Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
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Item Performative non-fiction film and the future landscape of documentary filmmaking(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2015) McClintock, Madison Ally; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Cindy StillwellAmerican non-fiction filmmaking is currently experiencing a period of expansion. Today, the paradigm shift is focused on inquiries of form and function, with filmmakers pushing against the current boundaries of the genre. Historically, narrative and documentary have been thought of as distinct forms, but there are many films being produced today that fall somewhere in between. Films that are merging style and format from both fiction and non-fiction are referred to as hybrid documentaries or creative nonfiction. As part of this current trend, what I refer to as performative non-fiction is one subgenre that has evolved from the present desire to broaden the non-fiction film form. After identifying the defining characteristics of performative non-fiction films, I explore three case studies, 'The Act of Killing' (2012), 'Bombay Beach' (2011), and 'I'm Still Here' (2010), as well as my own film, 'A Decay of Control' (2015), to illustrate how their use of performance is changing the way information is conveyed in the documentary, representing one route of epistemological expansion of the medium.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.