News & Notes

WIFV Science Video of the Week – Cosmos Trailer

By: Katrina Jackson

Welcome to the third Science Video of the Week feature! Each Wednesday I will post an interesting science video with some comments from either myself or the producer, and will conclude with some questions for discussion.

If you created a science video you would like to share, especially ones that had interesting challenges you’d like to discuss, send it to me and we can chat a little about how you approached the production!

Before you watch the video:

Perhaps you’ve already seen this one – in August, Fox came out with an official trailer for a new Cosmos series featuring Neil deGrasse Tyson, a 13-part series that will debut in 2014. The series is co-produced by Ann Druyan (Carl Sagan’s widow), and is also executive produced by Seth MacFarlane.

 

Watch the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBTd9–9VMI [length – 3:23]

 

After you watch the video:

I have a confession – I’m not very familiar with the original Cosmos series and have only seen one episode. It probably ought to be required watching for someone like myself who is interested in creating space and science television shows. It is a bit before my time, but that’s no excuse because it’s all on Netflix, so now I feel I’ve sufficiently shamed myself and am writing down “WATCH COSMOS!” as a homework assignment.

It’s clear that a lot of money is being spent on this series and they’re aiming to create the most spectacular visuals you could think of. Will that all be worth it? I guess we’ll see!

 

Discuss:

I have so many questions for you all! I really want to hear your thoughts! How do you feel about Cosmos being re-made? Do you think this will be a flashy show without much substance? What do you think of Neil deGrasse Tyson hosting? (Some people love him, some people dislike him.) What do you think of a space docu-series being broadcast on network television? (Has that happened before, at least in recent history? I’m not sure. I know Fox previously broadcast that “Conspiracy Theory: Did We Land on the Moon?” show, so this might be a bit of redemption for them.) Do you have any predictions for how well this series will do, both in ratings and in getting people excited about space?

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