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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.Item Considerations for producing media for science museum exhibits : a volcano video case study(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2013) Sable, Julia Elizabeth; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Dennis AigWhile science museums continue to expand their use of videos in exhibits, they are also seeking to add engaging content to their websites in the hope of reaching broader audiences. As a cost-effective way to do both, I propose developing a video for a museum website that can be easily adapted for use in an exhibit. The priorities and ideologies of science museums differ radically from those of science and nature television networks. This paper explores the needs of museums, identifying key contrasts with television, and shows how those needs are reflected in the content, form, and style of the two-part science video Living in Pele's Paradise. Through the story of the spectacular 1959-60 eruption of Kīlauea Volcano, the video shows how research and monitoring contribute to helping communities prepare for volcanic hazards. I highlight the characteristics that make the video appropriate for a science museum through comparisons with recent volcano documentaries for television. I also discuss the changes needed to adapt the web video for a museum exhibit.Item The private lives of scientists : revealing the human-side of science film(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2008) Misztal, Stefanie Snioszek; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Walter Metz.As a genre, science films have routinely dehumanized the scientists who appear in them, portraying these characters as simple, one-dimensional encyclopedias of knowledge, whose sole purpose is to relay facts and provide expert testimony in support of the filmmaker's agenda. These films fall short of their true potential when they neglect to present their subjects as complex, multidimensional human beings with fascinating stories, opinions, tragedies and comedies to share about their lives. As science filmmakers we should attempt to re-humanize the way science is portrayed on film by looking to examples like standpoint feminist theory, which advocates owning our particular, incomplete subjective-viewpoints, or 'standpoints' as a form of empowerment. Championed by scientist and feminist scholar Donna Haraway, these partial perspectives allow filmmakers to create a place where the public and private lives of scientists can not only co-exist, but also strengthen one another. By exploring the complex world in the private lives of scientists, we can give greater respect to scientists themselves as well as to the intelligence and emotional needs of the greater public. To treat science and the people involved in its construction with more ethical responsibility, to build a more empowered and enlightened public, we as filmmakers need to introduce the personal values of willing scientists into the public sphere. If we can reinvent the science film as an endeavor steeped in humanity, it may become a more ethical and effective communication tool to fill these growing needs.Item The romantic genius of Einstein and the science essay film(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2006) Radcliff, Matthew Robert; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Walter MetzThe image of Einstein as a scientific genius, a talent so elevated it can spill over the boundaries between science and art, requires the assumption that art and science are not simply different fields of knowledge, but are polar opposites. Despite two centuries of effort, the debate on the relationship of art and science is far from resolved; the notion that they are exclusive of each other is even less established. However, there remains a tendency to treat art and science as the two extremes of a linear scale of talent. Only an exceptional person, therefore, can straddle the line between them. The traditional science documentary aggravates this separation. Condensing the time and effort involved, through re-enactments of selected experiments, neglects the artisanal, hands-on nature of science. By spotlighting one (or at most a handful) of scientists as special, and condensing a large body of work into a small number of significant events, the documentaries give the impression that creativity in science is a rare occurrence. A new model of science film, based on the personal essay that is prominent in popular science writing (e.g., the essays of Alan Lightman), is proposed to ease the tension between art and science. The essay film, combining elements of the documentary and the personal art film, provides the opportunity to illustrate science as an inherently creative act relevant to all people.