KATY-ROBIN GARTON
Before entering into the world of documentary filmmaking, I studied Physics and spent the majority of my time with a pencil in hand, trying to calculate things like the acceleration of the universe and the probability of quantum tunneling. I loved it! When I wasn't contemplating the existence of the stars above however, I was outside exploring the natural world before me, and I always had a camera in hand...it was a hobby that soon turned into a passion and is now my profession!
In the fall of 2007, I received a Masters in Fine Arts from Montana State University's Science & Natural History Documentary Filmmaking Program- film school for scientists. While in graduate school, I produced, directed, filmed, and edited 'Invisible Yellowstone'- a 30-minute HD film about the microscopic life thriving in Yellowstone's thermal environments. I soon discovered that in addition to using film to help bridge the gab between the sciences and the arts, I had a passion for sharing human stories and using documentary as a tool for enriching perspectives and cultivating social change. As a result, I shifted gears from the traditional science doc, and for my thesis film focused on developing my voice as a social documentary filmmaker.