Why make films? — It’s fun

No, really, it is. There’s a tremendous sense of achievement to be had in pointing to a finished film and saying ‘I made that.’ For many of us, this is all the excuse we need, but if you still need convincing…

Taking part in SciCast, you’ll:

• Encourage teamwork, problem solving, and creative thinking, within a science context.
• Contribute to a growing resource of free, high-quality, entertaining and informative films.
• Use digital technology in the lab, classroom… or outside in the sun.
• Explore collaborations between different disciplines.
• Find out about copyright law, and how to use it.
• Make a permanent record of achievement.
• Help inspire the next generation of scientists and film-makers.

What’s ‘educational’ about it?

In addition to all the above, we believe that trying to explain something in a film is hard. Not ‘I can’t be bothered with this’ hard, but ‘That’s a challenge’ hard.

To explain something well, you have to understand it. Making a short film focuses your attention on detail and clarity — you have to decide what to put in or leave out, and how to approach a topic to make the most sense of it.

SciCast Awards

SciCast is also a competition. Each year, we celebrate the best films we receive with glittering trophies. There’s also been a swish awards ceremony with a red carpet and palm trees and everything (we’re still working on that bit for 2011).