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    <title>The Wild Blue Yonder's Recent Activity - Spout</title>
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      <title>The Wild Blue Yonder's Recent Activity - Spout</title>
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      <title>Film:The Wild Blue Yonder</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/films/The_Wild_Blue_Yonder/269854/default.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<table width='100%' style='font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><tr><td><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t87966r29f7.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' /></td>
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<strong>Title:</strong> The Wild Blue Yonder<br/>
<strong>Year:</strong> 2005<br/>
<strong>Director:</strong> Werner Herzog<br/>
<strong>Plot:</strong> Planet Earth has been decimated, and as mankind searches space for a new planet to inhabit, a race of aliens attempt to make a new home on the now-inhospitable planet abandoned by the human race in director <a href="/players/P____94214/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Werner Herzog</a>'s strange sci-fi saga. Filmed in collaboration with NASA musician/photographer Henry Kaiser, The Wild Blue Yonder travels light years into the stars, and fathoms deep into the Antarctic Ocean, and speaks with noted scientists to offer a unique view of the universe and a cautionary tale which stresses the importance of preserving our natural resources for future generations. Oscar-nominated actor <a href="/players/P____19921/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Brad Dourif</a> plays the role of the alien who arrives on Earth only to discover that the planet hasn't fared much better than the dying world that he once called home. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide<br/>
<strong>Times Tagged:</strong> 3<br/>
<strong>Number of Lists:</strong> 1<br/>
<strong>Number of blog posts:</strong> 6<br/>
<strong>Number of discussion threads:</strong> 1<br/>
<strong>SpoutRating:</strong> 3<br/>
</td></tr></table>]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 29 Jan 2009 13:42:23 GMT</pubDate><spout:Title>The Wild Blue Yonder</spout:Title><spout:Year>2005</spout:Year><spout:Director>Werner Herzog</spout:Director><spout:Plot>Planet Earth has been decimated, and as mankind searches space for a new planet to inhabit, a race of aliens attempt to make a new home on the now-inhospitable planet abandoned by the human race in director &lt;a href="/players/P____94214/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'&gt;Werner Herzog&lt;/a&gt;'s strange sci-fi saga. Filmed in collaboration with NASA musician/photographer Henry Kaiser, The Wild Blue Yonder travels light years into the stars, and fathoms deep into the Antarctic Ocean, and speaks with noted scientists to offer a unique view of the universe and a cautionary tale which stresses the importance of preserving our natural resources for future generations. Oscar-nominated actor &lt;a href="/players/P____19921/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'&gt;Brad Dourif&lt;/a&gt; plays the role of the alien who arrives on Earth only to discover that the planet hasn't fared much better than the dying world that he once called home. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide</spout:Plot><spout:TimesTagged>3</spout:TimesTagged><spout:taglevel>Slightly Tagged (1-5)</spout:taglevel><spout:Numberoflists>1</spout:Numberoflists><spout:NumberOfBlogPosts>6</spout:NumberOfBlogPosts><spout:NumberOfDiscussionThreads>1</spout:NumberOfDiscussionThreads><spout:SpoutRating>3</spout:SpoutRating><spout:FilmCoverURL>http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t87966r29f7.jpg</spout:FilmCoverURL><spout:SpoutFilmDetailURL>http://www.spout.com/films/The_Wild_Blue_Yonder/269854/default.aspx</spout:SpoutFilmDetailURL><spout:type>Film</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Post: Telluride 2007: Encounters at the End of the World</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/blogs/paul/archive/2007/12/21/23088.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t87966r29f7.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' />
<strong>Post By:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/members/2132/default.aspx'>paul</a><br/>
<strong>Post To:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/blogs/paul/default.aspx'>paul on spout.com</a><br/>
<strong>Post Date:</strong> 12/21/2007 4:16:02 PM<br/>
<strong>Body:</strong> 
Ever since he borrowed the other worldy footage of underwater Antarctica to make The Wild Blue Yonder (2005), Werner Herzog has wanted to make a film there himself. The National Science Foundation invited him to come. As, Herzog narrates in the introduction to Encounters at the End of the World, “I told them I would not make a movie about cute, fluffy penguins.”
