Scholarship & Research
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Item Ani(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2024) Gorham, Olivia Marie; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Jennifer BolesThis film and accompanying paper thesis delve into the intricacies of life within a nunnery amidst the landscapes of the Himalayas. Through the lens of sensory ethnography and observational filmmaking, the project offers a nuanced portrait of the daily rituals, spiritual practices, and communal relationships that define the existence of the nuns within this remote sanctuary. Employing asynchronous sound and poetic filmmaking techniques, the project reassesses traditional documentary conventions, aiming to evoke a visceral and immersive experience for the audience. As viewers exist within the nunnery's spaces, they are enveloped by the resonant chants of prayers, the whispers of mountain winds, and the rustle of prayer flags, inviting them into a state of contemplation and introspection. Drawing on extended periods of intimate engagement with the space, the film captures moments of quiet reflection, collective meditation, and acts of devotion that speak to the rhythms of monastic life. Through lingering shots and evocative compositions, it seeks to convey not only the outward manifestations of religious practice but also the inner landscapes of the relationships between the nuns and their environment. In tandem with the film, the accompanying thesis paper provides a theoretical framework for understanding the methodological and aesthetic choices underlying the project. It explores the intersection of sensory ethnography, observational filmmaking, and poetic representation, arguing for their collective potential to convey the complex dimensions of lived experience. Ultimately, Ani invites viewers to contemplate assumption, relationality, and human curiosity.Item Resilient: Norfolk's race against the rising seas(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2024) Hermsen, Erinn Catherine; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Cat DaleResilient is told in the expository mode of documentary filmmaking. The characters' stories are woven together through the use of talking-head characters who provide voice-of-authority commentary with their first-hand stories and expert testimony, as well as an omniscient narrator that provides additional context and information. The film presents a problem/solution structure (Nichols 22) supported by evidentiary editing. Resilient presents the problem of flooding due to climate change-induced sea level rise and introduces solutions. Norfolk's infrastructure adaptation projects aim to protect the city in the short-term while the city can solve the long-term issue of living along rising sea levels. The characters' stories serve to ultimately further the argument, which is in line with key characteristics of the expository mode (Nichols 121). Two relevant films I watched as research for my own had similar approaches to storytelling. "Sinking Cities: Miami" and "Climate Crisis: Flooding" also used the expository mode of documentary. The stories were also told through talking-head experts who provided voice-of-authority expert testimony, as well as an omniscient narrator. The characters' stories provided first-hand experience and knowledge that supported the films' problem/solution storylines.Item Sparks(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2024) Ratliff, Jacqueline Noel; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Hugo R. SindelarExploring a world unknown to some, the short documentary SPARKS invites viewers to view the world of welding through narrative and immersive storytelling. The short documentary demonstrates the impact of one's dream and highlights how even small acts of empowerment can lead to fulfilling endeavors. While making the film, this paper was written to help share specific research, thoughts, and ideas critical to creating the story. In the beginning phases, a detailed logistical outline provided insight into the filmmaker and crew. The research was a pivotal phase; deep diving into subjects and topics portrayed in the film and drawing insights from comparable films aid in illuminating overarching themes and editing styles. For SPARKS, the paper examines the industrial industry of welding and ironwork in the context of female labor. Thus, it identifies holes in employment for female workers in male-dominated careers. Understanding this key fact helped inform this film. The paper explores connections to the broader field of science and natural history documentary filmmaking, emphasizing observational/expository styles and immersive ethnographic experiences in contemporary documentaries. Films (not limited to) like Single Stream, Nuisance Bear, TOM, and Glass were examined. The latter part of the paper explains Brenda Stredwick's (protagonist) and filmmakers' connections while outlining distribution plans involving a festival circuit, educational showings, and free screenings. This paper offers insight into Stredwick's inspiring journey and its broader implications within documentary filmmaking and gender dynamics in the arts.Item Hold fast: cultural resilience in the face of climate change(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2024) LaCalle, John Christian; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Hugo R. SindelarThe Cajun Prairie of South Louisiana offers a distinctive lens through which to view the resilience, spirit, identity, and culture of a regional community that is under threat by the impacts of climate change and unsustainable development. Hold Fast explores and captures these struggles using documentary storytelling techniques through the lens of an emblematic subculture in southwest Louisiana in the McNeese State University Rodeo Team. The film presents the challenges of living within a changing climate as the team rebuilds after Hurricane Laura ravaged southwest Louisiana and uprooted their lives in 2020. The short film showcases that in a time of upheaval and widespread displacement, strong cultural identity becomes critical to a community's ability to rebound after disaster. By highlighting the McNeese Rodeo team's journey against the backdrop of Cajun Prairie's challenges, this project seeks to illuminate the interconnectedness of human and environmental stories, showcasing the unwavering spirit of the Cajun community.Item Rivers of resilience: the ripple effect of community-based action(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2024) Coe, Madison Lindsay; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Hugo R. SindelarProtect Our Rivers is a documentary film that chronicles the transformative journey of Sarah Nelson, a young woman who, after enduring profound personal losses, discovers her life's purpose in river conservation. Inspired by her first whitewater rafting trip, Sarah establishes the nonprofit organization Protect Our Rivers, which mobilizes volunteers to remove over 120,000 pounds of trash from local streams and restore the health of America's waterways. Through Sarah's story, the film explores themes of resilience, community, and the power of individual action in the face of environmental degradation and climate change. The film captures Sarah's tireless dedication to river conservation, juxtaposing her personal journey of healing with the renewal of strained waterways. Set against the backdrop of the pristine Salmon River and the urban stretch of the South Platte River in Denver, Colorado, the film underscores the importance of preserving rivers as vital ecosystems and sources of community recreation