Category Archives: Musings about Science Videography

I occasionally muse about various aspects of science videography, including random thoughts about why scientists should learn to make science videos, what makes a great science video, and how science videos can have a broader impact on how the public views science and scientists.

Science Videos That Use Electronic White Boards

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Many of you may have seen the math lesson videos (e.g., by Khan Academy), which employ an electronic blackboard where the teacher works through a math problem, drawing onscreen, step by step (not sure what the Queen of England has to do with math, but whatever….).

Or you may have seen science videos that employed an electronic whiteboard, and the narrator draws text or images on screen while talking.  The video below illustrates this approach, which can be effective at getting a science concept across in an entertaining manner.

Why do videos done with electronic blackboards or whiteboards work so well?

They engage the viewer.  Seeing someone drawing or writing on screen makes the viewer feel as if there is more of a connection with the narrator, and the experience feels somewhat participatory.  It’s almost as if we are looking over their shoulder as they explain the material to us.

They have constant movement.  The continual movement of the electronic pen draws the eye and makes the viewer feel that something new is being revealed in a relatively rapid manner (which as we’ve discussed previously, is a key ingredient for a successful video).

They focus the viewer’s attention on the information being discussed.  When the narrator appears on screen, the viewer may be distracted from what is being described.  The viewer may be looking at how the person is dressed or their mannerisms, instead of the focus of the video.  With the electronic white/black board, there is nothing to distract from the information, at least visually.

They are different from the traditional video.  Not that many people have figured out how to do these or have decided they are worth the effort.  Consequently, those who use this approach have a better chance of creating something unique.

I find the experience of watching such videos strangely satisfying….but then, I was always an attentive student who hung on every word my teachers spoke.  The video narrator is anonymous (we can’t see them), yet the experience is very intimate, as if the narrator is talking only to us and showing us something really cool.

For the scientist videographer, doing a video with an electronic white board has several advantages, in addition to the one mentioned above about allowing you to create something different and that will stand out from other science videos.

One big advantage is the huge flexibility it provides in creating content for your video.  You don’t need to worry about finding a public domain image or footage of the earth, the moon, and the sun to talk about tides, for example.  Just draw three spheres on the white board and label them “earth” “moon”, and “sun”.  You don’t have to travel to a seashore to film the tide moving in and out of a bay; just draw a shoreline and waterline on your white board.  As the video above shows, it’s possible to illustrate a very complex topic drawing simple stick figures.  So if that is the level of your drawing ability; never fear; you can still use a white board.

Another advantage is not having to find people for your film or convince them to appear on camera.  Just draw a stick figure and label it.  The viewer will accept it, as we saw in a previous post (Bully Triangles and Terrified Circles).  If you have some talent at drawing (and many scientists do), then this technique can be really useful to you.  Those of you who are professors or instructors are already accustomed to drawing on a real blackboard, even drawing elaborate illustrations of organisms and other biological objects.  Engineers are especially capable of drawing diagrams, models, and other illustrations.

The electronic white board also allows you to remain off camera while narrating.  Some of you may be reluctant to appear on camera or have a fear of the camera.  Don’t let this stop you from participating in your own video.  With a bit of practice, you can learn to narrate while drawing, especially if you have a script at hand (although I’ve found that once you get started, you stop relying on notes and simply become immersed in explaining your material).  When you don’t appear on camera, you don’t have to worry about your appearance when creating your videos.  You can do a video in your pajamas if you want.

The biggest drawback to the electronic white/black board technique is that it takes a bit more planning and practice at drawing and narrating at the same time.  However, like everything else in videography, once you work out the method and apply it a couple of times, it becomes second nature.  You may also need some software (Photoshop, Screenflow) and an electronic drawing tablet to make this method work smoothly.

The electronic white/black board approach won’t work for all science videos, but is just another tool in the scientist videographer’s toolbox.  Even if your project can’t be done entirely with this approach, you might employ it to illustrate a specific concept within a larger video.