Herzog wants exploration, not a story. Among the questions he wants to explore is why do chimpanzees–clearly superior primates–not domesticate lesser animals? “A chimpanzee could climb on the back of a goat and ride into the sunset. But it doesn’t. Why?” Herzog asks in his dry, german accented monotone. Of course, he’s not studying chimpanzees in Antarctica, but he sets the tongue-in-cheek tone for the film. He’s a funny narrator, not nearly so severe as in Grizzly Man. But it is Werner Herzog. So, although he’s funny, he’s constantly reminding us we’re all doomed.
The beauty of Antarctica is so monumental, its study is so fascinating. Herzog’s ambivalence is obvious toward the explorers breaking new ground in studying the origins of life while simultaneously making every spot they touch turn ugly. (McMurdo–a base of 1,000 inhabitants–looks worse than a makeshift coal mining town.) His ambivalence constantly upends the easy agenda. Herzog isn’t asking people to reduce their carbon footprint. He went to Antarctica to see a new world, show it to us in all its splendor and, perhaps, risk death a little. Antarctica is a stark slab of ice so vast and so loaded with dangers it serves as an exclamation point at the bottom of the globe warning us our species is just another one on an ancient planet. The planet can swallow us up and, someday for some reason, it will.
Herzog in Encounters at the End of the World has fun in Alaska, but he’s kind of like the funny guy at a funeral. Everyone’s laughing, but nobody is forgetting the situation we’re in. Herzog makes uncomfortable ideas, like we’re not invincible or as dominant as we like to believe, a little easier to swallow. Maybe with a little more humility we will develop more reverence for a place containing the last remnants of mystery on our planet.

 Originally posted on:SpoutBlog » Paul<br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 21 Dec 2007 21:16:02 GMT</pubDate><spout:postby>paul</spout:postby><spout:postto>paul on spout.com</spout:postto><spout:postdate>12/21/2007 4:16:02 PM</spout:postdate><spout:body>
Ever since he borrowed the other worldy footage of underwater Antarctica to make The Wild Blue Yonder (2005), Werner Herzog has wanted to make a film there himself. The National Science Foundation invited him to come. As, Herzog narrates in the introduction to Encounters at the End of the World, “I told them I would not make a movie about cute, fluffy penguins.”
Herzog wants exploration, not a story. Among the questions he wants to explore is why do chimpanzees–clearly superior primates–not domesticate lesser animals? “A chimpanzee could climb on the back of a goat and ride into the sunset. But it doesn’t. Why?” Herzog asks in his dry, german accented monotone. Of course, he’s not studying chimpanzees in Antarctica, but he sets the tongue-in-cheek tone for the film. He’s a funny narrator, not nearly so severe as in Grizzly Man. But it is Werner Herzog. So, although he’s funny, he’s constantly reminding us we’re all doomed.
The beauty of Antarctica is so monumental, its study is so fascinating. Herzog’s ambivalence is obvious toward the explorers breaking new ground in studying the origins of life while simultaneously making every spot they touch turn ugly. (McMurdo–a base of 1,000 inhabitants–looks worse than a makeshift coal mining town.) His ambivalence constantly upends the easy agenda. Herzog isn’t asking people to reduce their carbon footprint. He went to Antarctica to see a new world, show it to us in all its splendor and, perhaps, risk death a little. Antarctica is a stark slab of ice so vast and so loaded with dangers it serves as an exclamation point at the bottom of the globe warning us our species is just another one on an ancient planet. The planet can swallow us up and, someday for some reason, it will.
Herzog in Encounters at the End of the World has fun in Alaska, but he’s kind of like the funny guy at a funeral. Everyone’s laughing, but nobody is forgetting the situation we’re in. Herzog makes uncomfortable ideas, like we’re not invincible or as dominant as we like to believe, a little easier to swallow. Maybe with a little more humility we will develop more reverence for a place containing the last remnants of mystery on our planet.

