Scholarship & Research
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Item My dildo called Nicaragua: rewriting cultural mythos(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2018) Benton, Sonja Annalise; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Linda KarellThis, more than anything, is a retelling of a story. It is a retelling of being an activist, a cancer victim, a writer, a student, a teacher, and an American. It is a new mythology of the classroom, the university, of the creation of language. I draw on Gloria Anzaldúa and Audre Lorde, and countless others, to guide a new conception of how to move in the world, how to become, and how to rewrite the myths that have been told about us. I hoped to create an answer and precedent for my own experience and shed new light on the work of 80s intersectional feminists as a guide for activism in the 2010s and 2020s to come. Its success as a paper depends on those who do work in the future, on the guidance it manages or doesn't manage to provide to others. I will never know how this work concludes, since it is just a continuation of previous work meant to help fork into new continuations in the future. It is the drawing of a map that was already partially drawn, and that is nowhere near finished yet. It is a call for more people willing to draw.Item Filmmaking as a tool for social impact: modeling documentary to create change(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2016) Patel, Roshan Chandra; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Dennis AigDocumentary filmmakers increasingly challenge the boundaries of form and access by creatively incorporating diverse distribution options. For films intending to create social impact, emerging guides and resources can steer the production to effectively reach target audiences and measure the film's influence. Using The End of the Line, Girl Rising, and Bully as case studies, I posit that the increased analysis of a film's influence can guide the creative process to craft a more successful and targeted project, when success is defined as an actionable change. Specifically for films exploring polarized issues, new research from the Cultural Cognition Project suggests audiences are more willing to incorporate differing views when perspectives are presented in a way that allows them to grow identity, rather than challenge and demonize firmly held beliefs. I will apply the identified techniques to shape my creative process and measure the impact of my film, Red Wolf Revival, with the goal of depolarizing a contentious wildlife debate, increasing cultural cognition regarding red wolf recovery program in North Carolina, and motivating audiences to communicate their stances to decision-makers.Item Contemporary advocacy filmmaking : campaigns for change(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2015) Cooper, Christiana Marie; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Dennis AigIn recent years, advocacy documentaries have evolved to incorporate a range of tools and strategies to effect change. Unlike "social issue documentaries," which are often produced to simply increase awareness around an issue, newer forms of advocacy documentaries not only strive to educate the viewer on an issue, but also to engage the viewer in specific actions. New media and digital technology provide novel tools for documentary filmmakers interested in creating these changes. Not all documentarians have the goal of creating change, nor should they. But for those that do fall into this category, there are certain approaches and tools that are invaluable for creating impact, as well as measuring the outcome. Ideally, the advocacy documentarian should consider the framework that is available and how to best utilize the available tools and methods to obtain the most successful outcome, and should do so well before onset of production. I analyze the leading approaches that successful contemporary advocacy documentaries have employed, as well as some of the pitfalls that others have faced. After identifying the defining characteristics of "successful" advocacy films, I analyze several advocacy documentaries to illustrate how these methods and approaches are utilized, as well as some measurable impacts. I specifically address environmental and social justice advocacy films as salient examples. Additionally, I discuss the current methods for measuring the success of advocacy documentaries and how these metrics can be applied.Item Remote outreach cinema campaign : (R.O.C.C.)(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2006) Kellett, Ian Alexander; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Ronald TobiasThis thesis proposes strategies for the making and exhibition of films that amplify conservation values and efforts in rural communities. The films support and promote the missions of local leaders and the agendas of respected environmental agencies. The filmmaking strategies entail identifying existing conservation values as experienced through broad themes such as quality of life, economics and community development. By focusing on the collaborative process of making and projecting a film, these strategies serve to inspire innovative solutions promoting responsible stewardship of the land and sea. This model of media creation and delivery is designed to empower local politics and communities with the momentum necessary to plan a future consistent with their environmental values. I call this media creation and delivery strategy, Remote Outreach Cinema Campaigns (R.O.C.C.); Remote, because the media is targeted towards rural audiences, Outreach because the media supports the missions of established environmental agencies, Cinema, because the final delivery is on a large screen and viewed collectively. And Campaign, because the final film is only one part of a process.Item Never wash away : a case study of video-centered outreach in the Republic of Congo(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2009) Matheson, Kelly Ann; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Dennis Aig.Since its inception, documentary film has been thought to be an effective way to galvanize social change. With the explosion of video for change organizations and projects both filmmakers and funders have a growing need to make a solid connection between the power of film and its concrete impact. This thesis will set forth the key principles for successful advocacy filmmaking and explore how the International Conservation and Education Fund's (INCEF's) Great Ape Public Awareness Project incorporated these principles into its approach to advocacy filmmaking. This exploration will be accomplished via a review of the organization's methodology combined with field observations from the first half of the 2008 field season in the northern villages of the Republic of Congo. This thesis will also highlight the successes and challenges INCEF faced during the three stages of advocacy filmmaking: 1) production; 2) strategic dissemination; and 3) impact evaluation, in an effort to inform the creation, implementation and evaluation of future advocacy video projects.