Lab Coats in Hollywood: Science, Scientists, and Cinema

Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, released in
1968, is perhaps the most scientifically accurate film ever produced. The film
presented such a plausible, realistic vision of space flight that many moon hoax
proponents believe that Kubrick staged the 1969 moon landing using the same studios
and techniques. Kubrick's scientific verisimilitude in 2001 came
courtesy of his science consultants -- including two former NASA scientists -- and
the more than sixty-five companies, research organizations, and government agencies
that offered technical advice. Although most filmmakers don't consult experts as
extensively as Kubrick did, films ranging from A Beautiful Mind
and Contact to Finding Nemo and The
Hulk have achieved some degree of scientific credibility because of
science consultants. I n Lab Coats in Hollywood, David Kirby
examines the interaction of science and cinema: how science consultants make movie
science plausible, how filmmakers negotiate scientific accuracy within production
constraints, and how movies affect popular perceptions of science. Drawing on
interviews and archival material, Kirby examines such science consulting tasks as
fact checking and shaping visual iconography. Kirby finds that cinema can influence
science as well: Depictions of science in popular films can promote research
agendas, stimulate technological development, and even stir citizens into political
action.