MSU MFA Program in Science & Natural History Filmmaking
Encyclopedia
Montana State University
’s Master of Fine Arts
Program in Science & Natural History Filmmaking (SNHF), founded in 2000, continues to be the only MFA program of its kind in the world. Its mission is to take students with backgrounds in science
, engineering
, and technology
and prepare them as filmmakers with the creative and critical skills necessary to produce work that contributes to the public understanding of science. Students in the program come from a wide variety of backgrounds including the physical science
s, the social sciences, engineering
, technology
, medicine
, and law
.
The SNHF Program is part of Montana State University
’s School of Film and Photography, which also offers undergraduate degrees in filmmaking and photography.
The program trains directors
and producers
who are familiar with all parts of the movie-making process. Students in the SNHF Program produce works that range from documentary
to experimental
. Many of these student films have received festival awards, while others have been broadcast in many major venues such as PBS
, The Discovery Channel
, National Geographic Channel
, The Science Channel, CNN
, 60 Minutes II
, CBS Evening News
, and NBC Nightly News
. The students have produced films for the National Park Service
, the National Science Foundation
, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
, NASA
, and such non-profit organizations including the Wildlife Conservation Society
, the Sierra Club
, the Audubon Society, and the Nature Conservancy. Student work from the SNHF Program has appeared in major museums, schools, and cultural venues.
Each year, SNHF student films are screened at the Element Film Festival in Bozeman, Montana
.
Montana State University - Bozeman
Montana State University – Bozeman is a public university located in Bozeman, Montana. It is the state's land-grant university and primary campus in the Montana State University System, which is part of the Montana University System...
’s Master of Fine Arts
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
Program in Science & Natural History Filmmaking (SNHF), founded in 2000, continues to be the only MFA program of its kind in the world. Its mission is to take students with backgrounds in science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
, engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
, and technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
and prepare them as filmmakers with the creative and critical skills necessary to produce work that contributes to the public understanding of science. Students in the program come from a wide variety of backgrounds including the physical science
Physical science
Physical science is an encompassing term for the branches of natural science and science that study non-living systems, in contrast to the life sciences...
s, the social sciences, engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
, technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
, medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
, and law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
.
The SNHF Program is part of Montana State University
Montana State University - Bozeman
Montana State University – Bozeman is a public university located in Bozeman, Montana. It is the state's land-grant university and primary campus in the Montana State University System, which is part of the Montana University System...
’s School of Film and Photography, which also offers undergraduate degrees in filmmaking and photography.
The program trains directors
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and producers
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
who are familiar with all parts of the movie-making process. Students in the SNHF Program produce works that range from documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
to experimental
Experimental film
Experimental film or experimental cinema is a type of cinema. Experimental film is an artistic practice relieving both of visual arts and cinema. Its origins can be found in European avant-garde movements of the twenties. Experimental cinema has built its history through the texts of theoreticians...
. Many of these student films have received festival awards, while others have been broadcast in many major venues such as PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
, The Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
, National Geographic Channel
National Geographic Channel
National Geographic Channel, also commercially abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo, is a subscription television channel that airs non-fiction television programs produced by the National Geographic Society. Like History and the Discovery Channel, the channel features documentaries with factual...
, The Science Channel, CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, 60 Minutes II
60 Minutes II
60 Minutes II was a weekly primetime news magazine television program that was intended to replicate the "signature style, journalistic quality and integrity" of the original 60 Minutes series.It aired on CBS on Wednesdays, then later moved to Fridays at 8 p.m...
, CBS Evening News
CBS Evening News
CBS Evening News is the flagship nightly television news program of the American television network CBS. The network has broadcast this program since 1948, and has used the CBS Evening News title since 1963....
, and NBC Nightly News
NBC Nightly News
NBC Nightly News is the flagship daily evening television news program for NBC News and broadcasts. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is located in the center...
. The students have produced films for the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
, the National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , pronounced , like "noah", is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere...
, NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
, and such non-profit organizations including the Wildlife Conservation Society
Wildlife Conservation Society
The Wildlife Conservation Society based at the Bronx Zoo was founded in 1895 as the New York Zoological Society and currently manages some of wild places around the world, with over 500 field conservation projects in 60 countries, and 200 scientists on staff...
, the Sierra Club
Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. It was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by the conservationist and preservationist John Muir, who became its first president...
, the Audubon Society, and the Nature Conservancy. Student work from the SNHF Program has appeared in major museums, schools, and cultural venues.
Each year, SNHF student films are screened at the Element Film Festival in Bozeman, Montana
Bozeman, Montana
Bozeman is a city in and the county seat of Gallatin County, Montana, United States, in the southwestern part of the state. The 2010 census put Bozeman's population at 37,280 making it the fourth largest city in the state. It is the principal city of the Bozeman micropolitan area, which consists...
.
Selected Awards and Festival Screenings
- Student EmmyEmmy AwardAn Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
, Entertainment Category, 2010 – Montana Fare by SNHF alumnus Jaime Jelenchick Jacobsen - Official Selection, 2010 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival – 200 Block by SNHF students Andrew Sobey & Kate Lain
- Best International Student Film, 2009 CMS Vatavaran Environment and Wildlife Film Festival – Why Don't We Ride Zebras? by SNHF alumnus Hannah Smith Walker
- Official Selections, 2009 Montana Cine International Film Festival – Lessons in America - Episode 17: Montana by SNHF student Andrew Sobey, Ceiba by SNHF student Dawson Dunning, student film Disturbance by SNHF alumnus Jeremy Roberts
- TellyTelly AwardsThe Telly Award is an award presented by the namesake, New York City-based organization. The stated purpose of the award is to "honor the very best local, regional, and cable television commercials and programs, as well as the finest video and film productions, and work created for the Web." The...
award, Classic category, 2009 – student film Atlatl by SNHF alumnus Jeremy Roberts - TellyTelly AwardsThe Telly Award is an award presented by the namesake, New York City-based organization. The stated purpose of the award is to "honor the very best local, regional, and cable television commercials and programs, as well as the finest video and film productions, and work created for the Web." The...
award, 2009 – student film Disturbance by SNHF alumnus Jeremy Roberts - Best Nonbroadcast Program, 2009 Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival – SNHF student Jen Grace for Frog, Chemical, Water, You
- Best Limited Series, 2009 Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival – SNHF alumnus John Shier, Director of Photography for BBC Natural History UnitBBC Natural History UnitThe BBC Natural History Unit is a department of the BBC dedicated to making television and radio programmes with a natural history or wildlife theme, especially nature documentaries...
/Animal PlanetAnimal PlanetAnimal Planet is an American cable tv specialty channel that launched on October 1, 1996. It is distributed by Discovery Communications. A high-definition simulcast of the channel launched on September 1, 2007.-History:...
's Yellowstone - Marion Zunz Newcomer Finalist and Best Conservation Program Finalist, 2009 Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival – SNHF alumnus Eric Bendick for student film Division Street
- Best Children's Program Finalist, 2009 Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival – SNHF student Jen Grace for Frog, Chemical, Water, You
- Best Newcomer Award, 2009 International Wildlife Film Festival – SNHF student Jen Grace for Frog, Chemical, Water, You
- CINECINECINE is a consortium formulated to depict American life and thought realistically for a global audience. CINE recognizes and fosters the highest quality of non-theatrical film and video production through its semi-annual film competitions....
Golden Eagle, 2009 – Montana Fare by SNHF alumnus Jaime Jelenchick Jacobsen - Official Selection, 2009 1 Reel Film Festival at BumbershootBumbershootBumbershoot is an annual international music and arts festival held in Seattle, Washington. One of North America's largest such festivals, it takes place every Labor Day weekend at the 74-acre Seattle Center, which was built for the 1962 World's Fair. Seattle Center includes indoor theaters,...
