Meeting Abstract
Many think that science and entertainment are mutually exclusive. But scientists and entertainers share common goals: both want audiences to care about their content, to give it full and undivided attention, and to remember it afterward. Here I discuss how scientists can use the language of film to accurately convey information in a way that makes it accessible to the widest possible audience. Presentation style directly affects how content is perceived and understood. The best filmmakers make their presentation of ideas seamless. They use dramatic tension and narrative thread to keep a viewer enthralled. These same principles apply when presenting data or factual material. The relationship between successive shots or slides can lend dramatic weight to an idea. The way in which you frame and light a character, where you place it in a composition, and which shot follows all convey meaning. I discuss how these techniques can weave an interesting narrative quality into a scientific presentation. A critical goal in any presentation is to elicit suspension of disbelief. In order to make a creature come alive, for example, filmmakers at Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) use extant biological analogues to ground the creature’s behavior and physical movement. Scientists use similar methods to reconstruct extinct animals in scientific studies, documentaries, and exhibits. Whether fiction or factual, the goal is to captivate and convince audiences. This effect must be immediate, or the audience will lose interest. With examples from classic films and my own work at ILM, this presentation will demonstrate how small adjustments can make a huge impact on audience reception and retention. These examples will include animation tests that were ultimately used in the final production of the recent ILM film Jurassic World, as well as test footage that has never been shown before.
