Scholarship & Research
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Item Creating space for science and celebrity in the public discussion of climate change(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2006) DeWitt, Sarah Louise; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: David ScheererClimate change is one of the most prominent topics in news, politics, and popular culture today. For many years the topic has been presented as an unresolved debate between believers and skeptics, leading to a perpetual state of confusion and helplessness in the public eye. In the past eight months newspapers and magazines have begun to suggest that the climate change debate is over. The scientific consensus agrees that climate change is happening and it is the result of human influence on the Earth's atmosphere. Yet this consensus has not effectively translated into the public consciousness. This gap between scientific understanding and the public perception of climate change is partly a result of limitations in popular media. It also comes from scientific reluctance to embrace modern and popular cultural modes of communication such as feature films, television programs, books, and alternative news sources. This includes interaction with non-scientist communicators and spokespeople. By paying attention to popular culture events and spokespeople, being prepared to speak to a non-scientific audience, and reaching out directly to this audience, scientists can play a significant role in the evolving public dialogue on climate change.Item Science and natural history film and the larger media environment(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2005) Ruggiero, Colin Ross; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Ronald Tobias.The purpose of this thesis is to examine the ways in which science and natural history films are affected by the larger media environment and in particular, concentrated ownership structures. This first part of this examination is aimed at establishing that the corporate conglomerates that own the majority of mainstream media outlets and resources have sufficient control over the media environment to warrant speaking about specialized programming like science and natural history within the context of the larger corporate-owned environment. The remainder of the paper discusses the impacts this media environment has on science and natural history film. These impacts consist primarily of excessive commercial influence and a loss of diversity in programming. To explain and describe these effects, the paper uses a model of how the political and economic interests of these media monopolies led to a corporate bias and agenda that serves to filter the films that gain access to mainstream media outlets. This examination relies on a wide variety of data and case studies to support its arguments.Item Strange bedfellows : science and storytelling for broadcast television(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2006) Bell, Andrew Wade; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Ronald TobiasFilmmakers exploring natural science subject matter that want to sell their work to broadcast television or theatrical outlets face a difficult challenge. They must somehow conflate two contradictory elements: natural science information and compelling storytelling. Looking at the roots of classical narrative, we can better understand why audiences have come to crave it. Broadcast television, in turn, caters to audience desire. This combination forces filmmakers to present natural science information in an exciting way, and has led filmmakers to employ time-honored narrative structures as organizing strategies. While audiences seem to favor material presented this way, it calls the accuracy of the natural science presented into question. This paper will explore how and why the use of narrative became common to natural science filmmaking, illustrate the inherent incompatibilities between the narrative and natural science, and consider the repercussions of this filmmaking model.