 Originally posted on:SpoutBlog » Paul</spout:body></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Post: FilmCouch #21</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/blogs/paul/archive/2007/12/21/23051.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t87966r29f7.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' />
<strong>Post By:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/members/2132/default.aspx'>paul</a><br/>
<strong>Post To:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/blogs/paul/default.aspx'>paul on spout.com</a><br/>
<strong>Post Date:</strong> 12/21/2007 4:15:21 PM<br/>
<strong>Body:</strong> Appropriation: Originality is overrated. Filmmakers taking footage from another film and adapting it into a new movie–Orson Welles (F for Fake), Werner Herzog (The Wild Blue Yonder) and Roger Corman (Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women)–are they inspired or just desperate? (Chat about it in the FilmCouch group)
In the spirit of appropriation, email a sentence into filmcouch@spout.com. Kevin and Paul will incorporate it ever so naturally into next week’s show. The first person to identify the appropriated sentence wins a Spout track jacket from American Apparel (valued at $50).


Download FilmCouch #21 or subscribe in the iTunes store (search for “filmcouch” or click here to launch iTunes) and a new free episode will download every Friday.
 Originally posted on:SpoutBlog » Paul<br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 21 Dec 2007 21:15:21 GMT</pubDate><spout:postby>paul</spout:postby><spout:postto>paul on spout.com</spout:postto><spout:postdate>12/21/2007 4:15:21 PM</spout:postdate><spout:body>Appropriation: Originality is overrated. Filmmakers taking footage from another film and adapting it into a new movie–Orson Welles (F for Fake), Werner Herzog (The Wild Blue Yonder) and Roger Corman (Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women)–are they inspired or just desperate? (Chat about it in the FilmCouch group)
In the spirit of appropriation, email a sentence into filmcouch@spout.com. Kevin and Paul will incorporate it ever so naturally into next week’s show. The first person to identify the appropriated sentence wins a Spout track jacket from American Apparel (valued at $50).


Download FilmCouch #21 or subscribe in the iTunes store (search for “filmcouch” or click here to launch iTunes) and a new free episode will download every Friday.
 Originally posted on:SpoutBlog » Paul</spout:body></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Post: FilmCouch #21</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2007/6/19/11433.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t87966r29f7.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' />
<strong>Post By:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/members/9325/default.aspx'>SpoutBlog</a><br/>
<strong>Post To:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/default.aspx'>SpoutBlog on spout.com</a><br/>
<strong>Post Date:</strong> 6/19/2007 10:11:17 AM<br/>
<strong>Body:</strong> Appropriation: Originality is overrated. Filmmakers taking footage from another film and adapting it into a new movie--Orson Welles (F for Fake), Werner Herzog (The Wild Blue Yonder) and Roger Corman (Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women)--are they inspired or just desperate? (Chat about it in the FilmCouch group)

In the spirit of appropriation, email a sentence into filmcouch@spout.com. Kevin and Paul will incorporate it ever so naturally into next week's show. The first person to identify the appropriated sentence wins a Spout track jacket from American Apparel (valued at $50).






Download FilmCouch #21 or subscribe in the iTunes store (search for "filmcouch" or click here to launch iTunes) and a new free episode will download every Friday. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog<br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 19 Jun 2007 14:11:17 GMT</pubDate><spout:postby>SpoutBlog</spout:postby><spout:postto>SpoutBlog on spout.com</spout:postto><spout:postdate>6/19/2007 10:11:17 AM</spout:postdate><spout:body>Appropriation: Originality is overrated. Filmmakers taking footage from another film and adapting it into a new movie--Orson Welles (F for Fake), Werner Herzog (The Wild Blue Yonder) and Roger Corman (Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women)--are they inspired or just desperate? (Chat about it in the FilmCouch group)

In the spirit of appropriation, email a sentence into filmcouch@spout.com. Kevin and Paul will incorporate it ever so naturally into next week's show. The first person to identify the appropriated sentence wins a Spout track jacket from American Apparel (valued at $50).






