Science at Sheffield
The Science at Sheffield initiative, presented in partnership with The Wellcome Trust, returns to Doc/Fest!
This jam-packed strand includes live pitches, animated panel sessions, film screenings with Q&A, plus fantastic opportunities to network with some of the country’s leading scientists. The sessions and screenings focus on documentaries which explore scientific themes, and speakers include an inspiring mix of commissioners, scientists and filmmakers. Everyone’s welcome!
The focal point of the strand is Friday 15 June, but for those interested in finding out how to exploit convergent technologies in documentary production, we kick off this year with a thought-provoking session at the Summit.
Wellcome Trust Networking Drinks
FRI 15 JUNE / 17:30 / THE CRUCIBLE ADELPHI
Come and catch up about this year’s science broadcast and gaming projects, meet scientists and commissioners, and celebrate the announcement of the Wellcome Trust Pitch winners with a glass of wine.
Sessions
Exploiting the Feedback Loop
WED 13 JUNE / 13:15 / THE CHAPEL
Games like Bejeweled, Draw Something or Words with Friends are not one-off media events, but are on-going almost living entities. Being connected to the network they can collect huge amounts of data from players and so feed back to the designers which elements work and which do not. This allows them to respond, changing and improving the project in response. But while this ‘bio-media model’ clearly works for video games, can it work for filmmakers? By seeing video as data, a number of media thinkers are increasingly challenging the view that a film has to be a one off creation. Join us to find out more…
Once More, With Feeling
FRI 15 JUNE / 11:15 / THE CHAPEL
Every day we face a flood of emotion pouring out of our screens – whether it’s the excitement and awe of presenters on a journey or the embarrassment, joy and grief experienced by members of the public in television rig and reality series. This emotion can draw us into the wonders of our solar system, universe and even life itself, but just how much of it do we really need? It’s long been used in game shows, but is it such a vital component in documentaries too? Or are we slowly diluting the intellectual content with our carefully edited tears?
The Wellcome Trust Broadcast Development Award Pitch
FRI 15 JUNE / 16:00 / THE CHAPEL
The Wellcome Trust Broadcast Development Award Pitch returns for a fifth year. Five programme makers will pitch their idea to a panel of Wellcome Trust Executives and leading broadcast figures. Awards of up to £10,000 are available and there could be more than one winner. The prize will enable the pitched ideas to be developed into high impact, well-researched proposals to help secure a UK broadcast platform and production funding.
Films
Lost & Sound + Q&A
FRI 15 JUNE / 13:00 / LIBRARY THEATRE
What if you lost the ability to hear music? Could you find it again... and could music find you? Partially deaf filmmaker Lindsey Dryden follows 3 music lovers – alongside the world’s leading neuroscientists – on a journey into sound and silence, as they attempt to re-discover music after deafness.
MES
FRI 15 JUNE / 13:00 / LIBRARY THEATRE
Cath Gamester has quite a story to tell. When her GP puts her on anti-depressants, she soon finds her waking hours accompanied by a surreal musical choir, as she recounts in this delightful short documentary made by her grandson, Ian.
Ping Pong + Q&A
FRI 15 JUNE / 19:00 / SHOWROOM 3
Director Hugh Hartford follows eight players from five countries, as they travel to China for the over 80s Table Tennis Championships in Inner Mongolia. It’s a tale that is as much about the tenacity of the human spirit as it is about taking home the title.
The Love Competition
FRI 15 JUNE / 19:00 / SHOWROOM 3
At Stanford University’s first annual love competition, no touching is allowed. It’s all in the mind for the contestants, as they spend five minutes in an MRI machine thinking about their nearest and dearest...and trying to trigger the most neurochemical activity.