arguments are not particularly effective at convincing audiences to change their opinions on controversial subjects. Psychologists argue that this is because humans tend to base our decisions on emotion and social affiliations; and therefore, working to find common ground and motive between opposing sides in an argument may be one of the strongest stances from which to start a useful discussion. This is a particularly important consideration when addressing large carnivore conservation because their management is so deeply rooted in our cultural beliefs and identities. I propose that personal essay films, focused on immersing their audiences as much as possible in the authentic experiences of a compelling protagonist, may be an effective way to begin opening up a viewer's opinions on a highly charged subject without directly attacking all of their most strongly held beliefs. Through analyzing representative personal documentary films, I highlight the importance of certain structural elements when trying to connect with an audience on an emotional level; such as letting the passionate protagonist tell their own story, including surprising and mysterious instances in the film, and not oversimplifying moments of indecision or confusion. Part of the Pack (2017), my autobiographical thesis film, attempts to put these insights into practice by inviting the audience to join in my experiences of living closely with captive wolves. My hope is that personal essay films like this can foster the type of emotional connection and common-ground thinking necessary for viewers to start empathizing with and promoting the conservation of large predators.Item Toward new narrative constructions and interactivity in natural history applications(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2016) Reed, Jeffrey Connor; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Dennis AigThe natural history film genre has long played a critical role in the understanding of science and natural history for its audience. The demands of a ratings-based industry that calls for familiar story structure and minimal scientific depth compromise this position of authority. Time constraints and the adherence to passive spectator narratives further inhibits the transmission of factual information. Interactive media formats present opportunities to reconsider the narrative construction and expand natural history films beyond traditional forms. In this paper, I explore how employing innovations of interactive documentaries, video games, and informal learning environments in the design of an interactive natural history application can remove the current limitations associated with traditional wildlife film and promote deeper scientific understanding.Item Getting naughty with nature : 'R-rated' wildlife film(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2015) Collins, Kevin Michael; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Lucia RicciardelliUnlike most genres of film and television, which feature a wide spectrum of content maturity, wildlife programs are generally family-friendly, rarely venturing into 'R-rated' territory. Perhaps owing to the genre's longstanding association with science and academia, as well as network regulations and censorship, wildlife programs typically eschew profanity, gratuitous gore, and overt sexuality - particularly of a human nature. In recent years, the Internet has permitted a profusion of 'R-rated' wildlife series. Three of the more virally successful 'R-rated' wildlife series available on YouTube include True Facts by Ze Frank, Green Porno starring Isabella Rossellini, and Wild Sex starring Dr. Carin Bondar. Inspired by the popularity and critical acclaim of these series, I have produced the first episode of my own 'R-rated' wildlife series, InSex Episode 1: 'Luminescent Lovers.' In this paper, I explore the creative merits of True Facts' humorously incongruous narration, Green Porno's richly symbolic animal costumes, and Wild Sex's clever analogies between human and animal behaviors. I then discuss how I integrated some of these series' best qualities into 'Luminescent Lovers.' I argue that the 'R-rated' approach, brimming with compelling humanity, can make scientific concepts more fun, relatable, and accessible, facilitating the assimilation of knowledge and attracting viewers who might otherwise shun wildlife media.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 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 Fanihi : a cultural digest. Cannibalism or conservation?(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2010) Tharp, James Whitney; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Ronald Tobias.There is a conflict on the island of Rota in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands between conservationists and the cultural traditions of Chamorro inhabitants. The traditional model of broadcasting media to a wide audience is not effective in intervening in environmental conflicts within indigenous communities compared to an emerging model of filmmaking that embraces local voices and perspectives. Historically, indigenous depictions in media tend to misrepresent "Others" in order to reinforce the imperialist interests of Western society. Within this essay I intend to analyze how Western media suppresses indigenous voice while investigating strategies for the creation of effective environmental films targeted towards specific local audiences. Awareness of the mistakes of filmmakers of the past combined with the availability of inexpensive production and distribution technologies will allow alternative models of filmmaking to portray a diversity of perspectives. Environmental films that feature indigenous voices allow local communities to define and strengthen their own cultural values while creating texts that broaden global understandings of the diversity of the human experience.Item The animated roots of wildlife films : animals, people, animation and the origin of Walt Disney's 'True-Life Adventures'(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2012) Cruz, Robert, Jr.; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Dennis AigAlthough Walt Disney's nature films mark a turning point for wildlife film, no satisfactory explanation has been offered as to how Disney managed to come up with such a successful concept. This thesis will examine the history and production of the True-Life Adventures productions to demonstrate that, rather than being mere live-action iterations of Disney's animated films, the Disney nature films had their origins in the studio's travelogue endeavors of the 1940s. The logical consequence of these origins is that the films present the natural world as a cultural entity rather than a scientific one. Analyzing the True-Life Adventures from this perspective allows for a better assessment of how they influenced all later wildlife documentaries. In particular, two innovative strategies were crucial to the success of these films: 1) the Disney gaze and 2) the associated, highly manipulated presentations of the natural world, formatted to tweak the emotions of the human observer. Additionally, because his studio extensively promoted the work of the naturalist-photographers and the scientist-cameramen, Disney can be credited with having commercialized documentary-style film shooting. The fostering of such filmmaking inside his studio's walls helped to popularize the so-named "nature film," laying the foundation for what would one day become a thriving film industry in its own right.Item Perspective in wildlife films(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2007) Kasic, Kathryn Elizabeth; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Dennis AigDiscussions of perspective rarely occur in analyses of wildlife films perhaps because of the near neglect of the genre itself as well as the fact that most analysis focuses on content, rather than structure and style. Perspective has long been a part of narrative film criticism, however, and it is essential to a complete examination of a film genre. I define perspective here as the cognitive view of the mind that commands the subject. In documentary and wildlife films, credibility is vital and the film's perspective or point of view establishes this through the use of the camera apparatus and narration. The very use of these tools of perspective may add to a scientific perspective, but inevitably prevent an objectively scientific representation, the pivot of a fact-driven, wildlife film. Although credibility is established by evidence and facts, a tendency toward anthropomorphism can jeopardize claims of objectivity and scientific credibility.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.