Download FilmCouch #21 or subscribe in the iTunes store (search for "filmcouch" or click here to launch iTunes) and a new free episode will download every Friday. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog</spout:body></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Post: FilmCouch #21</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2007/5/30/9755.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t87966r29f7.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' />
<strong>Post By:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/members/9325/default.aspx'>SpoutBlog</a><br/>
<strong>Post To:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/default.aspx'>SpoutBlog on spout.com</a><br/>
<strong>Post Date:</strong> 5/30/2007 3:01:00 PM<br/>
<strong>Body:</strong> Appropriation: Originality is overrated. Filmmakers taking footage from another film and adapting it into a new movie--Orson Welles (F for Fake), Werner Herzog (The Wild Blue Yonder) and Roger Corman (Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women)--are they inspired or just desperate? (Chat about it in the FilmCouch group)  In the spirit of appropriation, email a sentence into filmcouch@spout.com. Kevin and Paul will incorporate it ever so naturally into next week&#39;s show. The first person to identify the appropriated sentence wins a Spout track jacket from American Apparel (valued at $50).       Download FilmCouch #21 or subscribe in the iTunes store (search for "filmcouch" or click here to launch iTunes) and a new free episode will download every Friday.<br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 30 May 2007 19:01:00 GMT</pubDate><spout:postby>SpoutBlog</spout:postby><spout:postto>SpoutBlog on spout.com</spout:postto><spout:postdate>5/30/2007 3:01:00 PM</spout:postdate><spout:body>Appropriation: Originality is overrated. Filmmakers taking footage from another film and adapting it into a new movie--Orson Welles (F for Fake), Werner Herzog (The Wild Blue Yonder) and Roger Corman (Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women)--are they inspired or just desperate? (Chat about it in the FilmCouch group)  In the spirit of appropriation, email a sentence into filmcouch@spout.com. Kevin and Paul will incorporate it ever so naturally into next week&amp;#39;s show. The first person to identify the appropriated sentence wins a Spout track jacket from American Apparel (valued at $50).       Download FilmCouch #21 or subscribe in the iTunes store (search for "filmcouch" or click here to launch iTunes) and a new free episode will download every Friday.</spout:body></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Post: Seaspace</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/blogs/chesterfilms/archive/2007/5/30/9706.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t87966r29f7.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' />
<strong>Post By:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/members/14591/default.aspx'>chesterfilms</a><br/>
<strong>Post To:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/blogs/chesterfilms/default.aspx'>chesterfilms Blog</a><br/>
<strong>Post Date:</strong> 5/30/2007 4:42:28 AM<br/>
<strong>Body:</strong> This one flew under my radar until just recently. I&#39;m glad I discovered it, because it&#39;s a very unique viewing experience. Herzog marries footage from space and sea in his this Documentary/Mockumentary/Sci-Fi. I enjoyed it, but at the same time I don&#39;t fully understand it. Not sure how to respond to it. You should watch it. Yes you.<br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 30 May 2007 08:42:28 GMT</pubDate><spout:postby>chesterfilms</spout:postby><spout:postto>chesterfilms Blog</spout:postto><spout:postdate>5/30/2007 4:42:28 AM</spout:postdate><spout:body>This one flew under my radar until just recently. I&amp;#39;m glad I discovered it, because it&amp;#39;s a very unique viewing experience. Herzog marries footage from space and sea in his this Documentary/Mockumentary/Sci-Fi. I enjoyed it, but at the same time I don&amp;#39;t fully understand it. Not sure how to respond to it. You should watch it. Yes you.</spout:body></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Post: FilmCouch #21</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/groups/FilmCouch/FilmCouch_21/302/9317/1/ShowPost.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t87966r29f7.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' />
<strong>Post By:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/members/2132/default.aspx'>paul</a><br/>
<strong>Post To:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/groups/FilmCouch/302/discussions.aspx'>FilmCouch</a><br/>
<strong>Post Date:</strong> 5/25/2007 9:30:09 AM<br/>
