Potlucks, bingo and roadtrips: The Prince George Métis Elders oral history video project

This thesis examines a filmmaking project initiated by the Prince George Métis Elders' Society (PGMES) in Prince George British Columbia in an effort to create an oral history video for their grandchildren and their community. This endeavour was undertaken in collaboration with a multi-disciplinary research team comprised of individuals from two academic institutions; the Okanagan University College, in Kelowna British Columbia, and the University of Alberta, in Edmonton, Alberta. Following Ginsburg (2002), who argues for an analytic emphasis to be placed on the processes of indigenous media production, (as opposed to the end product), this thesis attempts to answer the question: Traditionally an exercise in hierarchy and top-down production, can filmmaking be seen as an exercise in collaboration?