Author Archives: Karen_McKee

World’s Most Embarrassing Dad (and Climate Change Denier)

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Humor can be an effective way to get across a message about an important science topic—and reach the viewer on more than an intellectual level. In the following video created by the League of Conservation Voters, the creators have used humor to poke fun at climate change deniers (and some filmmakers). One might nitpick certain aspects of this video (as some of the video comments indicate); however, my purpose is to use it to illustrate and analyze how humor (and storytelling) might be used in a science video. First, take a look at the video:

Most scientists tend to cringe at the idea of using humor or storytelling in a science communication product. If we are funny, silly, or imaginative, people might think less of us, or—horrors—even decide that we are not “serious scientists”.

In science, we are trained not only to be serious but to communicate with facts and data. When we try to make videos about a science topic, our impulse is to present just the bare facts because we think that everyone else will be as impressed with data as we are—and any emotional injection will diminish credibility. That impulse can be wrong, especially if we are trying to reach a broader audience—one that needs to be reached on a more emotional or “gut” level.

As you saw in the video, Science Fair Nightmare, there are multiple messages presented. The main message is that climate change is a real problem—one that even children recognize as something needing attention (or at least reasoned discussion). Another message is that even the most die-hard climate change deniers (e.g., some members of Congress) can change, once they get their facts straight. These messages are delivered through a series of hilarious skits (science fair fiasco, makeover montage) and satirical dialog between an actor/activist and a climate scientist (Dr. Jason Willis, who actually works for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory).

Not only does the video use humor to poke fun at climate change deniers and some of their outdated and/or wrongheaded ideas, it tells a story. The storyline is the classic “Hero’s Journey” (see previous post about storytelling). The hero (protagonist) is Jason Sherman, a fictional Congressman and climate change denier played by actor Ken Fitzgerald. Sherman embarrasses his daughter at the science fair but then redeems himself by learning the facts about climate change and eventually gets on board with the movement, even installing solar panels on his house. Given the recent childish antics by some lawmakers, this fictional character should ring true for many viewers.

Does this humorous approach work? Well, judging by the viewer voting on this video, the answer is yes. So far, the “likes” to “dislikes” are running 10 to 1. The comments (279 so far) have attracted the usual climate change trolls (and I don’t have the patience to wade through them). The video was posted on October 9, 2013 and has had over 139,000 viewers in about a month. So it appears to be attracting attention, and of those viewers who bothered to vote, the majority liked it. If that voting ratio is indicative of the entire viewer population, then it would seem that most people reacted positively to it. Whether their views on climate change were altered by this video is unclear, but at least they heard the message.

Humor can perhaps be most effective for “controversial” science topics—ones that cause rancorous debate such as climate change. When everyone gets so worked up and angry, people tire of the same old rants (on both sides) and turn off. Humor or an interesting story can be a welcome respite and draw in otherwise jaded viewers. Also, climate scientists, environmental activists, and climate change denialists provide a lot of fodder for satire. This video not only satirizes certain lawmakers and climate change deniers, it also mildly mocks those in the opposing camp and makes the scientist the “straight man” in the piece.

Another point is that humor or satire may be most effective at reaching those audiences who are unwilling to listen to a fact-filled lecture by a boring scientist. Such people are simply not going to spend time watching (or seek out) a video that is likely to bore them. I’m not arguing here that all of your science videos need to be infotainment. My point is that you might reach a broader audience by injecting some humor into some of your videos or by telling a more interesting story about your science topic.

What can we learn from all this? I think humor and/or storytelling can work well to send a serious message, as I’ve discussed in numerous posts. I think humor and storytelling together can be a particularly powerful combination. However, using these techniques effectively is not easy and requires some skill and definitely a lot of planning and practice. Otherwise, it’s going to fall flat. When it works, though, your video will be memorable—and just as important—will prompt people to recommend it to others. That appears to be the case with Science Fair Nightmare.

If you have some favorite science videos that are either humorous or tell a story, please share them.

Halloween Special: iStabilizer Dolly Review

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Sometimes we may want to use a smooth tracking shot in a video; that is, one in which the camera moves smoothly along a preplanned trajectory. The resultant shot adds a fluid, visually-interesting motion to a static scene or allows a smooth tracking shot of someone or something that is moving.

A “dolly” is used by professional filmmakers to capture this type of shot but is often an elaborate contraption and too expensive for the average scientist videographer. What is needed is something that is relatively inexpensive, small and portable, and can be used in a laboratory or other setting in which we might be filming.

There are a few lightweight dollies on the market for those of us shooting video with our Smartphone, GoPro, or other small camera. The ones I’ve seen are fairly similar to each other in size and function (but with some design feature differences). In this review, I take a look at a lightweight dolly made by iStabilizer ($59.95). Watch the video below to see how it works and the results of some real-world tests.

As you can see, the dolly is an inexpensive way to get some interesting tracking shots, but works well only on a smooth surface. It is well-made with solid components and should hold up under all but the roughest handling. I like the flexibility and the modular construction, allowing replacement of any parts that break (or if you want to modify something). The poor performance on rough or uneven surfaces is a negative, especially if you primarily film outdoors in a variety of environments. However, if your intent is to film mostly indoors in a laboratory or other facility, for example, where you can work on a table or a smooth floor, then this dolly would be an inexpensive choice.

A tracking shot can add a professional touch to your next science video. The iStabilizer dolly can help you accomplish this.

