Science Friction – Movie Review
86 Minutes, Not Rated (Documentary)
Written by Brian Dunning and Emery Emery
Directed by Emery Emery
Synopsis:
Scientists in television get misrepresented and edited out of context more often than you’d dare to guess. Science Friction tells their stories, and gives them a chance to set the record straight.
What a great idea, right? Make a movie about how television shows sometimes (often) bring in people with specific knowledge or training about a topic to talk about a topic, and then deceptively edit (READ: Lie) their commentary in order to support the viewpoint you want the audience to take away from your “science” program.
Whether it’s aliens, bigfoot or other cryptids, Atlantis, or what have you, we’ve all seen those kind of programs, purporting to be a critical look at the topic at hand in order to reach “the truth.”
“The Truth,” of course, is a malleable thing to media types, especially to those in the entertainment industry, so reaching “the Truth” might not be as important to them as they say it is when they approach these various experts.
What about those experts who might otherwise be respected in their fields of study? What if a show depicts their opinions as being counter to their actual beliefs or, you know, real, actual SCIENCE?
A reputation can take years to build up, and take a serious hit in a three-second, out-of-context sound bite.
Luckily, you can watch Science Friction, which delves into the process of selective editing in the industry, as well as providing looks at what was ACTUALLY SAID by some of these experts versus what they are made to APPEAR TO HAVE SAID.
Also luckily, I was able to speak to the writers and director of the film, Brian Dunning (of the Skeptoid podcast) and Emery Emery, about Science Friction, and frankly, they’re pretty nice guys that have made what I would consider an essential bit of viewing for anyone who enjoys television and science.
Watch us chat over on our YouTube channel or just listen to them here or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
You can also watch the trailer and get more information over on the website: Science Friction: A Documentary from Skeptoid Media.
Science Friction is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video and Tubi, and features appearances by Matt Kirshen, Janine Krippner, Simon Singh, Jamy Ian Swiss, David S Anderson, Banachek, Michael Shermer, Richard Dawkins, Scott Mardis, and Ken Feder.
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