<strong>Body:</strong> Appropriation: Originality is overrated. Filmmakers taking footage from another film and adapting it into a new movie--Orson Welles (F for Fake), Werner Herzog (The Wild Blue Yonder) and Roger Corman (Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women)--are they inspired or just desperate?  In the spirit of appropriation, email a sentence into filmcouch@spout.com. Kevin and Paul will incorporate it ever so naturally into next week&#39;s show. The first person to identify the appropriated sentence wins a Spout track jacket from American Apparel (valued at $50).   Download FilmCouch #21 or subscribe in the iTunes store (search for "filmcouch" or click here to launch iTunes) and a new free episode will download every Friday. <br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 25 May 2007 13:30:09 GMT</pubDate><spout:postby>paul</spout:postby><spout:postto>FilmCouch</spout:postto><spout:postdate>5/25/2007 9:30:09 AM</spout:postdate><spout:body>Appropriation: Originality is overrated. Filmmakers taking footage from another film and adapting it into a new movie--Orson Welles (F for Fake), Werner Herzog (The Wild Blue Yonder) and Roger Corman (Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women)--are they inspired or just desperate?  In the spirit of appropriation, email a sentence into filmcouch@spout.com. Kevin and Paul will incorporate it ever so naturally into next week&amp;#39;s show. The first person to identify the appropriated sentence wins a Spout track jacket from American Apparel (valued at $50).   Download FilmCouch #21 or subscribe in the iTunes store (search for "filmcouch" or click here to launch iTunes) and a new free episode will download every Friday. </spout:body></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Post: Tribeca Talks – Alfred P. Sloan Foundation presents: Prodigies, Nobelists and Penguins: Science and Stereotypes in the Movies – May 5, 2007</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/blogs/thefilmpanelnotetaker/archive/2007/5/5/8335.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t87966r29f7.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' />
<strong>Post By:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/members/11648/default.aspx'>thefilmpanelnotetaker</a><br/>
<strong>Post To:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/blogs/thefilmpanelnotetaker/default.aspx'>thefilmpanelnotetaker Blog</a><br/>
<strong>Post Date:</strong> 5/5/2007 8:01:00 PM<br/>
<strong>Body:</strong> Tribeca Talks – Alfred P. Sloan Foundation presents: Prodigies, Nobelists and Penguins: Science and Stereotypes in the Movies – May 5, 2007 (Left to right: Sidney Perkowitz, Darren Aronovsky and Billy Shebar)Panelists:Darren Aronovsky (DA) – Filmmaker, The Fountain, Requiem for a Dream, PiBilly Shebar (BS) – Screenwriter, Dark MatterModerator:Sidney Perkowitz (SP) – Professor of Physics at Emory University (SP) What do you think of how Hollywood portrays scientists in film?(BS) I’ve seen portraits that go either way, but things have gotten better and better. There used to be a lot of films with mad scientists, but we’ve gone beyond that. Dark Matter is about post-Tiananmen Square Chinese students in the U.S. facing a lot of scholarly pressure. The film looks at cosmology. It’s an interesting moment in history. I researched cosmology and found that “dark matter” itself is an unsolved problem. The film is about a mentor/student relationship where the mentor studies the cherished model of science and the student sees this model is on its last legs. Filmmakers must make an effort to get the science right.(DA) I like mad scientists like Dr. Frankenstein. People have gotten savvier with science. There was a difference between researching the science for Pi than for The Fountain. Pi was pre-Internet. The Internet makes it easier to do the research and get the science right. In Pi, the protagonist Max, a mathematician, could fall into the cliché of the mad scientist. He’s doing extremely focused, disciplined work. Mad scientists don’t come out of science fiction, they come out of pure fiction.(SP) What about the idea of obsession in science fiction?(BS) As a writer, there is an attractive side to obsessiveness.(DA) There’s a sense of alchemy with scientists because they’re dealing with a secret magic that can change the world and the universe. I like to research the science and bring it to a fictional place by combining science and mysticism. I’m curious about films that are more traditional like Dark Matter. Hopefully, the intellectual quest comes through.(SP) I’ve been an advisor to Chinese students and they seem to face a lot of pressure. In Pi, the protagonist’s pressure is internal, while in Dark Matter, the pressure comes from the outside world.(DA) I have a friend who’s a marine biologist quit to do production design. Why? Because, academia put film competition to shame.(BS) Writers and scientists both feel pressure.(SP) Some films about real mathematicians who go mad such as A Beautiful Mind. Can you comment on why mathematicians seem to have more intensity that what’s good for them?