Science Scams
Completed Dec 06
Format: 5 x 10 MIN
Synopsis
Creative documentary series “Science Scams” combines drama reconstruction and animation to reveal some of the greatest but lesser known scientific frauds from history.
The five episodes include: “Beringer’s Lying Stones”, the story of one man’s ill-fated search for scientific proof of divine creation; “Meinertzhagen: Undercover Ornithologist”, chronicling the extraordinary life of a WWI hero with a dangerous ambition for scientific fame; “Elizalde’s Lost Eden”, telling the extraordinary story of a stone-age tribe discovered deep in the Philippine jungle in the 1970s; “Kempelen’s Chess Playing Automaton”, the story of a mysterious technological marvel of the 19th century; and “Redheffer’s Perpetual Motion Machine”, how one man gifted the holy grail of engineering to the world.
“Science Scams” was commissioned for Channel 4 Daytime and was first screened in February 2007, with repeats throughout 2007 and 2008.
“ Meinertzhagen: Undercover Ornithologist” was nominated in The Scottish Short Film Awards 2007.
