Research paper
Video abstracts help researchers to attract the attention of their peers, a study from Portuguese researchers says. They also identified some important success factors.
Video recommendation What's up?
An archive of films that feature famous scientists looks deserted for about two years now. Only a twitter account sends last vital signs. What a pity that this valuable collection will not be continued.
EURASF Video recommendation What's up?
The annual film festival CineGlobe at the European research center CERN now lets you watch its films online for free, until September 23, 2021.
Upcoming event What's up?
A new festival in Berlin will focus on climate change in literature and film. Its aim is to bring together local "climate cultures" from all over the world, to connect their knowledge and fight the crisis collectively.
What's up?
How can streaming a science film turn into a collective experience? The University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany combines it with a subsequent panel discussion about the harassment of women in science.
EURASF What's up?
It is great to watch science movies on demand. But isn't it much better to participate online in a live film screening to share the experience with a group of like-minded people? The Dutch science film festival InScience recently gave it a try and started an online film club.
In September, the European Academy of Science Film, EURASF, based in Vienna, will award the European Science Film 2020/2021. The submissions are highly promising.
Samer Angelone from the University of Zurich conducts film workshops for scientists not in seminar rooms but in the inspiring environment of film festivals – with impressive success.
Video recommendation
A series of 5-to-10-minute videos produced by a public broadcaster report on the problems that arise when complex scientific contexts are reduced to short statements as they are needed for films and TV.
Successful science communication: Antikythera researcher Tony Freeth published not only a fascinating scientific paper about the famous astronomical mechanism but also – at the same time – a 30-minutes documentary about his team's work.
Research paper What's up?
YouTube's recommendation algorithms have a bad reputation. Did they do a better job when serious information was most needed?
After having watched impressive and awe-inspiring nature documentaries people turn out to be less dogmatic. This effect is beneficial for social cohesion.
Reading recommendation
The future of grant proposals is video, some scientists suggest. They expect more efficient review processes and better funding decisions.
Three German media scientists carried out an extensive study about audiovisual science communication on TV and YouTube.
An inspiring media library presents selected movies.
Nature correspondent Alison Abbott reviews a new documentary on the European Commission's flagship neuroscience programme, which has fallen far short of what it had promised.
Famous German YouTuber Mai-Thi ranks first in the charts with her 2020 video "Corona is just getting started".
Reading recommendation Video recommendation
Did Germany deal adequately with climate change? This case is heard, in the year 2034, before the International Court of Justice.
One of the winners of FastForwardScience is a YouTuber who became successful thanks to a TV production company.
idw's initiative aims at promoting the use of videos in science communication.
A new study provides evidence, once again, that films need to tell effective narratives. Then they are even able to overcome ideological gaps.
Video review
Looking for good video stuff from collaborative research centers? You'll be disappointed. But there are alternatives.
The CEO of a video hosting platform dedicated to scholarly information explains why "video" is not yet well established in academia – and proposes measures to change this.
A promising model in it's early stages: The international science publisher Springer Nature offers scientists to produce videos instead of writing academic books.
What if you could talk with the deceased, at least with a perfect digital copy of them? Before you watch the movie: Join a panel discussion about the impact of AI.