MFA in Science and Natural History Filmmaking

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MFA in Science and Natural History Filmmaking

Stay up-to-date with the Science and Natural History Filmmaking Program at Montana State University

The mission of the Montana State University MFA in Science and Natural History Filmmaking (SNHF) is to train students with formal education and experience in science, engineering, or technology to become professional filmmakers. The SNHF program seeks to educate generations of filmmakers who have the knowledge needed to create accurate, innovative, and memorable programs and media that advance the

public understanding of science in all its many manifestations. Unlike a typical graduate program, virtually no two students in the SNHF will have the same educational background. This diversity of previous training makes for a thriving and organic interdisciplinary environment. The SNHF believes that through intense training, truly original perspectives, and an understanding of the infinite possibilities of experience, our students can master the past, capture the present, and create the future of science and natural history media.

09/02/2026

Cohort 26 is busy learning the Canon C70 in preparation to start working on their first projects of the semester!

08/30/2026

Welcome Reilly!

My name is Reilly Fallon, and for the past several years I’ve worked as an underwater photographer and Open Water Scuba Instructor. My fascination with the underwater world started much earlier, when I first went scuba diving at nine years old on a family trip to Mexico.

I’d been taking photographs since I was a teenager, but while studying abroad and working with the Australian Marine Conservation Society, I saw a way to combine two of my biggest passions: the ocean and photography. I became a scuba instructor and later a technical closed-circuit rebreather diver, allowing me to spend more time underwater and pursue more specialized photography and filmmaking.

That path has led me to spend years living and working in communities across the Pacific, from eastern Indonesia to the Maldives, on projects ranging from tourism media to documenting tiger sharks.

I’m coming to MSU to become a better filmmaker and storyteller and turn this work into a lifelong career. I’m drawn to stories about wildlife, conservation, wild places, and the communities connected to them. Outside of photography and diving, my other great passion is fly fishing. So I guess you could say I mostly just like fish, photos, and being around water. I’m excited to be in Montana and become part of the MSU community.

08/29/2026

Welcome Nina!

Nina Safranski is from Minneapolis, Minnesota but received a B.S. in Zoology from Michigan State University in 2025. She’s had many animal care experiences such as interning at her local wildlife rehabilitation center as well as interning at Chimp Haven, a sanctuary for former biomedical research chimps. As a long time artist, she’s excited about returning to school to pursue this MFA to combine art and science. Films and shows like BBC’s Dynasties inspire her to create films that showcase animal behavior as well as raise conservation awareness.

08/28/2026

Welcome Emily!

Emily Black is a documentary filmmaker from Seattle, Washington. She has spent much of her professional career as an environmental educator and outdoor guide, leading wilderness expeditions throughout the Pacific Northwest, Colorado, and the Northeast and teaching ecology, geology, and conservation in both backcountry and urban settings. After earning her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Media Arts Production from Emerson College, Emily has worked to combine her background in filmmaking, science, and outdoor education, and aims to create films that explore the natural world and foster a deeper appreciation for scientific discovery and conservation. Through the Science and Natural History Filmmaking program, she looks forward to expanding her technical filmmaking and storytelling skills, being creatively challenged, and collaborating with scientists and fellow filmmakers to tell compelling stories that bring the work of researchers and conservationists to broader audiences and inspire deeper curiosity about the world around us.

08/27/2026

Welcome Cohort Danny!

Danny Incardona is an interdisciplinary researcher and artist who hails from the Pacific Northwest. He earned a BS in Political Science (2023) from the University of Oregon, where he also minored in Biology. Following graduation, he made his way to California, where he spent time researching Mahi-Mahi heart function and assisted in the creation of the Monterey Bay White Sharks program. It was his work with this program that reinvigorated his passion for scientific storytelling. Inspired at a young age by National Geographic photographers such as David Doubillet and Paul Nicklen, Danny is rarely without his camera, capturing the natural world and the scientific processes that surround him. He believes that science can most effectively impact societal change when it is presented beyond published papers, giving it an audience it often misses, and allowing it to steward public life for the better.

08/26/2026

Welcome Andy!

Andy Rampp is an outdoorsman, photographer, and aspiring filmmaker who has spent much of his adult life finding reasons to escape to wild and remote places. He completed his undergraduate degree in Kinesiology at the College of William & Mary. Afterward, he spent the next decade and a half in the Army experiencing the beauty of the Arctic, and is now excited to explore his creative side. He is happiest outdoors with his pup, Max, spending his free time hiking, skiing, hunting, fishing, and mountain biking. He seeks to communicate his wonder of the natural world with others through his filmmaking.

05/08/2026

SNHF Student Spotlight! Meet Connor, cohort 25

Connor is the newly elected president of the SNHF associated club, Prismatic! He is also the new GSA for the Montana PBS LearningMedia program.

We can't wait to see what next year has in store!

05/06/2026

Huge congratulations to all SNHF students for a wonderful Prismatic spring screening last night! See you all next year and have a great summer!

04/30/2026

THURSDAY May 7th @ 9am!
The SNHF program proudly welcomes all to attend a screening of "Inhalation Dose", MFA candidate Chrissie Bodznick's thesis film.

04/24/2026

The SNHF program and its associated student org, Prismatic, are excited to announce the spring screening of student works. Join us Tuesday, May 5th at the Procrastinator Theater! The program will feature theses, second-year films, and first-year films by the MFA students.

Address

Bozeman, MT
59717

Telephone

+14069943902

Website

http://sfp.montana.edu/sciencenaturefilm

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