ScienceFilm Blog

World Science Festival & an amazing library of science videos

Colin — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 02:56:32 +0000

If you want some examples of how other people have approached the telling of science stories through film, look no further than the World Science Festival. This is a festival that happens each year, this year in New York City from May 30 – June 3rd. I have no doubt that the festival would be excellent to attend, but you can gain a great deal by watching some of the 300+ videos, mostly science related, in their awesome video library.

There is something here for everyone.

GoPro releases HD Hero 2!

Colin — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 16:35:46 +0000

I love my GoPro HD Hero camera. For versatility/quality/size/value/price you really can’t beat it. Except, GoPro did beat it, by releasing a new version of the camera today. A quick run down of the key new features:

- new sensor and processor
- faster frame rates (up to 120fps)
- 11 MP stills (up from 5)
- wider (170 degree) angle of view in 1080p
- Sweet Wifi streaming (to come with as yet unreleased Wifi Backpak)
- redesigned LCD interface

All your old accessories still work too. Awesome!

Check it out here

Paper puppets and beautiful {de}composition

Colin — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 14:56:42 +0000

Sweetfern Productions has produced a wonderful and novel science film about the decomposition of a whale. What? Awesome and inspiring:

Whale Fall (after life of a whale) from Sharon Shattuck on Vimeo.

The practice vs theory of science communication

Colin — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 16:39:48 +0000

Here is a compelling blog post by Chris Mooney about the gap between science communication theory and practice. “What does the science of science communication look like?” Read more here

Make friends with an animator…

Colin — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 22:11:35 +0000

There are many science concepts that are too small, too far away, or too complex to actually film. These topics are still worthy of communication, and video technology is certainly the best way to help people understand. One solution is to use computer animation. I’m not suggesting that you learn how to do animation, but, as the title of this post suggests, make friends (or at least a connection) with animators. There are often student animators looking for good topics to work with. This synergy can no doubt result in some technologically advanced, visually pleasing, and informative short videos.

I was at a bonfire in Squamish a week ago, and we saw the Northen Lights (aka Aurora Borealis). What a magnificent sight. None of us really knew what causes Northern Lights to occur, so some digging around yielded this cool video: a great animation about the science of Auroras.

The Aurora Borealis from Per Byhring on Vimeo.

Creativity in wildlife shooting

Colin — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 16:11:07 +0000

60-minutes has posted a great behind-the-scenes look at a new Animal Planet program called ‘Spy on the Ice’. (click here) It is a close-up look at polar bears, filmed with extremely creative techniques: remote control cameras disguised as ice, cameras that move on skis, etc. This is the work of John Downer, who pioneered many of these creative approaches. (Learn more about John here). Early in his career, John reared a duck from an egg to enable himself to get closeup shots of a flying duck.

I love this stuff! These are such clever ways to approach filming, it makes me want get out there and build such things. Take inspiration from people like John: the only thing that limits you is your mind!

ScienceFilm in the News!

Colin — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 03:43:57 +0000

We here at ScienceFilm have been chatting with the press, and there are two new articles that feature us:

Jeff was interviewed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Commission on Education and Communication for an article entitled: Video as a tool for scientists to go beyond jargon

Colin was interviewed for an article in the magazine ‘the Scientist’ called “Showcase Your Science: Tips for creating a science video or website”

Enjoy!

ScienceFilm Workshop Announcement: Friday Harbor Labs Oct 2-9, 2011

Colin — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 15:34:44 +0000

Registration is now open for the Oct 2-9, 2011 ScienceFilm workshop. Cost is US$1449, which includes workshop fees, housing, and food.

Click here to learn more

Online registration is possible here

Hope you can join us!

60-Second Science film competition

Colin — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 14:47:39 +0000

Here is a cool competition for all you science filmmakers out there!

This Citizen Science Education project invites citizens and students world-wide to create and upload a 60 second video which explains a science concept or phenomena. Entry is free, with cash prizes being awarded by a prestigious panel of International Scientists, film-makers and multimedia experts.

Register by Friday 16 September 2011 5pm (local timezone)
Upload Video(s) – by Friday 28 October 2011 5pm (local timezone)

Click here for more info

What Alan Alda can teach scientists about communication

Colin — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 18:32:00 +0000

Alan Alda has been studying ways to engage the public with science. He recommends the following:

Attraction – use body language, tone of voice, and eye contact more than words to grab audiences in the first two minutes.
Infatuation – use emotion, personal anecdotes, and stories to keep your ideas in the audience’s mind.
Commitment – maintain an ongoing connecting with the audience by listening and responding to what they’re asking.

For more information, surf to this article: http://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/at-work/education/alan-alda-tutors-scientists-in-communication