Are you interested in learning more techniques like this? If so, check out The Scientist Videographer eBook, which is an electronic guidebook packed with information, tips, and tutorials and designed for the 21st century scientist, teacher, and student. For more information, visit this page.

How to Create a Time-Lapse Video with Your Smartphone

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Previously, I described how time-lapse films can be very useful to illustrate certain biological or physical processes that occur too slowly to be viewed in real time. I provided a few examples of time-lapse videos as well as a tutorial of how to create one using a series of still images captured with a camera and by editing them in a movie-editing program such as iMovie.

In this post, I want to point you to an app for mobile devices (Smartphone, Tablet) called Lapse It Pro. It can be purchased in the App Store for $1.99. You can try it out by downloading the free version (which lacks some key features, such as high resolution selection). To make this work with a Smartphone, you also need some accessories to ensure a stable platform.

In the following tutorial, I provide instructions for setting up your phone and how to use the app to capture a time-lapse series of images. The app settings allow you to easily change the frame capture rate (for example, one frame every minute). The free app will only capture images at 480 p. If you have the pro version of the app, your phone can be set to capture high resolution images (720 or 1080 p, depending on your mobile device version).

How to Create a Science Video That Does Not Confuse Your Viewers

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As I’ve explained in previous posts, scientists sometimes have a difficult time explaining science to non-scientists. The reason is that how we’ve been trained to convey information (technical descriptions) is not necessarily how our audience can understand it. Taking out the technical jargon helps but often is not enough. The solution is to step back from the data, the complicated graphs, the myriad details, and the boring caveats; then find the key message in all that mess and present it in a way that anyone, regardless of training, can understand and, most importantly, can relate to.

The following video created by Norwegian TV does precisely that. It is a brilliant depiction of the difference between trend and variation and subtly makes the connection to climate change data.

Take a look (select HD version and full-screen for best viewing):

The average person, lacking training in statistics, is often unclear about the difference between trend and variation (something that climate change deniers have exploited). However, a lack of training does not mean that the average person cannot understand these concepts, if explained clearly and in a way they can comprehend.

As a scientist videographer, it’s essential that you look at the information you wish to convey from the viewpoint of your target audience, not from your viewpoint. If you do that, I predict that your video will not only be more easily understood but will be more memorable.

A Storymaking App for Your Science Videos

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As I’ve discussed in this blog previously, scientists are often hampered in getting their science message across because they fail to tell a compelling story that will appeal to others. Instead, we bombard the reader/viewer/listener with facts, facts, and more facts, in the mistaken idea that most people are as impressed with data as we are. If that were true, there would not be so many climate change skeptics or intelligent design enthusiasts.

We scientists may be fascinated with the bare facts, but our audience is likely not so enamored. It’s a paradox. How we are trained to communicate in science (by stating facts and figures in an unemotional, rational manner) is not necessarily the way our audience prefers to hear the message.

One approach that clearly works for many types of messages is to frame the information in the form of a story. Most people love stories and will stick around to find out how it all turns out. Hollywood knows this principle quite well and has been very successful at selling stories to millions of people (even while getting the science wrong). Scientists, however, tend to shy away from the idea of “storytelling” possibly because they think it involves an exaggeration or a twisting of the facts. This is a misinterpretation (or narrow interpretation) of the term, storytelling. Although storytelling can involve embellishment or even complete fantasy, it can also be a means of conveying accurate information about a scientific topic.

In an effort to bring the storytelling method to science, Randy Olson and coauthors Dorie Barton and Brian Palermo, have written a book called “Connection: Hollywood Storytelling Meets Critical Thinking” and created an app called “Connection Storymaker” (currently free in the App Store) to assist in structuring a story. In this post, I’m going to focus on the app and leave the review of the book until later (after I’ve read it…of course; I’m waiting for the Kindle version). Olson’s previous book, “Don’t Be Such a Scientist” takes us to task for being too cerebral, too literal minded, poor storytellers, and generally unlikeable (see my previous post on this topic). This new book offers guidance about how to be better storytellers, and the app is a tool designed to help that process along.

So I decided to give the app a whirl. In the video below, I use the app to construct a science story. As you will see, the app is designed around two basic models. The first is the WSP model, which stands for Word, Sentence, Paragraph. The Word helps you organize your story around a central theme (hope, perseverance, dignity). The sentence is based on another model, the ABT (And, But, Therefore) model, which is a template to begin structuring your story. The Paragraph is based on something called a Logline template, which is more complex and consists of 9 parts taken from Joseph Campbell’s storyline, “The Hero’s Journey” (aka, monomyth):

1. In an ordinary world….

2. A flawed protagonist…

3. A catalytic event happens…

4. After taking stock…

5. The hero commits to action…

6. The stakes get raised…

7. The hero must learn a lesson…

8. To stop the antagonist…

9. To achieve their goal…

The app is easy to understand and use. It will be helpful for those scientists who are poor storytellers to structure their message into the form of a story. The main shortcoming is that The Hero’s Journey Logline is the only one built into the app–so far. More Loglines based on other plots may be added in the future (and you’ll probably have to pay for the upgrade). The hero Logline does not necessarily fit all science stories. If the centerpiece of your story will be a scientist, then the app will work for you. If, on the other hand, you’ve got a different focus (like the science topic), then you’ll have to wait for more Loglines.

In the meantime, you can read more about applying storytelling methods to convey science information (especially in giving oral presentations) and see some other storylines in this blog post. A nice article on how to use storytelling in scientific writing can be found here.

In the video below, I show how I used the Storymaker app to create a story about the theory of continental drift (select the HD version and full-screen for best viewing).