Category Archives: film

Laserfest Videos

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laser_beamI think I mentioned a while back that as a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Laser, there was a video competition on Physics Central to make a fun video about the Laser. They were put on YouTube (tag is laserfest, I think) and then there was voting at some point (I imagine), and winners were chosen. You can see them here. Congratulations to the winners!

Actually, I think the whole playlist of Laserfest video entries is here, and you can jump through them by clicking the link to the next one in the top right hand area.

Are you aware of Laserfest, by the way? Go and check out the website and join in the celebrations of the Laser!

I should mention that the competition has all meant good news for my work as well. I […] Click to continue reading this post →

Tales From The Industry XXXI – An Extra Dimension

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I went off into an extra dimension yesterday. Well, in a manner of speaking. No, this was not anything to do with my string theory work!

I was being filmed in 3D.

3d_cameraThere’s a bit of a 3D revolution going on. There have been a lot of 3D movies out lately. Some are better than others, and a great deal more are to come very soon, as you probably know. Many major filmmakers that you probably regard as “serious” filmmakers have 3D films in the works. There’ll be 3D TV channels appearing soon in the UK and probably elsewhere, and they’ve been selling the TVs already, both there and in the USA (and I imagine, in other places).

There are lots of questions you’ve no doubt asked yourself: Is the technology here to stay? Is it just a gimmick? Is it just a ploy to combat piracy? Is it a new aspect of the visual form that creative filmmakers can genuinely use to enhance the story-telling? Has that happened yet? And so on and so forth…

I’ve been asking myself those questions too. I did not expect, however, to be part of the revolution (if that is what it is) and be filmed in 3D, so soon, for a TV show. My […] Click to continue reading this post →

I Know

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persian_catsThey’ve released the film “No One Knows About Persian Cats” in the US this week! All I am going to say is…. put it at the top of your list of new releases to see. I think it’s simply excellent. I was lucky to see it in a film festival sometime in the middle of last year and loved it.

Oh… It’s actually about music, and freedom. Not cats. But you know, even without cats in it, it’s still great!

-cvj Click to continue reading this post →

Inspiration and Dedication

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jaime_escalante_by_robert_gauthierYou might not have heard of him, so I thought I’d mark the passing, on Tuesday, of the mathematics teacher Jaime Escalante. (Photo on right by Robert Gauthier.) He was an extraordinary teacher who passionately believed in the abilities of the many East Los Angeles students from disadvantaged and traditionally ignored backgrounds he taught, enduring the ridicule of his colleagues to press on with the job of teaching them as well as he could, challenging them to reach impressive heights of mathematical ability, especially considering given the circumstances. Some people might know some […] Click to continue reading this post →

The Creative Science Studio

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I received an email the other day asking me if I had any connection to the new initiative announced at USC recently (link here), talking about a new partnership (involving USC and the NSF) for increasing and improving the amount of science in entertainment and media products such as films and television shows, and probably more. It is called the Creative Science Studio, or CS2. You’ve read me talk about these sorts of projects on the blog a huge amount, and so I won’t repeat the motivations here (you can find earlier thoughts if you look under some of the categories this post is in for other posts on the subject).

One of the fallouts (fallsout?) of being a dabbler, behind-the-scenes-agitator and general troublemaker is that one can never really tell what are all the final projects, initiatives (and so forth) that come about as a result (at least in part) of one’s actions. In trying to significantly move forward things such as this (involving public […] Click to continue reading this post →

Space Videos Galore!

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Here is a list of fifty videos with a space theme that might be worth bookmarking and coming back to during the quiet moments. Forget the “top 50” business – I’ve no idea how the X-Ray Vision-aries arrived at this particular list or order – it is just another collection. There’s some really good stuff on it, and that’s all that matters, in the long run.

Share!

Speaking of videos. Have you seen my films yet? Even if you have, it’s always fun to look again. See here and here.

-cvj Click to continue reading this post →

Categorically Not! – Grand Challenges!

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So yes, the Categorically Not! series was a bit thin on the ground in the last several months. I think KC was a bit busy travelling to tell people about her Frank Oppenheimer book.

Well, it is back on the calendar, and I probably should have mentioned it earlier, but the next one is tomorrow, so I thought I’d remind you. Remember that the series of events is held at the Santa Monica Art Studios, (with occasional exceptions). It’s a series – started and run by science writer K. C. Cole – of fun and informative conversations deliberately ignoring the traditional boundaries between art, science, humanities, and other subjects. I strongly encourage you to come to them if you’re in the area. Here is the website that describes past ones, and upcoming ones. See also the links at the end of the post for some announcements and descriptions (and even video) of previous events.

The theme this month is Grand Challenges!. Here’s the description from K. C. Cole: […] Click to continue reading this post →

It’s a Feel-Good Movie!

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scene_from_the_roadI’m puzzled. Almost everything I’ve heard from people – even otherwise thought-provoking respected film critics – is that John Hillcoat’s film of Cormac McCarthy’s wonderful novel The Road is really depressing. I think that the problem might be that there’s a lot of looking at the obvious images on the screen (a defeated, broken, decaying landscape) and rushing to a conclusion because there is the odd perception that the first thing that comes to mind (or the first emotion that is awoken in the viewer) must be the primary content. I find this odd, since there’s so much more there, and it shows up only slightly below the surface.

