The Science of the Silver Screen

Studio 360

This post was updated on August 28, 2014.

Science Friday recently partnered with KPCC and Southern California Public Radio for a special live event that explored the science behind movie magic. The show took place at Caltech's Beckman Auditorium on Wednesday, August 27, at 7:30 p.m.

Watch a video of the live production below:

Highlights of the show: 

  • Veteran animator Tom Sito explained how scientists and engineers kickstarted animation’s CGI revolution

  • Avatar actor Stephen Lang and USC computer graphics expert Paul Debevec debated how far CGI technology can go

  • Film and T.V. writers Scott Z. Burns (ContagionAn Inconvenient Truth), Zoanne Clack (Grey’s Anatomy), and Eric Kaplan (The Big Bang Theory) discussed how they balance science and storytelling

  • Caltech physicist Sean Carroll shared his experience consulting on Hollywood blockbusters

  • KPCC science correspondent Sanden Totten explored how Hollywood sci-fi can lead to real-life technological solutions

Plus, Sean Carroll and Ira challenged two teams of brainiacs to a game of movie science fact vs. fiction. And, we took a tour of a science prop shop packed with Tesla coils, knife switches, and brain stimulators. 

Thanks to everyone who came!

Follow Science Friday and KPCC on Twitter, and keep the conversation going with #SciFriLA.

Sign up for our daily newsletter

Sign up for The Top of the World, delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.