SciArt Magazine - All Issues February 2016 | Page 26

Images courtesy of Imagine Science Films.

manipulate information or appeal to emotions for various causes, which can sometimes obstruct the objective
scientific process.” This can be observed in the many
blockbusters that sensationalize science in order to
provoke fear or glorify lab work. CSI shows are a great
example of this, where scientists wearing high–heeled
shoes flirt over cadavers. While it is cool to see science
get a mainstream spotlight, the negative effects of misinformation resound throughout the community. With
a field as intimidating to the greater public as science, it
is important to have accurate information made easily
accessible.
True to their purpose, ISF gets really excited about
lab work and research. By using film to help scientists
share discoveries in a more creative way, ISF actively
seeks to widen the appreciation of not only science, but
also the seemingly tedious, day–to–day work that builds
scientific advances. To do so, they developed The Lab,
which consists of three parts: consulting services for
scientists interested in using film to share their stories;
a soon–to–launch Student Film Lab that will help high
school students learn about science through filmmaking
(and vice versa); and Scenes, a collection of mesmerizing
short videos that showcase awe–inspiring moments of
research.
An online component, Scenes invites scientists to
submit short works and share what ISF describes as
“the beauty of raw science data,” that isn’t fit to share
in a proper journal, either because it is preliminary or
because it is not deemed meaningful. Scenes is filled
with visually captivating data such as Xenopus embryo
development and Fluorescent Oscillations in a bacterial
population. No longer solely coveted by those wearing
lab coats, curious artists and admirers can find inspiration and understanding from these research ‘clippings’.
Additional film experiments take place at every ISF
festival, both in New York and Abu Dhabi, like the 48–
Hour Film Competition. Scientists are partnered with
filmmakers and given two days to complete a short film
that addresses the theme of the festival. Together the

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experts from these two fields must figure out what story
they want to tell and how to tell it, often with fascinating results.
What’s interesting is that it’s often the filmmakers
who are most altered by the experience of creating work
with a science advisor rather than the other way around.
Whereas scientists learn a great deal fro