Storytelling and Storyboarding Science at Locarno Film Festival

Aims

I. Theory

• Scientists learn storytelling and storyboarding from the masters of narrative, ‘the filmmakers’.
• Scientists learn how to borrow communication strategies and techniques from filmmakers and how to apply them in communicating their science. This will help them to engage audience and increase uptake by incorporating narrative attributes into their teaching, divulgations and publications.

II. Practice

• Scientists re-write their biographies, abstracts and presentations by using narrative attributes used by filmmakers
• Scientists attend the Zurich Film Festival 2020. Which is a great opportunity for them to meet professional filmmakers and discuss with them storytelling technics that they can use in communicating their research
• Eventually, scientists can prepare films about their interviews with the filmmakers

Content

There have been great scientists that dropped out of school, but there have been no great scientists that did not tell stories!
We seek to challenge, inspire and train scientists to use narrative techniques and strategies employed in film to produce persuasive presentations and publications. Borrowing communication strategies and techniques from filmmakers and applying them in science communication will help scientists for better communication of their research, and scientists are wise enough to do so!