A Short Film About the Not-So-Secret Lives of Magnetic Fields
Magnetic Movie is probably the most entertaining film you’ll see about the electromagnetic phenomena narrated by scientists. Here, space scientists discuss their discoveries with artistically but scientifically accurate effects. The whole movie was filmed at NASA’s Space Sciences Laboratories in UC Berkeley.
Ruth Jarman and Joe Gerhardt–also known as Semiconductor–used the lab’s visualizations of the sun and solar winds, their in-lab experience, artistry and programming to create the surreal sights and sounds of Magnetic Movie. Eerie chirping, whistling and crackling coordinate with colorful, dynamic and erratic magnetic field lines punctuate the shots of the lab and its various equipment. All this, coordinated with scientists narration of what they found out about the sun and its magnetism.
And for a bunch of scientists, they’re not too shabby with the artistic merit. If watching the movie doesn’t sway you, maybe the following awards/recognition Magnetic Movie has won will pique your interest:
- Purchased by the Hirshhorn Museum, Washington for the permenant collection 2008
- Awarded Best Film at Cutting Edge at the British Animation Awards 2008
- Awarded Best Experimental Film at Tirana International Film Festival 2007
- Special Mention, Best International Experimental Short at Leeds International Film Festival 2008
Magnetic Movie from Semiconductor on Vimeo.