So exactly how do people create videos using a white/black board?  In an upcoming tutorial, I’ll show a relatively easy way to do this.

Bully Triangles and Terrified Circles

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There is an interesting video animation created by two psychologists, Fritz Heider and Mary-Ann Simmel, to illustrate the concept of “intentional causality”, whatever that is. In the video, there is a large rectangle, perhaps representing a house, a large aggressive triangle, a small triangle, and a terrified circle.  The triangles and circle appear to have intent and emotion, which the viewer senses based on the motions exhibited by these geometrical shapes.  Watch the animation and see what I mean:

The reason I find this interesting is the fact that the viewer is compelled to assign personalities to the geometric shapes and to also make up a mental “story” about what is happening in the video.  This seems ridiculous on the face of it.  Intellectually, we know that the animator is just moving these crudely drawn shapes around on the screen.  Yet, the movements of the objects contribute to the perception of intent and emotion.  Our minds are so receptive to this that we perceive these non-living objects as having personalities.  Psychologists interpret the viewer’s inclination to anthropomorphize the geometric “actors” as an inborn trait.  Infants apparently are capable of identifying bullies and victims and having expectations about pursuits they are shown.  In other words, humans are hard-wired from an early age to see causality, even when the interacting objects are simple geometric shapes.

What does this tell us about making effective videos?  Well, it tells us that people are willing to accept images, even crude representations, that appear to have “personalities” as being worthy of attention and empathy.  It also reveals our need to make up a story about whatever we are seeing and to become emotionally invested in the outcome.  Of course, I’m not telling you anything new.  We know how popular cartoons and animated features are.  Watching this very crude animation, however, drives home the point that using icons can be just as effective as using real people to deliver a message or tell a story.  I also recall reading somewhere (can’t put my hands on it right now) that the more iconic the image, the more the viewer is likely to accept the message.

Science Videos and Riding the Wave

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I am not a professional filmmaker.  The methods I’ve been describing in this blog are those that have worked for me, a scientist. Some are standard among filmmakers and others are not. I present my ideas and experiences, not as rules to be followed, but as information that may help or inspire.  In fact, I would encourage you not to be constrained by anything you read here (or elsewhere) and to develop your own style.  That said, there are certain principles that must be understood and mastered.  I’ve mentioned a few of these on this blog and hope to describe more in coming posts.  It’s possible to break those rules and produce something really different and creative.  However, one must achieve mastery of those basic skills before thinking about breaking them. Otherwise, your videos will look amateurish and not attract viewers.

If you are a scientist or student of science who has not yet dipped your toe into the waters of videography, you are where I was five years ago. Since then, I’ve developed a few skills, mostly by trial and error.  We are accustomed to this approach in science.  We get some basic training in lab technique, technical writing, or oral presentations, for example, in graduate school, but only later are these skills honed and expanded….often during our first jobs.  I view videography as just another tool in my toolbox…but a tool that will become increasingly important in the future as science communication evolves.

The reaction I get most often from colleagues is why are you bothering to learn videography and spend (they mean waste) time creating videos?  I am reminded of the time when people asked me why I was bothering to learn PowerPoint and no longer using 35 mm slides and overhead transparencies.  They were really asking me why I was upsetting the status quo.  The older scientists in particular were comfortable with the old technology and simply did not want to change or bother with learning a new way of doing things.  Well, we know what happened.  Eventually, everyone was forced to learn the new way….or they got left behind.  The same is happening with science communication (and communication in general). Even if you are a student now and already familiar with what are new methods to older scientists, you will likely face similar dramatic changes at some point in your career.

It’s really a matter of whether you want to stay on the peak of the wave or let the wave pass you by.  Keeping up doesn’t take as much of an effort as most imagine.  And that’s what this blog is all about:  to show that riding the wave takes some effort initially to get up on the peak, but then requires only minor adjustments to stay abreast.  And like surfing, it can be a lot of fun learning how to ride the wave.