and well-being. Despite facing extreme pollution and degradation, Sarah's grassroots efforts demonstrate the potential for small-scale actions to make a significant impact on river health and community empowerment. Drawing stylistic inspiration from other verite-style environmental documentaries, stunning cinematography and immersive storytelling is embraced in the film to evoke emotional resonance and inspire collective action in its viewers. By highlighting the interconnectedness of environmental conservation and human well-being, the film serves as a poignant reminder of our shared responsibility to protect the planet's precious rivers. Through Sarah's story, Protect Our Rivers offers a beacon of hope and empowerment, demonstrating that one person's passion and dedication can create a ripple effect of positive change in the world.Item An interpreter's guide to filmmaking(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2022) Andrus, Olivia Fay; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Dennis AigPolitically divisive topics like climate change are notoriously difficult to effectively communicate to the public. Using a different communication approach called interpretation within the filmmaking process, we can bridge the gap current climate change films have today with their audience. Interpretation means "a mission-based communication process that forges emotional and intellectual connections between the interests of the audience and the meanings inherent in the resource," according to the National Association of Interpretation (What is interpretation?). In this paper I will analyze the history behind interpretation and the methodology in implementing this communication style within films. Through the works of various filmmakers such as, My Octopus Teacher (2020), Ice on Fire (2019), and Ocean Souls (2020), my own experience creating an interpretive short film, The Dolphin Dilemma, this paper will discuss how specific interpretive communication methods can take politically divisive subjects, like climate change and more effectively communicate science within documentaries.Item Sowing the seeds of love: a look into non-conventional science documentary with a focus on audience entertainment(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2023) Young, Riley Ilyse; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Cindy StillwellThis paper explores the makings of the film Sowing the Seeds of Love and the stylistic choices made to produce a science documentary film focusing on audience entertainment. Sowing the Seeds of Love, a three-part short film starring an animal and a celebrity for each section bringing attention to the non-heteronormative mating behaviors of each animal species. The entire film is shot on 16mm film and uses animation and scripted scientific information representative of each celebrity host and their time of peek popularity to focus on the nostalgia of the audience. The goal of this film is to highlight a commentary on heteronormative roles in our society challenged by the mating behaviors of animals across our planet. This paper also explores three different documentaries that inspired the topic and style of Sowing the Seeds of Love and how the filmmaker came to the decisions of certain stylistic choices to create a non-traditional documentary in wildlife film.Item Breaking through: how documentary filmmakers expose and unravel the fossil fuel hegemony(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2022) Dinner, Joshua; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Theo LipfertBy analyzing contemporary environmental films within Antonio Gramsci's theoretical framework of hegemony, this MFA thesis highlights a path for storytellers and science communicators to overcome hidden barriers built into the language of environmental activism. Part one uses scientific papers, academic research, and my MFA thesis film 'No Time for Trees' (2022) to scrutinize the environmental stewardship activity of tree planting, which municipal governments and non-profit organizations often promote as a strategy to sequester atmospheric CO 2 emissions. It will contextualize the hegemonic "tree planting message" as a false narrative that empowers individuals to partake in ineffective strategies to combat global warming. Part two examines The 11th Hour (2007) to identify how a documentary's narration impacts how viewers assess their role in the environmental arena. It identifies the pronoun "we" as a small but influential element of the film's language that may connote hegemonic messaging that blames individuals for climate change and directs them to see it solved. Finally, part three examines several rhetorical film strategies used in 'Merchants of Doubt' (2014) to expose the fossil fuel industry's comprehensive history of deception. Even will limited visual evidence of hegemony, films can help viewers think critically about stories they hear in the news media or within publications that skew climate science to favor the continued use of fossil fuels.Item Influence of emotions: how a film score aids audience attention and understanding in documentary film(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2023) Weikert, Grace Allison; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Dennis AigThe music that accompanies documentaries often needs to be more valued and utilized. Although documentaries primarily focus on facts or discoveries, their musical scores, which are often secondary, house the emotional nuances and sensitivities that are the true key to their meaning and impact. Intentionally crafted scores--as the emotional undertone--draw viewers into the inner world of the film. By maximizing intellectual stimulation through the visual means of film and auditorial means of music, there is a greater chance for audience attention and understanding. This thesis seeks to examine original scores within documentary films, applications pertaining to learning capabilities, and the proper execution within documentary context to direct attention of the viewer. I include a case study using my science documentary film Holy Curiosity: Uncovering the Expansion Rate of the Universe to assess the effectiveness of sequences in aiding audiences' attention and understanding of complex scientific information through its original musical score as a structural device. Ultimately, documentary films employing an original film score may garner increased audience attention and understanding.Item The historian, the philosopher, and the scientist: three approaches to science history filmmaking(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2023) Lea, Emily; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Dennis AigScience history films are an underutilized way to build public interest in science. Required. Science history portrays the genesis of a significant idea and is an ideal topic for documentaries that aim to improve science literacy in a low pressure, highly entertaining cinematic experience, without being overly rhetorical. When attitude towards science improves, understanding may follow. By analyzing three influential filmmakers in their different approaches to history films, Errol Morris's The Thin Blue Line, Agnes Varda's The Gleaners and I, and Carl Sagan's Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, I assemble a toolkit of helpful techniques for science history filmmakers to employ. I apply these conditions to my science history film "The Great French Wine Blight" in order to best present this history in a thoughtful and engaging way while remaining faithful to the science and ideally improving the audience's attitude towards science in general.