Made by StoryCog…
2013
We’ve another big project just getting underway in early 2013, about which we’re not quite ready to talk just yet. Watch this space.
ScienceDemo.org
As a side-project, we’ve recently restarted ScienceDemo.org. It’s a blog about… science demonstrations, obviously. We’re continuing to explore what we think it should be as it gradually finds an audience.
Previous projects
Ri Channel
We helped establish the Royal Institution’s new web venture, the Ri Channel. The Channel showcases the finest science video from around the web, and we helped build the Ri’s own production facilities and staff to get them producing original material. The Channel site itself is tremendously capable, bringing some new ideas to the presentation of video.
We took the job because we think what the Ri’s trying to do with the Channel is the third great evolution of their audience, after live theatre and television. As such, it’s of critical value to the entire STEM sector.
SciCast
The inciting incident behind the formation of StoryCog was this science video competition. In spring 2010, we took over the running of the project from initial host NESTA, with continued funding from them.
In its third year the competition grew another 70% in submissions over the previous year; the 2010 Awards Ceremony filled the lecture theatre of the Royal Institution, celebrating the work of hundreds of young scientists, engineers, and film-makers.
For 2011 we ran SciCast on a reduced basis, while we pursued other funders and partners. Those efforts were sadly unsuccessful, and SciCast is now on hiatus. It reached hundreds of schools and thousands of individuals, and the website (which we rebuilt in the final year) remains as an archive and legacy, continuing to attract more than 6,000 visitors a month. SciCast continues to inform our thinking about audiences, video, and the web, and there may come a time when it can be dusted off and reused more directly.
Ongoing work
We’re a full-fledged video production business, able to produce, shoot, and edit to the highest professional standards.
As well as tens of hours of material prepared for the Ri Channel, we’ve collaborated with legendary physics textbook writer David Sang to produce films introducing teachers to classroom demonstrations. The films are available for viewing and use via the National STEM Centre’s eLibrary, where they rapidly became the most-viewed resource.
We’ve made a number of films with the Centre for Life in Newcastle. Angry Snowboarders followed a local youth group as they prepared for Maker Faire UK, and Curiosity invited BBC presenter and engineer Jem Stansfield to give his professional view of the new gallery.
Recently, we’ve been filming up at St. Abbs Voluntary Marine Reserve for a Scottish schools’ resource DVD.
Training and consulting
Not necessarily under the banner of StoryCog itself, but in the last year we’ve provided training and consulting for Cheltenham Science Festival/FameLab UK and several universities. We also helped deliver the largest largest science communication training scheme in the world (working with Edinburgh Science Festival for Abu Dhabi Science Festival).