Mastery of technology isn’t absolutely essential if you want to make a successful film. It’s daunting for novices, but not a dealbreaker according to next-gen science communicator Petr Lebedev. “Storytelling is more important than a good camera,” he told The Brilliant.
A phone and a couple of affordable extras probably won’t make you a social media superstar, but it’s all you need to share your science and connect with an audience anywhere in the world, adds Lebedev, a writer and researcher with the hit YouTube science channel, Veritasium.
Lebedev wants more scientists to consider accessing their inner Attenboroughs to tell visual stories. Here’s his beginner’s guide for busy scientists who want to get their research out of the lab and onto a screen.
Your story, your way
The most important thing is to tell a compelling story that people will remember.
“Picture quality and good sound are, frankly, a bonus,” says Lebedev. “It’s not that they’re unimportant, but the skill that really matters – the reason science communication is hard – is the need to tell good stories.”
When scientists put their research on film, a human face helps, says Lebedev. But if you don’t want to be the star of your own show, there are other ways to tell a story, such as through a podcast or being active on Twitter. What’s important is being realistic about the type of storytelling that will suit your interests and skillset.
“There are plenty of YouTube channels that are animated, and they do incredibly well,” says Lebedev. “Whatever you’re interested in, whatever skills you already have, whatever skills you want to develop, use them. If you draw beautiful things in your spare time, why not draw something about your research?”
Map it out
It’s also important to plan out what you’re going to say, if you want to tell a self-contained story.
The Veritasium team, for example, creates its scripts very carefully, mapping out the story they want to tell on PowerPoint or Google Slides.
“We always write scripts, because the stuff that we’re making is very information heavy,” says Lebedev. “If I did a talk and a kid asked me, ‘Hey, is there life on Mars?‘ I don’t need to do a script to answer that question on TikTok. But if you’re doing something more complicated, try to at least have an outline.”
If you are on YouTube, make your title and thumbnail engaging. And make the first minute of your video the most interesting thing you’ve made in your life.
“If you’re just doing it to share your research with your local community, it doesn’t matter so much,” says Lebedev. “But if you want lots of views, title, thumbnail and the first minute is important.”
Stuck for ideas? A simple format for beginners is to answer a question. The question might be posed by students, on social media or by friends.
“Your film could be, ‘Hey, here’s a great question about physics, and here’s an interesting way to think about this problem,’” says Lebedev.
“Dr Karl does this really well. People ask questions on Twitter, and he answers them. I think that’s an easy, effective and relatively low-effort thing to do.”
The ‘hairdresser test’
“Sonya Pemberton is an amazing Australian science filmmaker who I really respect,” says Lebedev. “One of the things that she talks about is ‘the hairdresser test’. When she goes to a hairdresser and they talk about what’s been happening, she might say, ‘I’m making this movie about – insert topic here – and if she can make her hairdresser care, she’s cool. She knows she’s telling the right story.”
“You need to know who your audience is,” says Lebedev. “A story that works for your hairdresser, or a police officer or a member of the general public is going to be different to the kind of story a professor would like.”
“One of the mental checklists I have is this: can someone hang out with friends after watching this video and retell it in their own words? If they can, we’ve done a good job.”
Pick a platform
The higher you aim – commanding a big audience, making a splash on a competitive platform, or making a decent amount of money, for example – the more targeted you need to be.
“I’d recommend something like TikTok or Instagram at the start, just because it’s kind of implied on those platforms that you shoot with your phone,” says Lebedev.
Posting frequently is useful – your films improve and you build an audience – but not essential.
“It’s terrifying to say to busy scientists, you should be putting stuff out weekly on YouTube. The most important thing is that you make stuff that people want to watch,” says Lebedev. “When David Attenborough puts out a documentary, I drop everything to watch it, even if that team hadn’t put out a documentary in two years.”
Take an interest in the tech
There’s nothing wrong with making a short film on your phone: camera quality these days is amazing, says Lebedev.
To take it up a notch, consider upgrading your sound quality. A shotgun mic that clips onto your phone or a cheap lapel mic is worth the investment, says Lebedev. “What would you rather watch? A video in low resolution or a video with terrible sound?”
For better pictures, invest in a mid-priced mirrorless camera that can shoot quality film, says Lebedev. “You’re not really paying for an increase in quality at that point; it just becomes more convenient to shoot with a standalone camera that’s not your phone.”
Editing is easy
“The basics of editing are really simple. It’s like rearranging words on a page,” says Lebedev. “It’s as simple as, ‘I like this part. I don’t like this part. Let’s take this and put it here.’”
Lebedev says editing – technically at least – has become easier and better over the last couple of years. For example, if you’re posting content on Instagram or TikTok, you can do your editing on your phone, often directly in the app. And if you’re on an iPhone, you can get iMovie or Final Cut Pro. He’s also a fan of DaVinci Resolve, which has a fully featured free version.
Pro tips for would-be filmmakers
- Know the most popular formats for your platform. “If you’re on TikTok and Instagram, vertical; the format defines the platform,” says Lebedev. “YouTube is still in horizontal.”
- Get your facts right. “The thing that annoys me the most is when science communicators get science wrong, and they don’t consult with experts to ensure that it’s accurate,” says Lebedev.
- Don’t be boring. “It’s better to have a really well made four-minute video than a very long and boring 20-minute video,” says Lebedev. “Make it fun to watch.”
Follow Petr Lededev on Website | Instagram | Twitter
Article by Michelle Fincke
Photo supplied
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