Scholars of the Center for Environmental Filmmaking

2011/2012 Center Scholar Winners

Congratulations the following five graduate students for being selected as 2011/2012 Scholars at SOC’s Center for Environmental Filmmaking:

• Sarah Gulick: Sarah’s focus is on sea turtles and the relationship between their conservation and how films, exhibits, and web media can help foster critically needed community involvement.
• Helenah Svedberg: Helenah’s film is about a former vegetarian who has become a hunter and consumer of invasive species while falling in love with a filmmaker.
• Jennifer Stratton: Jennifer’s focus is on interactive storytelling and utilizing animation techniques in environmental films to find new ways to delight and inspire viewers.
• Aditi Desai (for a second year): Aditi’s film (coproduced with Kai Fang) is about an extraordinary kite flying festival in India with alarming human and environmental impacts.
• Sylvia Johnson (for a second year): Sylvia is making a modern day Western about the controversy over wild horses’ management and a look at some new solutions.

The next round of the Scholars Program will be next fall (deadline December 1, 2012).

Congratulations again to Sarah, Helenah, Jennifer, Aditi, and Sylvia.

2010/2011 Center Scholar Winners

Aditi Desai and Kai Fang: 

Together they just completed the production phase of their film "Entangled." Shooting in India was an exciting, hectic, transformative and exhilarating experience. They got to witness Uttarayan first-hand, and saw the environmental impact that the glass-coated kite string (manja) had on the local wildlife during this day long kite festival. At Jivdaya, a charitable trust that recues and rehabilitates animals, they saw countless pigeons, kites, storks, vultures and peacocks that were injured or killed due to the Manja, which really underscored the need for a film like theirs to promote awareness and spur chance around this deep rooted cultural issue. You can read more on their blog.

Photo by Jeremy Polk

Jeremy Polk:

Jeremy's film is on climate change. "Over the summer, I traveled to the National Ice Core Laboratory (NICL) in Denver, CO, The Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR), in Boulder, CO, and the lab of Ed Brook at Oregon State University. During those trips I interviewed scientists who analyze ice cores from Antarctica and Greenland. Their goals (among others) are to determine the age of each core, changes in the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere over the course of our planet's history, and changes in the temperature of of our atmosphere over the course our planet's history. Those pieces of information are extracted from ice cores through chemical analysis. In addition to conducting interviews, I have also shot footage of scientists working at NICL and Oregon State University." Watch Jeremy's Antarctica videos

Irene Magafan:

Irene’s film The Bonobo Connection, explores one of our closest living relatives and a species facing huge threats. The promo is narrated by Nick Clooney, Father of George Clooney. The Bonobo Connection has recently launched its website. There you can learn more about the film, its supporters, and get introduced to the bonobos, essentially the 'stars' of the film. Learn more

Sylvia Johnson: 

Sylvia is making a modern day Western about wild horses, freedom, and sustainability in the West. Her film "Roaming Wild" is still in production. View the trailer 

Check out Sylvia's blog

Danny Ledonne: 

Danny is screening his comedy documentary, Duck! (a duckumentary) at film festivals nationwide.  This quirky film about the many relationships between humans and waterfowl has shown at Montana CINE, the American Conservation Film Festival, and Film Fest Twain Harte, with more to follow.  Learn more about the film

Danny teaches film making at Adams State College in southern Colorado and runs his own video production company, Emberwilde Productions.  He is currently working on several new projects, including editing a road trip film about the kindness of strangers called American Bear and writing/directing a documentary about the origins and future of Santa Claus.  His first feature length film, Playing Columbine is available on iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, and Netflix Streaming.

Ellen Tripler

Ellen Tripler's thesis film, Dying Green, a 30-minute documentary set in the foothills of the Appalachians, explores one man's vision of using green burials to conserve land. Dr. Billy Campell, the town's only physician and his efforts have radically changed our understanding of burials in the United States. Dr. Billy Campbell's dream is to conserve one million acres of land. This film focuses on the revolutionary idea of using our own death to fund land conservation and create wildlife preserves. Tripler won Best Student Documentary and Best Educational Content (a Merit Award) at the Montana CINE International Film Festival next month (October 16-23).  Dying Green will also be featured as an Official Selection and be screened.

