The marriage of science and film MSU offers nation's only science/natural history filmaking course By Evelyn Boswell Photo: Professor Ronald Tobias in Irian Jaya (Dutch West New Guinea) showing a moving image to a Dani tribesman for the first time (1995). Praveen Singh came to Montana State University-Bozeman for one lofty reason. He wants to be the top science and natural history filmmaker from India, and MSU offers the only degreed program in the world that marries filmmaking and science. "I have always wanted to make wildlife films," said Singh, who left his faculty position at the Wildlife Institute of India to pursue his dream. Singh came to Bozeman last year as one of 20 students in the new Master of Fine Arts in Science and Natural History Filmmaking degree program. This fall, to fill the requirements of his second year, he returned to India to film the elusive leopard and the scientists who study them. Leopards are so seldom seen that their behavior and ecology are poorly understood. "I plan to be in the forest for four-five months ... living in a small room ... maybe a hut ... without electricity ... and looking for leopards at night ... should be fun!" Singh dashed off in an e-mail before leaving Bozeman. Singh (photo to right) and the other filmmaking students--all with their own stories to tell--spent their first year on campus learning the basics of filmmaking and taking science courses. The idea isn't to turn them into cinematographers or technicians, but producers or directors, said Ronald Tobias, renowned wildlife filmmaker who founded the three-year program. "That will be the wave of the future," he predicted. This fall, the second-year students left Bozeman to make a film of their own choosing, basically "erasing the line between the university and real world," Tobias said. Sara Slagle is focusing on dung beetles and the evolution of extreme shapes in animals, for example. Susanne Bard is looking at avian malaria. Next year, those students will return to MSU to make a second film and fulfill their thesis requirements. "The intent of this program is to produce a new generation of documentary filmmakers that is trained in the areas of science, science communication and filmmaking," said Tobias who has long-term ties with Discovery Communications, Inc., the program's underwriter. Rick Rosenthal, the program's other full-time faculty member, is linked to National Geographic and the British Broadcasting Corporation. Discovery's 18 networks are prime targets for their students' films, Tobias said. Discovery officials visit MSU, and any filmmaking student who wants to work at Discovery may do so. Other sponsors include Sony, Fujinon, the Eastman Kodak Company and a variety of federal agencies. "I can't believe the contacts I have made out of it," commented Ian Kellett, a second-year student who worked for National Geographic and was a cameraman for shows like "Ripley's Believe It or Not" before coming to MSU. "Just having vice presidents and the head of Discovery coming in and having meetings with them. ... It's unheard of." Tobias directing a sequence in "The Search for Lewis and Clark" (2001) Students entering the program must have at least a bachelor's degree in science, engineering or technology. If they come out of liberal arts or a filmmaking program, they must have a declared minor in science or its equivalent. Approximately one-third of the students already have an advanced degree, however. Singh, for example, came to MSU with a bachelor's degree in math, physics and chemistry, as well as a master's degree in mass communication. Matt Radcliff, a first-year student, has almost completed his doctorate in physical chemistry from Princeton University. "The (filmmaking program) is the nation's first and only degree program (graduate or undergraduate) to educate students with a degree in science to become filmmakers," Tobias said, explaining its popularity. MSU was a logical place for the program because it already had a "top-rated film school in a predominantly science university," he continued. Its location between Yellowstone and Glacier national parks was another factor. Kellett said he joined the program so he could return to his first love--documentaries and wildlife filmmaking. Tired of working on programs he deemed "trashy" or "infotainment," he plans to make one film on acoustic healing and another on the tree kangaroo of New Guinea. Radcliff said he has taught many classes where the available videos were out-of-date. Among other things, he'd like to create contemporary films that explain the chemistry behind everyday things like lemon meringue pie. Tobias said, "Scientists generally don't like the media because the media just doesn't get it, and they are right. Media look at scientists and say they don't get it, and they are right. Neither side has communicated very well with the other. What we hope to do is help close the gap."