Filmmakers’ interpretation of environmental science fiction

We are now living within the reality of the worst environmental crisis mankind has ever seen and some modes within environmental communication are struggling to help us create change. In recent decade, there has been a growing interest in using storytelling for sustainable change. Science fiction is...

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Autor principal: Gustavsson, Sara
Formato: Second cycle, A2E
Lenguaje:sueco
Inglés
Publicado: 2022
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://stud.epsilon.slu.se/17479/
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author Gustavsson, Sara
author_browse Gustavsson, Sara
author_facet Gustavsson, Sara
author_sort Gustavsson, Sara
collection Epsilon Archive for Student Projects
description We are now living within the reality of the worst environmental crisis mankind has ever seen and some modes within environmental communication are struggling to help us create change. In recent decade, there has been a growing interest in using storytelling for sustainable change. Science fiction is seen as a genre of great possibility, and filmmakers and writers within this field have long known of the possibilities provided within this medium because of its ability to travel in time and space. Some scholars and writers argue that storytelling is a powerful way of communicating but the stories are not living up to its promise as they keep telling the same old stories. In this thesis I turn to the filmmakers themselves to ask them about the possibilities and limitations of science fiction storytelling that can lead to behavioral changes and attitudes about the environmental future by researching the following questions: - How do filmmakers understand the influence of (their) Sci-fi movies on the audience’s expectations of the future? - What stories about our socio environmental future do filmmakers see being told, along with the limitations or obstacles - and why? To better understand why certain stories are told and others not, the results of this thesis are based on a qualitative research approach by conducted interviews with six filmmakers working within the field of environmental and/or science fiction movies. The thesis departs from Artur Banduras ‘Social Cognitive theory of Mass Communication, to investigate filmmakers view on the possibilities and limitations of Sci-fi storytelling for our environmental future. Doing so, contributes to the understanding of how science fiction movies can be used for change making. The results indicate that the filmmakers see a need for new stories and that the filmmakers are interested in exploring new ways of telling them. However, when wanting to do so they struggle with norms, dramaturgical obstacles, prejudices and funding which often leads into either compromising their story and telling it with limitations or simply not telling it at all. In conclusion, one can say that if cinematic storytelling is to be used for change making there are some things that needs to be considered. It is important to understand what it means to tell certain stories and how they can affect the audience as well as understanding what discourse lies behind the stories – why they are portrayed in certain ways. This thesis presents the insights of the filmmakers interviewed, which is a start of understanding the context of storytelling as a way of environmental communication to enable more successful communication for environmental change.
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spelling RepoSLU174792022-01-25T02:00:19Z https://stud.epsilon.slu.se/17479/ Filmmakers’ interpretation of environmental science fiction Gustavsson, Sara Rural sociology and social security Nature conservation and land resources Social sciences, humanities and education We are now living within the reality of the worst environmental crisis mankind has ever seen and some modes within environmental communication are struggling to help us create change. In recent decade, there has been a growing interest in using storytelling for sustainable change. Science fiction is seen as a genre of great possibility, and filmmakers and writers within this field have long known of the possibilities provided within this medium because of its ability to travel in time and space. Some scholars and writers argue that storytelling is a powerful way of communicating but the stories are not living up to its promise as they keep telling the same old stories. In this thesis I turn to the filmmakers themselves to ask them about the possibilities and limitations of science fiction storytelling that can lead to behavioral changes and attitudes about the environmental future by researching the following questions: - How do filmmakers understand the influence of (their) Sci-fi movies on the audience’s expectations of the future? - What stories about our socio environmental future do filmmakers see being told, along with the limitations or obstacles - and why? To better understand why certain stories are told and others not, the results of this thesis are based on a qualitative research approach by conducted interviews with six filmmakers working within the field of environmental and/or science fiction movies. The thesis departs from Artur Banduras ‘Social Cognitive theory of Mass Communication, to investigate filmmakers view on the possibilities and limitations of Sci-fi storytelling for our environmental future. Doing so, contributes to the understanding of how science fiction movies can be used for change making. The results indicate that the filmmakers see a need for new stories and that the filmmakers are interested in exploring new ways of telling them. However, when wanting to do so they struggle with norms, dramaturgical obstacles, prejudices and funding which often leads into either compromising their story and telling it with limitations or simply not telling it at all. In conclusion, one can say that if cinematic storytelling is to be used for change making there are some things that needs to be considered. It is important to understand what it means to tell certain stories and how they can affect the audience as well as understanding what discourse lies behind the stories – why they are portrayed in certain ways. This thesis presents the insights of the filmmakers interviewed, which is a start of understanding the context of storytelling as a way of environmental communication to enable more successful communication for environmental change. 2022-01-18 Second cycle, A2E NonPeerReviewed application/pdf sv https://stud.epsilon.slu.se/17479/1/gustavsson_s_220118.pdf Gustavsson, Sara, 2021. Filmmakers’ interpretation of environmental science fiction : an exploration of how movies can be used for change making. Second cycle, A2E. Uppsala: (NL, NJ) > Dept. of Urban and Rural Development (LTJ, LTV) > Dept. of Urban and Rural Development <https://stud.epsilon.slu.se/view/divisions/OID-595.html> urn:nbn:se:slu:epsilon-s-500336 eng
spellingShingle Rural sociology and social security
Nature conservation and land resources
Social sciences, humanities and education
Gustavsson, Sara
Filmmakers’ interpretation of environmental science fiction
title Filmmakers’ interpretation of environmental science fiction
title_full Filmmakers’ interpretation of environmental science fiction
title_fullStr Filmmakers’ interpretation of environmental science fiction
title_full_unstemmed Filmmakers’ interpretation of environmental science fiction
title_short Filmmakers’ interpretation of environmental science fiction
title_sort filmmakers’ interpretation of environmental science fiction
topic Rural sociology and social security
Nature conservation and land resources
Social sciences, humanities and education
url https://stud.epsilon.slu.se/17479/
https://stud.epsilon.slu.se/17479/