Signal Fire (2023)

Signal Fire is a 30-minute educational documentary filmed in university labs and field research sites across Canada that features stories from the scientists and community members – Indigenous and non-Indigenous - looking to ignite change and light a new path for natural resource studies in this country.

Client

University of Waterloo & Natural Resources Canada

The challenge

This project is an adaptation of a scientific paper, Towards Reconciliation: 10 Calls to Action for Natural Resources Scientists Working in Canada. The paper has proven to be very popular and has been downloaded thousands of times. The co-authors wanted to create a documentary and an associated impact campaign to reach a wider audience and inspire greater understanding, respect and reciprocity between scientists and Indigenous communities. To make the content appealing to a viewing audience, we needed to reflect the paper’s academic content in a more accessible storytelling format that would engage a variety of audiences.

Deliverables

Signal Fire, a 30-minute educational documentary film, film trailer, three stand-alone animations, educational platform and outreach materials.

Target audience

Researchers/Academics - primarily upper year students or researchers embarking on their own research programs.

Administrators/Funders - within academia or funding agencies or foundations that fund natural resource research programs.

First Nation/Inuit/Metis Youth - high school students or young adults looking for career options

Strategy & STORY

Our Shot in the Dark team worked closely with the co-authors to define the central narrative and key educational elements for the film, including:

Create awareness and understanding of the historical challenges and the spectrum of change required.
Provide a starting or entry point for academics and institutions to reflect on these topics.
Be a resource of baseline information and guidance for researchers.

With this information, our team of filmmakers and animators put together the story using interviews, animations, archival photos and images from university labs and field sites across Canada.

Results

An engaging short film and educational website that explores the history and complexities of interweaving western and Indigenous research perspectives and shows how some are finding a new path forward.