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Frequently Asked Questions - General
Questions:
"What kind of job can I get with this degree?"
"What do you offer that is unique?"
"Why Montana?"
"How long will it take for me to graduate?"
"What kind of financial support can I get?"
"What kind of equipment do you have?"
"What is your connection to the Discovery Channel?"
"What am I learning to become with this degree?"
"What if I have a question that you haven't answered?"
Answers:
"What kind of job can I get with this degree?"
The MFA in Science and Natural History Filmmaking is a unique degree: no one else in the world offers one or anything like it. Graduates from the program will have a degree confined to a very small and very select number of people.
We have identified five major areas of employment for graduates with our degree:
- Independent Filmmaking.This is a traditional route and is well-established as a career path. Graduates can become either direct employees of organizations such as Discovery, National Geographic, Nature, Nova, and other broadcasters or they can become independent producers for any of these organizations.
- Museum Production.There are over 8,000 science museums in the United States. Many of them have IMAX or science theatres. Until now, production for museums has been very limited because of cost. A typical IMAX film costs in excess of $5-million and no single museum can afford such a price tag. As a result, all IMAX theatres belong to a consolidated circuit that share the costs of IMAX films. That’s why the same film that is showing in Juneau, Alaska, is showing in the Smithsonian in Washington or the Museum of Natural History in New York. But with the advent of high-definition video, museums are now realizing that they can afford production. (High-definition projects work very well on an IMAX screen.) We are expecting a major boom in the field of museum production over the next decade, and graduates from this program will be uniquely qualified to service this sector.
- Science Education.In comparison to Independent Filmmaking and Museum Production, Science Education will surely overshadow both. The classroom of the future will be terminal-based (not blackboard based) and clearly science will lead the way for developing the classroom of the future. We predict that the National Science Foundation will pour hundreds of millions of dollars into research and development of the classroom of the future as we develop an entirely new way of thinking and learning. In the future, chemistry experiments will be done virtually. When you dissect a frog, you will do so virtually. The realms of physics, astronomy, and countless other disciplines will open up to students as never before as they conduct experiments that affect galaxies or the structure of the atom itself. We believe that this effort will require filmmakers with science backgrounds. The time-line for development, we predict, will take at least a generation – twenty years – before this new “industry” will be well established.
- Corporate Relations. With the growing scientific sophistication of the corporate world (as in the case of Genetically Modified Organisms, for example), corporate giants are likely to start hiring in-house or independent filmmakers with science backgrounds to educate the public about their products.
- Conservation Advocacy. More and more conservation and ecology groups are turning to filmmaking in order to get out their message. We predict a growth in companies that specialize in producing films and videos for these advocacy groups. Filmmakers with backgrounds in conservation, ecology, and filmmaking will be poised to move into this emerging area of employment.
- Teaching film. The Science and Natural History Filmmaking program offers a Master of Fine Arts, which is a terminal degree and allows our graduates to teach at the university level.
What direction you choose will depend upon your own interests. Do you want to get into new technology and new media to develop the educational material of the future? Or do you want to become an independent producer of science and natural history films for Discovery or National Geographic or PBS? The MFA program is best suited for people who are adventurous and want to get in on the ground floor with emerging job fields.
"What do you offer that is unique?"
- A complete education in film and video production;
- Intimate and continuing access to professional men and women who work in the industry, including independent filmmakers, top executives at major networks, major conservation and ecology groups, museums, and heads of organizations (such as the Wildlife Conservation Society, the National Wildlife Federation), and a major cross-section of federal agencies such as NASA, the National Park Service, NOAA, the National Science Foundation, the US Navy, the Department of Agriculture, and others. (Our students have made films for these organizations and many more.)
- The use and understanding of state-of-the-art equipment;
- A professional faculty with major credentials including Emmys and international awards too numerous to mention in a nationally-ranked film school;
- Since Montana Public Television is a part of our department, you will have opportunities to work and produce for PBS. Many of our students have produced films for PBS, both regionally and nationally.
- A one-of-a-kind education that is challenging and breaks the mold!
- Living in the Northern Rockies, surrounded by pristine mountains with perfect winters (for those of you who like winter sports) and perfect summers (for those of you who like your summers in the 70s and 80s).
"Why Montana?"
We are in a unique position at Montana State University. First, we have a nationally ranked film school. Second, we have an exceptionally strong science-oriented university. And third, we're located in a geographical setting that allows virtually instant access to natural history and certain natural environments. Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks are in our backyard. The convergence of these three elements makes Montana State the perfect place to have this program.
"How long will it take for me to graduate?"
You should complete the program in about three years. The first two years require you to attend classes on campus. Third year students are committee-directed and are not required to be on campus.
"What kind of financial support can I get?"
There is only limited financial support available for students, and that is typically given during the first year. A small number of assistantships and tuition waivers are awarded each year to those people in financial need who are willing to work in equipment checkout or act as monitors for the graduate edit bay, and so forth. Because the program is funded directly by tuition dollars, we do not allow students in the program to accept tuition waivers from other departments in return for assistantships or other employment. We do, however, allow students to accept assistantships from other departments for stipends or considerations other than tuition waivers.
The program also allows you to write yourself into grants for your second year work, thus in effect, allowing you to get paid for your work during the second year. To date, virtually every student has successfully obtained funding for his/her second year work. The amount of money you get depends upon your success at getting external funding.
In addition, many students receive financial aid from traditional sources. The program coordinator will be happy to direct you to financial aid officers on campus.
For a complete description of financial aid available to students, go to http://www.montana.edu/wwwfa/
"What kind of equipment do you have?"
The program boasts high-end state-of-the-art video equipment, including high definition (1080i). All of the cameras in the program, either for classroom or field use, are broadcast quality. These include a large number of DV cameras such as Sony PD150's and PD170's, HDV, as well as a Sony DSR 570 and HD cameras. The program also supports
an Aaton XTR Super-16 film package.
All the equipment in the program is dedicated solely to the graduate
students.
"What is your connection to The Discovery Channel?"
Simply put, this program would not exist if it had not been for the financial and logistical support of Discovery Communications, Inc. (DCI), the parent company of The Discovery Channel. DIC underwrote the start-up costs of the program, and although we are financially self-sufficient, we have very close ties to Discovery. Our association with Discovery does not inhibit you from working with any other network or organization.
"What am I learning to become with this degree?"
We are not trying to educate you as a cinematographer or as an editor or a sound recordist, although you will take courses in all the main disciplines in filmmaking so you can understand how each of these components fits into the process. The primary purpose of our program is to create producers and directors.
What if I have a question that you haven't answered?
Call (406) 994-2484 Monday through Friday between the hours of 8am-12pm and 1pm-5pm, Mountain Time, or e-mail to naturefilm@montana.edu, or write to:
MFA Program in Science and Natural History Filmmaking
School of Film & Photography
Visual Communications Building
Box 173350
Bozeman, Montana 59717-3350
Telephone: (406-994-2484
Fax Number: (406) 994-6214
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