Raw data videos offer a glimpse into laboratory research

Abstract

In one video, a pair of detached butterfly wings slowly change colors from pale yellow to dark spots with splashes of orange. In another, a mouse explores a raised circular platform, peering at a checkerboard pattern on the floor below. A third clip shows a worm undulating in a funnel-shaped enclosure, bending tiny “pillars” with its body. An example of raw laboratory footage with aesthetic appeal, this image was taken from a time-lapse sequence of squid development documented by developmental biologist Nipam Patel and his students. It won runner-up for the Scientific Merit Award at ISF’s New York film festival last year. Image courtesy of Nipam Patel (University of California, Berkeley, CA). These videos are part of a collection of laboratory footage gathered by filmmaker Alexis Gambis and colleagues. Gambis, executive director of the nonprofit Imagine Science Films (ISF) and founder of the online science film platform Labocine , both in Brooklyn, NY, has long been fascinated by the visual appeal of raw data clips. His organizations have showcased videos ranging from microscopic observations to computer simulations posted online and shown at science film festivals and exhibits. In July, Labocine , which first started in 2016 as a subscription-based video magazine and online database of science cinema, launched a collection called “Scenes” on its website to highlight raw laboratory footage. Gambis, a former geneticist, says the videos offer an intimate glimpse into a world that is often obscured from the general public. “They get a palpable view of what’s happening in research today,” he says. And the raw footage is a departure from traditional science documentaries, which are heavily edited and typically use voice-over to describe scenes. “It’s oftentimes so chewed-up and explained to you,” Gambis says. The laboratory videos he and his team gather come with minimal information and …