Gnocato final draft- OKGN WF Culture

Kiara Gnocato
Dr. Greg Garrard
ENGL 458
March 23rd, 2026 Project Reflection In creating the script for my video, I decided to enact a narrative structure to evoke my exact feelings towards the topic of Okanagan fire culture. To remain central to the topics of our course, I began by describing the aesthetic of “paradise” that we have come to understand is awarded to the region through tourism. The blue skies and dreamy vineyards against the backdrop of disastrous smoke and ash seemed fitting. It outlined the reality of what exists outside the perfected landscape that is often adopted. There is a cognitive dissonance between residents of the valley and tourists who only visit for the personal benefits of the region. The Okanagan is not static, it is not a product, it is a land that has been taken away from its original Sylix owners and transformed into a marketing extravaganza. This is exactly what I am seeking to highlight with my project. Visually, the juxtaposed nature of the pristine scenery and contrasted flames and news broadcast felt like what I needed to enact my research. In this sense, the viewer is offered a literal image of the falsehoods of the Okanagan versus the reality. The Sylix perspectives I mentioned will be delved into much further and will remain central to the video itself. While my draft takes the form of an introduction, I will speak about the things I mentioned at this stage in the development process. I want to explore settler colonialism in its structural form, not simply a thing of the past. In showing that tourism is an ongoing form of colonialism, I feel that viewers will better be ale to relate to the content of the video. I learned a great deal from researching the impacts of wildfire culture and Indigenous tradition. I want the viewers to learn as well. The biggest struggle I am encountering so far is trying to fit all of the information needed for the project into a short presentation time. While the video will do much of the speaking for me, I am looking into compromising cinematic value for facts and relevant information. This will mean that the video will be more succinct and less cinematic. Summarizing the Sylix perspective is also a challenge. I am of Metìs descent, yet I do not have personal experience that is remnant of that of the Okanagan peoples. I took careful selection in picking my secondary sources for research and consulting Indigenous Okanagan scholars specifically. In seeking feedback, I want to know what I can add to create more visual appeal while still feeling cinematic. Should I include text within the videos? Would infographics be helpful? Is there anything you disliked? Please offer me honesty as I am not a professional editor and would love to create a narrative that is both interesting and informative without sacrificing artistic intent as well.

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