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Pitch

Visual effects, animations and video games are everywhere. Why not use them in education, public engagement to tell real stories?


Description

Summary

Global WARNING: Cinematic Scientific Visualizations with the tools of Hollywood
Preparation phase: gathering collaborators, ideas, inspiration.

We see on movie screens how superheroes save “the world” from destruction in weekly shifts, propelled by the magical power of visual effects. However they only do so from fictious dangers or even on non-existing planets. Video game players can jump into the suites of these heroes to get a more interactive journey, especially when they use virtual reality hardware.

Our technical existence is now making its effect on the climate of Earth, 97% of the relevant scientists agree with this consensus. Thus, we have a Real Planet that has to be saved from real problems!

A real villain, who is invisible in most of the time, but has a planetary scale body, wrapped around our planet.

We have the tools to reveal this creature, at least on the big screen... or on many small screens too.

We can visualize any kind of fictious extravaganza, alien creatures, spaceships, cities in the future... galaxies far-far away. Let's turn back our heads to the only Planet where we are living right now! We have enough data and knowledge about climate change and pollution, but these are ugly and boring for most of us.

We can visualize them in an entertaining way, as it happens more and more in some recent documentaries.



Is this proposal for a practice or a project?

Practice


What actions do you propose?

A collection of scientific visualizations in the public sector... (the temporary website of the sciVfx project)

Sciences often handle large amount of data that are hard to conceptualise. I have found that many cannot comprehend the scales and dimensions involved. For example, earth scientists often use maps with abstract symbols to communicate data visually, but the viewer may not perceive them at the appropriate level. Now with interactive photorealistic depiction – just think about Google Earth – the
viewer can perceive the data more naturally, feel the real scales more appropriately.

Car drivers switched from paper maps to satnav, pilots can use synthetic vision to see the landscape virtually even if there is thick fog outside. Most parents in urbanized areas have first visual contact with their children through a scientific visualization method, the 4D ultrasound rendering. Architects cooperating with visualizers can bring their clients into the future, show what the building will look
like, and these visualizations are sometimes indistinguishable from a photograph.

The way we can see things has changed and this affects the depth at which we can perceive our reality. For example, we can see objects at an atomic level with electron microscopes as well as the whole planet as depicted during weather forecasts. As we can see the face of a child who is not born yet, I believe we should see the face of our changing environment, to better understand and feel (!) the possible dangers, have an overall glimpse of it with state of the art visualization techniques and methods.

In contrast with the abstract visualizations like infographics, scientists with photorealistic data/science visualizations can tell facts, data, information in a more effective form, closer to how we perceive the reality. Today’s imaging possibilities blur the line between photography and data visualization because the amount and quality of data and the quality of depiction can reach the level of photorealism.

A picture is worth a thousand words.

 


Who will take these actions?

  • Scientists
  • Visual Effects Artists
  • Animators
  • Artists
  • Filmmakers
  • Video Game Creators


Where will these actions be taken?


In addition, specify the country or countries where these actions will be taken.

No country selected


Country 2

No country selected


Country 3

No country selected


Country 4

No country selected


Country 5

No country selected


Impact/Benefits


What impact will these actions have on greenhouse gas emissions and/or adapting to climate change?


What are other key benefits?


Costs/Challenges


What are the proposal’s projected costs?


Timeline


About the author(s)

Gathering contributors, team members!

Be the part of this project!


Related Proposals


References