Physics and Film: Why you, a writer, should become a physicist
If you are an author, artist, filmmaker, or any kind of creator, at some point you are challenged to create outside of your preferred medium or topic. This could be self-imposed, or a good ol’ fashioned challenge issued by your mortal enemy.
And it's through said challenges that we grow as artists.
How will physics make me a better writer?
Ever heard of quantum entanglement? Chances are unless you are associated with the world of physics, or are simply fascinated by it, then you’ve never heard of such a thing.
But that is only important if you happen to be writing a sci-fi show in which instantaneous communication is necessary.
If you’re not writing about that, or if you are, keep reading.
As writers, we:
Delve into the worlds we create
Imagine how everything looks, feels, smells
Draw inspiration from other great authors
But when we become a physicist as well as a writer, we can take our stories into the quantum realm. Our creations will expand exponentially, build upon themselves. Here's how:
Become a mini-expert
Don’t worry, you don’t need to go back to school. You must, however, become a mini-expert on each topic you plan to cover as a writer.
No matter what you write,
Novels
Scripts
Blogs
News articles
You first have to know what you are writing about!
You can’t suddenly write about the deepest thoughts of an astronaut floating off into space when you’ve never yourself been isolated, alone, and facing certain death. This level of creation requires research.
Study, study, study!
If you’re at all familiar with sci-fi, you’re likely familiar with the Ansible from Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card. Within the world of Ender's Game the Ansible is used to communicate instantaneously across any distance. Sounds pretty similar to quantum entanglement.
Fun Fact: The term ‘ansible’ was first coined by Ursula K. Le Guin in her 1966 novel Rocannon's World. It stands for ‘answerable’, referring to faster-than-light communication.
The idea of instant communication is one that has fascinated humans for many years, inspiring such devices as the telephone in 1876 and the telegraph before that in the 1830’s. With the direction that modern technology is heading, it is likely that ideas such as quantum entanglement will not stay confined in fiction for long.
TV shows like Star Trek and the ever popular Star Wars movies have inspired real-life technology:
Tablets
Cell phones
Warp drive
Even working lightsabers!
With all the creative minds working on science fiction movies, novels, and shows, combined with genius engineers across the world, we might soon see no lag video holograms right in your living room!
As creators, whether in film, literature, or otherwise, constructing new sci-fi tech can be a challenge. When Gene Roddenbury and his associates invented the various technologies such as phasers and communicators, they had little from the real world to base their ideas on. Since then, we of course have developed stun guns and cell phones with far superior capabilities to the Star Trek tech. Now, as we currently have an exponentially expanding field of knowledge surrounding modern advancements in technology, our creative exploits in science fiction must seem both possible and fantastical; a seemingly impossible task for creators…
Unless we make ourselves physicists! Or, at least, mini-experts on the subjects that relate to our writing. Even Orson Scott Card, who notoriously broke the laws of physics in the Ender’s Game series, said it was beneficial to know and understand the theories he disregarded.
The next wave of sci-fi
In a new show 29 Trouble, coming soon to streaming services near you, six vigilantes aspire to end the trade of slaves on their planet while navigating political alliances, family drama, and technological challenges. The creators of the show draw inspiration from real world advancements in technology, from smart watches to quantum entanglement, and utilize modern theories about space, travel, and communication to create an extraordinary yet still relatable world for audiences to enjoy.
Take the character Zynoiss from 29 Trouble. He is a unique example of modern tech taken to a new level. As a child, Zynoiss was kidnapped and transformed into a cyborg. Current medical practice includes a variety of implants that may be used to treat worn out knees or failing hearts. In the show, that is taken to an extreme with ocular implants, tools in his fingers, and guns in his arm! As cool as it is, the creators wanted to highlight the challenges that would come with such a drastic medical procedure. Throughout the show, Zynoiss experiences changes to his personality, malfunctions from worn out implants, and relational struggles.
The creators behind 29 Trouble, Granon Film Productions, drew inspiration from a variety of places.
The desert near their hometown, Yakima, WA
Personal family drama
Elon Musk
Current quantum entanglement experiments
You can write about anything, future, past, or present. Just remember to know what you write!
Take your audience to new places, but know where you’re going
Implementing new or improved tech in a sci-fi show presents yet another obstacle for creators to overcome. With the rapid advancements in real world science, it can be tough to stay ahead of the creative geniuses already realizing these fantasy mechanics in reality. 29 Trouble creators learned quantum physics to understand how the internet and communication networks would work across a galaxy.
Post WWII, Fahrenheit 451 author Ray Bradbury took inspiration from Nazi book burnings and the Soviet Union’s ideological repression to create an profound statement on censorship, a statement that has since been ironically censored. If not for his experiences in the second World War, and his childhood spent in local libraries, Bradbury would not have understood so well how the simple act of burning a book can have a severe impact on society, individuality, and freedom.
Our challenge as creators is to know what we are creating. While you may never be able to travel to medieval Europe, or be inside of a spaceship capable of warp 7, the themes and stories that you can tell are universal.
There are some universal experiences we can all relate to:
Love
Family
Loss
Freedom
What we choose to do with these themes, though, is what makes our art unique. We can all write a romance, but if it is set on a spaceship, we might need to do some research before describing the milky way up close.
As with most modern sci-fi, creating new technology can be difficult, so we as creators learn to adapt current tech, build on modern designs, and imagine what is likely to be our own future. It is vital for writers, artists, and creators to know what they are creating, take inspiration from reality, and be one of the first to learn about advancements in space travel, communication, and even handheld personal devices.
If the next wave of sci-fi is going to shock and intrigue its audience, it needs to present never before seen tech. We, the filmmakers, authors, and artists, must take our audiences to places where no one has gone before.
