Eleventh International Conference on The Image

Abstract

Animation as an art form and media has many tools to represent the abstract ideas and concepts of science into moving images and sounds. Scientifics have always needed the images to explain themselves and make their theory comprehensible to others, especially to non-science people. Carl Sagan, in his series “Cosmos,” understands the power of the audiovisual language, and saw in animation techniques the means to represent scientific content in a didactic way so everyday people could share the passion for the study and understanding of our nature. As a Professor at the Design Department, Universidad de Chile, I have studied this subject from 2014 along with my students, and have come up with an illustrative and fun method that summarizes the process of making an animated scientific divulgation piece. I have designed an audiovisual poster that begins from the making of the script, based on the 3-act structure known as “The Hero’s Journey” by Joseph Campbell. Drawing a parallel with the scientific method, the audience will understand how to simplify scientific language to make it accessible and friendly, making special remarks on the “comic relief” method. The session continues with the audiovisual production pipeline and brings the script to life. From the storyboard, the art direction and basic animation techniques using my own work and students’ work as examples. This work engages visual pedagogies and design as democratic tools, bringing science closer to people, and empowering average citizens.