Don’t Be Afraid To Have Fun With Your Videos

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As I’ve tried to emphasize in previous posts, scientists need to lighten up a bit when communicating science. I’m certainly guilty of being too stiff and cerebral in interviews and in my own videos. The character of Mr. Spock on Star Trek epitomizes the public’s view of the logical, emotionless scientist; Spock was always being criticized by Bones, the ship’s doctor for his Vulcan nature:

Like Spock, I’m probably not going to be able to go against my nature, but can modify how I say things on camera so that I don’t sound so much like an egghead.

As scientists, we also make the mistake of assuming that the general public will be impressed by facts, facts, and more facts. When scientists approach a video project, our inclination is to present the facts in a straightforward and, yes, logical manner. It’s drummed into us throughout our training to follow set guidelines for our research and strict formats for our science articles. So it’s difficult to break out of these molds and be creative in presenting science information. We also shy away from anything that might seem like fun for fear of being thought frivolous or, worse, ignorant. However, by not being creative and frivolous, we lose a lot of potential viewers.

Before I go any further, take a look at this video that is focused on beach litter:

Now, there are lots of videos out there about beach litter put out by various environmental organizations….and they are mostly deadly dull…. but this one gets the message across in a clever and entertaining way. And I’m guessing it was fun to make. This approach is just one way to be creative about communicating a message or educating the public about an important environmental topic. Humor is very effective. Other approaches, such as stimulating the viewer’s curiosity about how something (a field expedition, a lab experiment) will turn out also works.

I’ll discuss some of these methods in coming posts.

Don’t Be So Serious with Your Science Videos

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Scientists are supposed to be serious…and most of us live up to this expectation.  However, this trait can be quite detracting and frustrating to non-scientists, unless it’s meant to be humorous as in this clip from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off:

You might succeed in using such humor, making fun of an egghead speaking on camera.  But in general, this humorous approach is already a cliche, and it would take a really fresh twist to succeed.

In general, a talking head who is pompous or pedantic is going to turn off viewers. The viewer does not want to be lectured to (they got enough of that in school). As a scientist videographer, you will have two choices of (professional) talking heads in your projects:  you or your colleagues.  Both of you likely suffer from the “stuck in their heads” syndrome.  We think too much instead of just doing or saying what comes naturally to other people.  A book called, “Don’t Be Such a Scientist”, by Randy Olson addresses this very issue as it relates to science communication.  Olson has advice for scientist communicators, spelled out in his book chapters:

1. Don’t be so cerebral

2. Don’t be so literal-minded

3. Don’t be such a poor story-teller

4. Don’t be so unlikeable

Olson makes the case in his book that although accuracy is important, it’s even more important to grab the public’s attention so that the science message is heard.  I agree, but that’s easier said than done.

Many of my scientific colleagues are, to put it bluntly, boring on camera (and I include myself in this group).  We are, to borrow Olson’s list:  too cerebral, too literal-minded, poor story-tellers, and generally unlikeable.  It’s rare to see a scientist whose personality attracts rather than repels viewers.  Think Neil deGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist and science communicator:

We can’t all be like Tyson, but we can strive to “get out of our heads” so that we can communicate like the average person.  It’s impossible to change someone’s natural demeanor (and you don’t want to try).  However, we can select our interview subjects carefully so that the message we want to convey is heard and accepted.  If you are uncomfortable on camera and this discomfort is contributing to a poor demeanor, then practice giving interviews.

I was absolutely terrible the first time I was interviewed on camera (at least it felt that way).  The interviewer kept restating my answers in a much clearer and appealing way without scientific jargon and asking, “Is this what you meant?” Although I felt like an idiot at the time, I learned a lot from the experience.  More recently, what has helped me improve my performance in front of a camera is interviewing other scientists.  Seeing how other scientists perform….which ones shine on camera and which ones are dreadful…is an eye-opening experience.  I highly recommend doing a few interviews with your colleagues and then reviewing the footage.  If I were going to teach a science videography course or workshop, that would be one of the exercises.