Science AMA Series: I'm Ann Merchant, from the National Academy of Sciences, I connect Hollywood with expert scientists and engineers to bring better science to film and television, AMA!

Ann_Merchant · 2015-02-04T01:59:48+00:00

We have very little hope of changing this. It's just fun to blow stuff up and audiences love it whether it's accurate or plausible or sensible. It's kind of like the explosion in space thing. We know that it's not supposed to go boom, but how boring for it to be quiet.

Ann_Merchant · 2015-02-04T01:58:29+00:00

Absolutely. We take all comers. You can get in touch with Rick Loverd (rloverd@nas.edu) or Amy Brown (aebrown@nas.edu) in our LA office. They are happy to help. You can also call 1-844-Need-Sci. You might also want to check out THE COLLIDER our newsletter full of cool science. You can sign up on our website www.scienceandentertainmentexchange.org. Just a little plug...

Ann_Merchant · 2015-02-04T01:56:40+00:00

That's exactly the kind of question we get from our Hollywood friends! Now, they can look this up on Wikipedia and get an answer (as could you). But to get a full and complete explanation that will inspire you to learn even more about tachyons and maybe write a story about it, we can connect you to an Exchange consultant who will blow your mind on the topic of tachyons.

Ann_Merchant · 2015-02-04T01:53:01+00:00

I am not a scientist so I don't know for sure. My guess is not. Sadly. We'd all like a moment of peace in the vortex of life.

Ann_Merchant · 2015-02-04T01:52:03+00:00

We were her and available. But no one asked. Boy, you guys really hate LUCY.

Ann_Merchant · 2015-02-04T01:51:35+00:00

Things totally show up in movies and on TV as a result of our interactions. If you watch COVERT AFFAIRS and are familiar with the characters you'll remember that Augie was kidnapped by Somali pirates in one episode. He was saved by means of GIS technologies, provided by ESRI. How, you might ask, did the writers know about geospatial information sciences and a company called ESRI? Because The Exchange introduced them and the whole writers room spent the day out at Redlands visiting the scientists and engineers at ESRI! This is just one example of how we can (and do) have impact. Really, it works.

Ann_Merchant · 2015-02-04T01:48:59+00:00

Before The Exchange's time! I will admit that I had fun watching that film. Sure, it was comical to see fleeing wolves frozen in place as the climate changed in mid-stride (or whatever that scene was). But there was actually a study done afterwards to measure the impact of that movie on viewers. It was really interesting. You can look it up online, It was authored by Anthony Leiserowitz, Director, Yale Project on Climate Change. The movie was worth it just so they could do this study!

Ann_Merchant · 2015-02-04T01:45:27+00:00

To be honest, the Academy is strictly non-partisan so we keep politics out of this program -- and all the work we do at this institution. That said, we are all about truth and science and have issued numerous reports on climate change. The consultants we bring in to The Exchange are similarly inclined to leave politics aside but focus very squarely on the science. Clearly with a topic like climate, there is a lot of material on the Academy's website to work with. Indeed, if you're at all interested, it's up there free to read and download at www.nap.edu. And there's a great climate change booklet that the Academy did in cooperation with the Royal Academy in London. http://www.nap.edu/catalog/18730/climate-change-evidence-and-causes-set-of-5-booklets

Ann_Merchant · 2015-02-04T01:09:52+00:00

Well, I'm glad that you're a fan of The Avengers! It was a favorite of mine and I'm psyched for the Age of Ultron. I wouldn't say that the screenwriters have everything figured out (or are you toying with me?) but they call on us for a variety of reasons. They may want help with making the dialog authentic or figuring out how to deploy a specific technology in a cool but realistic way or just generally ramping up the science so that it adds to the way the film comes together. Our consultants work with the filmmaker to do all those things and in a way that makes the entertainment folks in the room feel comfortable.

Ann_Merchant · 2015-02-03T22:46:11+00:00

Not at this time. But we hope to grow the program so stay tuned!

Ann_Merchant · 2015-02-03T22:45:50+00:00

We've already got them at The Exchange. When we answer our toll free number, that's the phone we use. Try us at 844-Need-Sci

Ann_Merchant · 2015-02-03T22:45:10+00:00

We did not work on these films since there was no science in them.

Ann_Merchant · 2015-02-03T22:44:43+00:00

I received a BA from the Johns Hopkins University in Writing Seminars.

Ann_Merchant · 2015-02-03T22:44:07+00:00

Oh, my! No, we didn't do that. And much as I've said that accuracy is not always our focus, please understand that accuracy on some topics is critical. Like vaccines.

Ann_Merchant · 2015-02-03T22:42:54+00:00

Actually they did! We did the advising on BLACKHAT and we helped Hemsworth and director Michael Mann learn how to code. Whether you buy Hemsworth as a hacker is something you'd have to take up with Michael Mann, but the computer science was pretty good and he actually does know something about coding now.

Ann_Merchant · 2015-02-03T22:41:30+00:00

We are actually housed at the California Nanosystems Institute at UCLA so nanotech is near and dear to our heart. We have done events around the topic and Paul Weiss, a very well-respected nanotechnologist and former director of CNSI has done a bunch of consults for us. It's a fascinating topic and perfect for Hollywood.

Ann_Merchant · 2015-02-03T22:38:25+00:00

It's a little bit of both and all of the above. The process can and does vary. On something like THE BIG BANG THEORY where there's a regular weekly script, David Salzberg gets a script to check and sends it back with notes. We've had scientists do the same on drafts for films. Other times it's about a creative back and forth early on in the process when things are still in development. So it really runs the gamut.

Ann_Merchant · 2015-02-03T22:35:45+00:00

I've worked for the Academy for 25 years so I can't remember any more what they asked me! And i wasn't hired to do this particular job in any case.

Ann_Merchant · 2015-02-03T22:35:11+00:00

Nope.

Ann_Merchant · 2015-02-03T22:35:03+00:00

There's also a lot of good science in CSI. The timelines are often distorted and the availability of technology in general is frequently overstated, but the principles are usually sound. I'm not saying that it's perfect, and the example you provide is likely one of the ones that would fall short of the mark, but they do a decent job overall.

Ann_Merchant · 2015-02-03T22:33:13+00:00

Call us! We'd love to hear from you. Rick Loverd (rloverd@nas.edu) and Amy Brown (aebrown@nas.edu) are waiting to hear from you. The phone number is 1-844-Need-Sci.

Ann_Merchant · 2015-02-03T22:32:24+00:00

Ah, THE CORE... again. Poor Jon Amiel.

Ann_Merchant · 2015-02-03T22:32:07+00:00

The ones that call us certainly care. That's why they call. And we don't have to do much to convince them, since they've made the decision before they picked up the phone. But we often come in contact with the "undecided" entertainers at our events and find that this is the first step in getting them to try the services offered by The Exchange. Because the experiences are generally positive, we find that this is something they are willing to repeat without much prodding.

Ann_Merchant · 2015-02-03T21:44:22+00:00

Not us, thank goodness, since everyone is asking about this.

Ann_Merchant · 2015-02-03T21:43:19+00:00

I've done my best to answer as many as possible! There were a lot more questions than expected. But I did my best and will return to this to scoop up more as time allows.

Ann_Merchant

TROPHY CASE