Where can you take in the amazing variety of living things? Just about anywhere, through the lens of a video camera! Twelve teams of 4-H’ers helped Montana State University start up a new nature filmmaking project for kids. To get the TerraPod project off the ground, MSU matched master's level film students with 4-H’ers who were brave enough to plunge into science, filmmaking and technology.

After a one-day crash course on film-making and biodiversity, the MSU filmmakers turned the kids loose with cameras for four weeks to document the important science subject from a kids’-eye-view. Britta and Jordan, both members of the Laurel Rough Riders 4-H Club in Yellowstone County, were just one of the 12 teams who helped test-drive the MSU TerraPod project. Britta (9) admitted she hadn’t even known bio-diversity was a word until she became a TerraPod team member. So she and her partner Jordan (10) called their film, “Bio What?” Now, instead of saying, “Huh?” Britta can tell you all about the importance of variation among living things.

Capturing the idea on film took the team all the way from genetic differences between Jordan’s pet corn snakes, Mango and Ghost, to fragile ecosystems in Yellowstone Park. Oh yeah, and there’s a Barbie-headed turtle in their film! The girls made the whole film by themselves: from planning their topic to taking turns filming, narrating and editing.

Teams in Lewis and Clark and Gallatin Counties were just as adventurous. Since the MSU filmmakers encouraged the kids to explore, there were lots of creative approaches. The new filmmakers said that digital editing was the trickiest thing to learn, but with help from parents, 4-H volunteers and MSU film students, they got the tech skills they needed. Now they are all experienced TerraPod film pioneers.