In fact, I’d go as far as saying that The Road is up there as one of the top three “feel-good movies” of 2009, if that term was ever worth using. Yes. Feel-good. This is a term that is mostly used for some of the (and I am being generous) often […] Click to continue reading this post →

Laser

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Well, here it is! The second of the fun (I hope) short films I made illustrating some science ideas. Recall that last month I released “Shine a Light” for your viewing and sharing pleasure, and I promised a second and this is it. (The trailer was out some days ago.) Please read my post of last month for more on what this is all about. Here is some of what I said:

For this [National Science Foundation-supported film] to be a success, your help is needed. It needs to be seen. Tell your family and friends, colleagues and students, local teachers, etc., about it. Forward it on to people you know. Blog it, tweet it, facebook share it, etc. Crucially, remember that it is designed to be not just for people who already know they have an interest in science, but others too, so make no assumptions about who might like it… just please send it. Thanks.

Ok, let’s dim the lights! Run the Projector! Be sure to look out for the Monty Python moment…! (Tip: It is a high video quality, so pause it and let it buffer for a while before watching if you’ve only a moderately fast connection. Also, try the high definition (HD) option if you like, and/or view it in full screen and with the volume turned up. The embed here is small, so you can see it at a more glorious size at the YouTube site by clicking here.

laser_still

-cvj

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Laser is Coming Soon!

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Well, here it is. After lots of interruptions over the last 24 hours, I give you the trailer for Laser, the next of my films. I think it is a bit more playfully enigmatic than the trailer for the first film. (I’ve only just (half an hour ago) finished recording the music for it, and so it really is being rushed to you straight from the cutting room, as it were.)

See earlier posts for my thoughts about the project, and see the trailer for the first film here, and the actual first film, Shine a Light, here. Sorry it is so late… the semester started and I got swamped. See my chatter about that here.

Anyway, here it is! Enjoy!

-cvj

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A Little Behind…

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Well, here are a few thoughts:

(1) I’m behind on pretty much every deadline. In addition to the externally set ones (article to finish, class material to prepare, etc), I’m behind on those I’ve set myself.

(2) An example of the latter is the fact that I am two weeks late bringing out the film “Laser”, the followup to “Shine a Light”. The semester started, and all the time I thought I’d have to sit and cut a trailer for it and record some music to go on it never materialised….

(3) …Until the last 24 hours. I cut together some images into an interesting (I hope) sequence, and just now finished recording some music onto it. It is more enigmatic than the last trailer, or at least that is the intention. It is being crunched on by YouTube right now and when it is ready I will release it to tease you to return for the […] Click to continue reading this post →

Shine a Light

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It is Friday, so time for a film release. So, get your popcorn, your ice-cold drink, and find your comfy chair! It has been a long time coming (see related posts listed below), but finally the first of the series of films I’ve been talking about is ready for you!

But before I run the projector, let me say a few words. As I said before, this short film is (I hope) fun, engaging, and informative. I hope lots of people take the time to watch it at least a couple of times. A basic scientific knowledge of the world is for everyone. Science is part of our culture and should be more widely circulated. Films such as this is one of the ways the National Science Foundation, who provided the support to make it, is helping to bring science to everyone. For this (and the other ones in the series) to be a success, your help is needed. It needs to be seen. Tell your family and friends, colleagues and students, local teachers, etc., about it. Forward it on to people you know. Blog it, tweet it, facebook share it, etc. Crucially, remember that it is designed to be not just for people who already know they have an interest in science, but others too, so make no assumptions about who might like it… just please send it. Thanks.

Ok, let’s dim the lights! Run the Projector! (Tip: It is a high video quality, so pause it and let it buffer […] Click to continue reading this post →

Coming Soon!

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[Update: The film is here!]

Well, it is almost the big day! The first of the films I’ve been working on (see several earlier posts listed below), having had its world premiere on Sunday, is about to go on general release. It is the first of a series, and there is a second one to follow later in the Summer.

It’s a fun and educational short that I hope you’ll watch and tell all your friends about. Seriously, if you’re interested in science education (or just science as fun) do spread the word about this by blogging it, tweeting it, and sharing it on facebook and other sites.

This is very exciting! As with most film releases, however, there’s got to be a trailer. Straight out of the editing room to you, I present said trailer. Enjoy!



Check back soon!

-cvj Click to continue reading this post →

New York State of Mind

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During the Summer, I’m particularly fond of seeing some films that have a great sense of place about a city that I love, be it Los Angeles, London, New York, or have loved spending a lot of time in, like Taipei, Venice, or several others. I suppose it is a cheap way of travelling back to these places, but somehow I think it is more than that. I think it is also a lot about making contact with things that I cherish deep inside me: memories of all kinds, feelings, people, and sometimes crucial stages in my life. (Gosh. I did not mean to write an opening paragraph so laden with…. whatever it is laden with. Oh well, there it is.)

So anyway last week and this week have two film releases of work steeped in New York atmosphere. The first is The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, a Tony Scott film, which I was quite happy with (I saw it on opening night last Friday). It is not a landmark or masterpiece of a film (how many of those are there anyway?), but it is a solid thriller with a number of good performances and an enjoyable, tight, script, with good dialogue. I loved that the subway system itself was a major character in the film. I really enjoyed that aspect, since a big part of my NYC enjoyment when I am there is the subway, and the people and situations you encounter on it.

larry_david_whatever_worksThis week sees the release of Whatever Works, a Woody Allen film. Besides the fact that it is a Woody Allen film, and that it is set in New York, some of you might also be interested to know the lead is played by Larry David, and some of you may also be interested to know that the […] Click to continue reading this post →