(DA) There’s a fine line between insanity and genius. I don’t know why it’s math people. Maybe because they’re speaking a different language than us.(BS) There’s a sense that the degree of abstraction borders on insanity.(SP) How do you decide how much fiction to mix with science?(BS) In 1991, there was an event at the University of Iowa where a Chinese physics major killed five people. Dark Matter is a fictional film that was inspired by this incident. A lot of the relationships in the film parallel real people. “Dark matter” seemed to be the perfect metaphor for an invisible foreign science student.(DA) What I think is cool and interesting to an audience. In high school, I was in a class about math and mysticism. I grounded Pi in stuff that’s so true to it. In The Fountain, it’s about longevity. Great ideas came out in the research. Find facts that tie into the story. Some of our grandkids may live to 200 if our world still exists.(SP) Comment on some really good and also the worst science-based or science fiction films.(BS) I loved The Wild Blue Yonder by Werner Herzog. It’s a hybrid documentary/film with undersea footage.(DA) Don’t know. It’s so huge. Entertainment Weekly last week had its top 25 sci-fi films/tv from the past 25 years.(SP) Gattaca was really great and the worst was The Core.(SP) Do you have any predictions about science-based or sci-fi movie trends?(DA) Environmental destruction is going to be everywhere. More movies about cloning, mixed reality/psychedelics. Movies about different levels of consciousness. What James Cameron does next is kind of going back to Isaac Asimov.(BS) Movies about neuroscience; the connection between the brain and the mind.Audience Q&AQ: Do you feel in today’s marketplace, what’s defined good about movies are the celebrities. Would Pi have the same impact today that it did in 1998? What advice do you have for science filmmakers?(DA) YouTube. There are more opportunities now so much more than in the Pi days. It’s a full-time job to get your film out there. If you make something really good, people will react to it. It’s not all about celebrities. Do something that’s your own and believe in it.Q: Do you recommend or insist to your actors to do their own research on science?(DA) The Fountain was co-created with a neuro-scientist. He would write primers (sort of like Cliffs Notes) to give to the actors. We had a huge library of information. Hugh Jackman went to see a monkey get brain surgery. It was emotional and effective for him. Wikipedia is also amazing.(BS) There’s nothing like a carefully written book on a subject. I’m also a believer in personal interviews.(SP) You’re not going to get emotional stories from the Internet.Q: Are there any organization that hook up screenwriters with scientists?(SP) AFI, National Academy of Science, Sloan FoundationQ: Is Dark Matter available on DVD?(BS) We’re in discussions with distributors for a theatrical release, but there have been issues around the Virginia Tech incident. It’s a bit sensitive to release a film about a campus killing, even though we made it before the incident.Q: Will we see more people of color in science films?(SP) Scientifics reality changes in culture. In the U.S., most scientists are white and makes and this is reflected in the movies. One of the few African-American scientists I’ve seen in the movies unfortunately was in the movie The Core. Originally posted on:The Film Panel Notetaker - Miss a panel discussion? Don't worry! We took notes for you.<br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 06 May 2007 00:01:00 GMT</pubDate><spout:postby>thefilmpanelnotetaker</spout:postby><spout:postto>thefilmpanelnotetaker Blog</spout:postto><spout:postdate>5/5/2007 8:01:00 PM</spout:postdate><spout:body>Tribeca Talks – Alfred P. Sloan Foundation presents: Prodigies, Nobelists and Penguins: Science and Stereotypes in the Movies – May 5, 2007 (Left to right: Sidney Perkowitz, Darren Aronovsky and Billy Shebar)Panelists:Darren Aronovsky (DA) – Filmmaker, The Fountain, Requiem for a Dream, PiBilly Shebar (BS) – Screenwriter, Dark MatterModerator:Sidney Perkowitz (SP) – Professor of Physics at Emory University (SP) What do you think of how Hollywood portrays scientists in film?(BS) I’ve seen portraits that go either way, but things have gotten better and better. There used to be a lot of films with mad scientists, but we’ve gone beyond that. Dark Matter is about post-Tiananmen Square Chinese students in the U.S. facing a lot of scholarly pressure. The film looks at cosmology. It’s an interesting moment in history. I researched cosmology and found that “dark matter” itself is an unsolved problem. The film is about a mentor/student relationship where the mentor studies the cherished model of science and the student sees this model is on its last legs. Filmmakers must make an effort to get the science right.