Outside reading and annotated bibliography

 

Fadiman, Dorothy, and Tony Levelle. Producing with Passion. Michael Wiese Productions, 2008. 

This book discusses the ins and outs of documentary filmmaking production. From coming up with an idea to editing the last bits of footage, this source is invaluable to anyone who is interested in learning more about the production process of documentaries. While this book is an easy read and good for people new to the industry, it is quite thorough, and even more, experience producers could learn from it. As a production assistant that is new to the trade and has no experience with documentaries, this source will give me important background information about tasks that will be asked of me during my time at the 50 Eggs independent film production company working on the pipeline 5 documentary.

 

Kanji, Riyaz A., et al. “Third Amended Final Complaint.” Riyaz A. Kanji, 20 Apr. 2021. 

These documents provide all the necessary legal background information for the pipeline 5 case as well as a good description of the history of legal easements between Enbridge and the Chippewa Tribe of the Bad River Band. This brief is the most specific source of information on the case and materials that will be useful in the research for the production of the documentary. These background materials go in-depth describing the culture and customs of the Chippewa tribe and their crucial role in the tutelage of one of the largest intact wetland ecosystems in the entire world, home to several endangered species of flora and fauna. The documents also explain the extent to which the Chippewa of the Bad River Band rely on the wetlands for their rice patties – whose sales comprise a large part of the tribe’s revenue – and the river and tributaries for fishing and hunting. The strong emphasis on the kind of natural threat pipeline 5 poses to this incredible ecosystem and therefore to the tribe’s wellbeing is explored in detail in this source. Lastly, the final pages of the complaint outline the demands the tribe asks of Enbridge as well as the 6 counts for which the company has violated state and federal laws by not discontinuing the pipeline. 

 

Mann, Charles C., and Charles C. Mann. 1491: The Americas before Columbus. Granta, 2006. 

This book tells the history of the indigenous people of the Americas before the infamous year 1492. It attempts to decolonize a narrative that has centered the dominators at the expense of entire cultures and civilizations. This source would be beneficial for understanding the general history of native peoples in America and therefore is relevant to the project.  In 1491 Charles Mann challenges many of the previously held beliefs about Precolumbian peoples and the societies they created. Taking almost a scientific approach he comes to several conclusions that are summarized. In 1491 there were probably more people living in the Americas than in Europe. Pre-Columbian Indians in Mexico developed corn by a breeding process so sophisticated that the journal Science recently described it as “man’s first, and perhaps the greatest, feat of genetic engineering”. Amazonian Indians learned how to farm the rainforest without destroying it – a process scientists are studying today in the hope of regaining this lost knowledge. Native Americans transformed their land so completely that Europeans arrived in a hemisphere already massively “landscaped” by human beings. While it may be a broad one, other sources can be used to understand the more specific history of the Chippewa tribe of the Bad River Band and other tribes in the Northeast. Getting accurate historical background is essential in being able to understand the customs traditions and values of the tribe in order to contribute to research for the documentary.

 

Redford, Jamie. Mann v. Ford, HBO, 2011, www.hbo.com/documentaries/mann-v-ford/mann- v-ford.  

This documentary on HBO provides background information on a legal fight that is similar to the Chippewa’s current case against Enbridge. In this case, Ford, one of the largest companies in the automobile industry was dumping huge amounts of industrial waste which contained carcinogenic chemicals such as Freon, heavy metals, arsenic, and PCBs into Ramapo Mountain Indian territory not far from an assembly plant in Mahwah, NJ. While this situation is different from the project in that it does not address pipeline spills, the legal battle that ensued is comparable to the one that is currently happening between Enbridge and the Chippewa Tribe. This documentary is also a valuable source because it delves into the involvement of the EPA and raises up important questions about activism and the effects of government in these crises.

 

Here is the trailer for the documentary: https://vimeo.com/57603331

 

Yergin, Daniel, et al. The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money and Power. Nihon Hōsō Shuppan Kyōkai, 1991. 

This book is essential in understanding the power and economic incentives behind the oil industry. In his book, Yergin provides a realistic and expansive historical background to this issue. While all the environmental factors point to carbon-free and greener solutions, the reality is that America is a largely suburban nation that relies heavily on cars and therefore fossil fuels.  Understanding the economic pressures behind the oil and fossil fuel companies in America and around the world is invaluable when fighting to shut down pipeline 5 for example, and when trying to imagine clean and realistic solutions to the issue. 

 

Other sources:

Carson, Rachel. Silent Spring. first ed., Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1962. 

This book has historically been credited with sparking some of the largest environmental movements in America in the seventies and has greatly influenced the creation of initiatives such as the Environmental Protection Agency. 

 

Mander, Jerry. In the Absence of the Sacred: The Failure of Technology and the Survival of the Indian Nations. Sierra Club Books, 1992. 

 

Other background information: 

On fracking issues, AIM movement for liberation, Pipelines 3,4 5, Angie Deboe, Exxon Valdise spill, John D. Rockefeller and oil management in upstate NY, alternative and green solutions to energy look at the Rocky Mountain Institute think tank that is based in Aspen, CO.