Watch the full length documentary, Energy’s Future, streamed from this site.
Film Synopsis
Energy’s Future takes a look at the role research is playing in developing new technologies that may some day revolutionize how we use and view energy. The film showcases the lives and work of undergraduates at Montana State University as well as a student in high school. Work is being done to drive innovation in the field of energy, but this work is not being carried out by a white haired scientist in a far off secret lab but by real people going to college in Montana.
The film begins with a high school student, Joules, trying to decide what to do after high school. As she reflects on different concerns and questions she has about her future, the film turns to college students doing energy research at Montana State University to help answer some of her questions.
Energy’s Future explores the work of MSU senior, Kevin Harlen. Kevin demonstrates how his experiments are helping to decipher the role proteins can play in producing hydrogen.
Next, the microscopes of the biofilms lab is the backdrop for the work of Ari Staven. Ari is a chemical engineer, who studies the production of biofuels in these unique algae environments. Ari shows her latest experiments and how one of her algae may be the one the one that changes the way bio-diesel is made in the future.
Energy’s Future then examines the efforts of MSU undergraduate Trevor Zuroff. Trevor is doing research on the production of new plastics from bacteria. He shows the viewer what a day in his research lab is like and how his everyday measurements eventually add up to conclusions about the practicality of producing plastic from something other than petroleum.
The film ends by taking a look at the connections between the high school and those doing research at MSU. Joules knows that she wants to find a career she loves and the college students describe why they love the work they do. The lives of high school students and college students are not much different. Both groups depend on energy on a daily basis. The only difference is that one group is only learning about energy, while the other group is doing something to change the future of energy.
Film Objectives
This film hopes to give high school students an opportunity to see that there are real people, close to their own age, doing important research on a variety of topics in college. Energy’s Future will inspire students, so that they may one day be the people working in cutting edge fields, conducting experiments, doing research, and building Montana’s future.
Project Outlets
1. DVD’s. - The documentary will be mailed to every public high school in Montana.
2. EPSCoR website – The film may be streamed from hydrogen.montana.edu
3. Creative Research Lab website – The film may be streamed from go2collegemt.org
4. Video Sharing Sites – The documentary will be made available on public video websites, such as youtube.com, vimeo.com, and blip.tv, allowing individuals to upload and share the film through social networking sites, such as facebook and twitter.
5. TERRA. Podcast Feed (through iTunes) – The film will be submitted to the TERRA video podcast series, which has an average of over 5,000 downloads per day.
6. Montana PBS – The film will be submitted for consideration to the TERRA 2010 season, aired on Montana PBS
7. Facebook – The film will be streamed from the ColorBurn Productions Fan site at http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/ColorBurn-Productions/247564136649?ref=ts
8. Director’s Page – The film will be streamed from the director’s personal website at devonriter.com
Bio
Director/Producer: Devon Riter is currently a MFA Student in the Science and Natural History Filmmaking program at Montana State University in Bozeman. Devon has a B.S. Ed. in Chemistry from Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota, and extensive experience in education. He has taught high school chemistry, physics, and physical science in Ortonville, Minnesota. He has also been a Graduate Student Instructor in General and Organic Chemistry labs at the University of Michigan and Montana State University. Committed to educating and motivating the next generation of scientists, Devon sees himself and his work as a vital link between the doors of a laboratory and those of a classroom.
Cinematographer: Federico Pardo is a candidate in the Science and Natural History Filmmaking program at Montana State University in Bozeman. Federico is a Colombian native with a B.Sc. in Biology from Universidad de los Andes, and has extensive field experience as a biologist, as well as a photographer and a filmmaker. In the summer of 2009 he joined the “Canon Photography in the Parks” instructors team. (federicopardo.com)
