SXSW Film 2016
To Build a Time Machine: a Human Story
In popular culture, scientists range from nerdy, incomprehensible geniuses to miracle workers and old wisefolk. The true process of discovery is much more human and relatable. Scientists in real life are people with interests, social lives, and complicated motivations. Academy Award nominated filmmaker Nathaniel Kahn explores this contrast in an upcoming documentary following the assembly of the successor to Hubble, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, highlighting what drives real scientists, and the scientific method. The filmmaker leads the panel of distinguished scientists -- subjects in the film -- as a comparison to popular science and fiction.
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Takeaways
- What do real scientists do, and what are they like?
- What is the relationship between scientists and science (research) itself, in film and in real life?
- Does bringing "realism" and awareness of the process of research hinder creativity of filmmakers, or spur it on?
Speakers
- Nathaniel Kahn, Filmmaker, writer, Radical Media
- Amber Straughn, Astrophysicist, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
- Alberto Conti, Innovation Manager, Northrop-Grumman Aerospace Systems
- Jason Kalirai, Astrophysicist, Space Telescope Science Institute
Organizer
Joel Green, Project Scientist, Space Telescope Science Institute
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