Dying Green trailer

Shanon Sparks

Shanon Sparks completed her coursework at American in the Spring of 2010.  She is in production on her thesis film, a feature length documentary about sharks.  She hopes to dispel some of the common myths about these graceful creatures, so vital to the ocean’s health.  Shanon will share the grace and beauty of these commonly hated animals and portray them in a more natural and compelling way.  She examines the intelligence of sharks by introducing audiences to a group that has been taught basic “medical” maneuvers by a shark trainer.  She has interviewed numerous shark experts from a variety of world-renowned organizations including but not limited to Oceana, the Pew Foundation, the National Aquarium, and Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium.   

To deepen her personal experiences with these dangerously misunderstood animals, she joined a dive team at a well-known Shark Diving operation.  She dove frequently with wild reef sharks, Goliath Groupers, Great Barracuda and Moray Eels as the underwater staff photographer.  Part of her research involved gauging people’s reactions to encountering a gentle population in the wild, and asking how their experiences compared to what they’ve seen on Television. 

During her experiences, she was fortunate enough to meet with the late Wes Skiles, a famed filmmaker and cave diver.  She also had the pleasure to frequently dive alongside Emmy and Oscar Award Winning cinematographer, Frazier Nivens.  These vital mentoring experiences supplement a traditional curriculum by adding lessons from veterans in the field, something her advisors strongly encourage.   

Her fantastic advisory board includes Chris Palmer, Leena Jayaswal, Sandy Cannon-Brown, Bill Gentile and John Douglass.  She is currently completing principal photography in Florida and expects to submit a rough cut for advisor evaluations and peer review in April 2011. She is very grateful to her sponsors Jan and Catherine Post for providing the necessary dive equipment.  If you would like to donate funds, materials or provide additional support for a film that we truly believe is needed in the industry, please contact Shanon Sparks or Chris Palmer.

Scholars of the Center for Environmental Filmmaking at AU's School of Communication 

By Chris Palmer (palmer@american.edu)  

Scholars of the Center for Environmental Filmmaking are selected annually to further the Center’s mission to produce the next generation of environmental and wildlife filmmakers. Please see the Center’s website, www.environmentalfilm.org, for more details on the Center’s mission.  

Three Scholars are selected each year as they embark on their thesis projects. Scholars are chosen during the second year of their graduate program when they have accumulated at least 18 credit hours. Part time students are eligible. 

The 2009/2010 Scholars were Ellen Tripler, Danny Ledonne, and Shanon Sparks. The 2010/2011 Scholars were Aditi Desai, Kai Fang, Jeremy Polk, Irene Magafan, Sylvia Johnson, and Puja Bhalerao. 

Each grantee receives a total reimbursement of up to $1,000 of actual expenses for his or her thesis film. Expenses eligible for reimbursement must meet American University policies.  

The following application requirements and eligibility conditions apply: 1. Scholars must be students in good standing, have a record of excellence in film, video or new media production, and a minimum GPA of 3.5. 

2. Scholars must exhibit outstanding intellect, leadership, and ambition.  

3. Scholars must show they are determined to make films that matter, that make a difference, and that make the world a better place.  

4. Scholars must have demonstrated perseverance, creativity, and passion, as well as diligence, integrity, and focus in past work.  

5. Scholars are selected based on their proposal for a thesis topic relevant to the Center’s mission. 

6. Scholars are required to populate the Center website (on a page specially reserved for them) with stills, clips (or a trailer), synopses, possibly blog posts, their bios, and a short essay at the completion of their film describing what has been accomplished.  

7. Scholars are required to credit American University, School of Communication, Center for Environmental Filmmaking, and add the Center logo to their thesis films. 

The application process is as follows: By December 1, submit a one to two-page letter to Chris Palmer describing how you will use a $1,000 grant to further the mission of the Center. Include with the letter your project proposal, which should include a synopsis of your film and a list of anticipated expenses, the names of your lead faculty advisor and committee members for your project, and a note from your advisor that the project has been approved. Also submit an up-to-date resume/CV.  

A faculty committee will judge the entries and grant awards based on each student’s merit and commitment to the mission of the Center. Scholars will be announced by December 20.  

Please contact Professor Chris Palmer if you have questions: palmer@american.edu  

Professor Chris Palmer Author of Shooting in the Wild: An Insider's Account of Making Movies in the Animal Kingdom
(Sierra Club Books, 2010)
Distinguished Film Producer in Residence
Director, Center for Environmental Filmmaking
School of Communication, American University
cell 202-716-6160; office 202-885-3408; home 301-654-6137
www.environmentalfilm.org
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