(DA) I like mad scientists like Dr. Frankenstein. People have gotten savvier with science. There was a difference between researching the science for Pi than for The Fountain. Pi was pre-Internet. The Internet makes it easier to do the research and get the science right. In Pi, the protagonist Max, a mathematician, could fall into the cliché of the mad scientist. He’s doing extremely focused, disciplined work. Mad scientists don’t come out of science fiction, they come out of pure fiction.(SP) What about the idea of obsession in science fiction?(BS) As a writer, there is an attractive side to obsessiveness.(DA) There’s a sense of alchemy with scientists because they’re dealing with a secret magic that can change the world and the universe. I like to research the science and bring it to a fictional place by combining science and mysticism. I’m curious about films that are more traditional like Dark Matter. Hopefully, the intellectual quest comes through.(SP) I’ve been an advisor to Chinese students and they seem to face a lot of pressure. In Pi, the protagonist’s pressure is internal, while in Dark Matter, the pressure comes from the outside world.(DA) I have a friend who’s a marine biologist quit to do production design. Why? Because, academia put film competition to shame.(BS) Writers and scientists both feel pressure.(SP) Some films about real mathematicians who go mad such as A Beautiful Mind. Can you comment on why mathematicians seem to have more intensity that what’s good for them?(DA) There’s a fine line between insanity and genius. I don’t know why it’s math people. Maybe because they’re speaking a different language than us.(BS) There’s a sense that the degree of abstraction borders on insanity.(SP) How do you decide how much fiction to mix with science?(BS) In 1991, there was an event at the University of Iowa where a Chinese physics major killed five people. Dark Matter is a fictional film that was inspired by this incident. A lot of the relationships in the film parallel real people. “Dark matter” seemed to be the perfect metaphor for an invisible foreign science student.(DA) What I think is cool and interesting to an audience. In high school, I was in a class about math and mysticism. I grounded Pi in stuff that’s so true to it. In The Fountain, it’s about longevity. Great ideas came out in the research. Find facts that tie into the story. Some of our grandkids may live to 200 if our world still exists.(SP) Comment on some really good and also the worst science-based or science fiction films.(BS) I loved The Wild Blue Yonder by Werner Herzog. It’s a hybrid documentary/film with undersea footage.(DA) Don’t know. It’s so huge. Entertainment Weekly last week had its top 25 sci-fi films/tv from the past 25 years.(SP) Gattaca was really great and the worst was The Core.(SP) Do you have any predictions about science-based or sci-fi movie trends?(DA) Environmental destruction is going to be everywhere. More movies about cloning, mixed reality/psychedelics. Movies about different levels of consciousness. What James Cameron does next is kind of going back to Isaac Asimov.(BS) Movies about neuroscience; the connection between the brain and the mind.Audience Q&amp;AQ: Do you feel in today’s marketplace, what’s defined good about movies are the celebrities. Would Pi have the same impact today that it did in 1998? What advice do you have for science filmmakers?(DA) YouTube. There are more opportunities now so much more than in the Pi days. It’s a full-time job to get your film out there. If you make something really good, people will react to it. It’s not all about celebrities. Do something that’s your own and believe in it.Q: Do you recommend or insist to your actors to do their own research on science?(DA) The Fountain was co-created with a neuro-scientist. He would write primers (sort of like Cliffs Notes) to give to the actors. We had a huge library of information. Hugh Jackman went to see a monkey get brain surgery. It was emotional and effective for him. Wikipedia is also amazing.(BS) There’s nothing like a carefully written book on a subject. I’m also a believer in personal interviews.(SP) You’re not going to get emotional stories from the Internet.Q: Are there any organization that hook up screenwriters with scientists?(SP) AFI, National Academy of Science, Sloan FoundationQ: Is Dark Matter available on DVD?(BS) We’re in discussions with distributors for a theatrical release, but there have been issues around the Virginia Tech incident. It’s a bit sensitive to release a film about a campus killing, even though we made it before the incident.Q: Will we see more people of color in science films?(SP) Scientifics reality changes in culture. In the U.S., most scientists are white and makes and this is reflected in the movies. One of the few African-American scientists I’ve seen in the movies unfortunately was in the movie The Core. Originally posted on:The Film Panel Notetaker - Miss a panel discussion? Don't worry! We took notes for you.</spout:body></item>
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