– 200 Block by SNHF students Andrew Sobey & Kate Lain - Best Newcomer Award, 2009 International Wildlife Film Festival – SNHF student Jen Grace for Frog, Chemical, Water, You
- Best Music Video Award and Best Amateur Award, 2009 International Wildlife Film Festival – SNHF student Josh Cassidy for Life by the Tide
- Merit Award for Artistic Approach, 2009 International Wildlife Film Festival – SNHF student Jeremy Roberts for Disturbance
- Merit Awards for Educational Value, 2009 International Wildlife Film Festival – SNHF alumnus Ed Watkins for student film Into the Cool: The Living and SNHF alumnus Hannah Smith Walker for student film Why Don't We Ride Zebras?
- Honorable Mention, 2009 International Wildlife Film Festival, Animation Category – SNHF student Andrew Sobey for Lessons in America - Episode 17: Montana
- Student Emmy, Children's Category, 2009 – Frog, Chemical, Water, You by SNHF student Jen Grace
- Director's Choice 3rd Prize, 2009 Black Maria Film + Video Film Festival – The Death of Grandma Gladys by SNHF student Kate Lain
- Official Selections, 2009 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival – Lessons in America - Episode 17: Montana by SNHF student Andrew Sobey and The Mongolian Marmot by SNHF student Tom Winston
- Act Locally Award, 2009 EarthVision Environmental Film Festival – Why Don't We Ride Zebras? by SNHF alumnus Hannah Smith Walker
- Metcalf Institute for Marine and Environmental Reporting Fellowship, 2008 – SNHF student Rick Smith
- Montana Filmmaker Award, 2008 International Wildlife Film Festival – SNHF student Rick Smith for Fish and Cow
- Silver TellyTelly AwardsThe Telly Award is an award presented by the namesake, New York City-based organization. The stated purpose of the award is to "honor the very best local, regional, and cable television commercials and programs, as well as the finest video and film productions, and work created for the Web." The...
Award Winner, 2008 – The Water Carriers by SNHF alumnus Jaime Jelenchick Jacobsen - Best Amateur, Montana CINE International Film Festival, 2008 – The Water Carriers by SNHF alumnus Jaime Jelenchick Jacobsen
- Emmy Nomination, Outstanding Special Class: Short-format Nonfiction Programs, 2008 – Deadliest Catch: “The Real Dutch”, directed and edited by SNHF alumnus Vanessa Serrao
- Student Emmy, Documentary Category, 2008 – Little Mom Full of Color by SNHF student Katy-Robin Garton Magruder
- CINECINECINE is a consortium formulated to depict American life and thought realistically for a global audience. CINE recognizes and fosters the highest quality of non-theatrical film and video production through its semi-annual film competitions....
Golden Eagle, 2008 – Malice In Wonderland by SNHF student Ed Watkins - Marion Zunz Newcomer Finalist, 2007 Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival – SNHF student Rick Smith for Fish and Cow
- Best New Media Finalist, 2007 Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival - SNHF student Rob Nelson for the Ecogeeks Science Video Podcast
- CINECINECINE is a consortium formulated to depict American life and thought realistically for a global audience. CINE recognizes and fosters the highest quality of non-theatrical film and video production through its semi-annual film competitions....
Golden Eagle, 2007. CINECINECINE is a consortium formulated to depict American life and thought realistically for a global audience. CINE recognizes and fosters the highest quality of non-theatrical film and video production through its semi-annual film competitions....
Special Jury Award 2007 – Lunacy by SNHF student Ed Watkins - Best Student Film, 2007 Swansea Bay Film Festival – Up a Creek by SNHF student Jefferson Beck
- Two Silver TellyTelly AwardsThe Telly Award is an award presented by the namesake, New York City-based organization. The stated purpose of the award is to "honor the very best local, regional, and cable television commercials and programs, as well as the finest video and film productions, and work created for the Web." The...
Awards, 2007 – Beyond Road's End by SNHF student Ed Watkins - Student Emmy, Documentary Category, 2005 – Indian Leopards: The Killing Fields by SNHF student Praveen Singh