Entertainment / The high-tech world makes it difficult for the film industry to stay ahead of reality
J. Dee Biersdorfer
Gloves with special sensors on them in the movie "Special Report"
New York Times
Wireless communication, tiny VCRs and PDA-sized supercomputers are now commonplace. But even in the high-tech world, and perhaps thanks to being so, the fusion between scientific facts and Hollywood fiction still has a lot of charm.
The sophisticated accessories used by James Bond are now being recognized at the Science Museum in London, in the exhibition "Bond, James Bond" that will open in mid-October. The exhibition will be accompanied by technological explanations about the spy accessories used in 40 years of Bond.
William Shatner, the actor who played Captain Kirk in the first "Star Trek" TV series, recently finished writing the book "Star Trek: I'm Still Working On It", along with Chip Walter. The book describes how scientists in well-known scientific institutes implemented in reality concepts that were first presented in the popular series.
Indeed, time after time, it becomes clear how much life imitates art. The watch company "Timex" sells a watch in the style of detective Dick Tracy, which can receive e-mails, news flashes and locator messages. "The perceptions themselves are not new. The exciting thing is that it can now be implemented," said Phil Barzyzinski, director of the company.
However today, the aspiration to succeed and get ahead of the real technology has become a difficult challenge for Hollywood. In 1999, director Steven Spielberg convened a panel of futurists to help the production team of the film "Special Report" simulate the city of Washington in 2054. The result was a world where magnetic cars travel on vertical highways. The advertisements that pop up on the screen while surfing the Internet have turned into large advertising posters in the film, which identify the citizen by scanning the retina, and follow him in the mall.
To achieve maximum innovation in their films, many production companies lend designed products that are under development. "Sometimes the company's engineers simply inform you: 'Here is a prototype of a product that will be on the market in three years, and we will lend it to you,'" said Don Levy, vice president of marketing and communications at Sony Studios, who participated in the production of the films "Spider-Man" and "Blade Runner."
In some cases the companies develop special products for Hollywood. For example, the "Nokia" company developed two mobile phones that allow video display of the "Special Report" movie, in which elements from products whose marketing is currently being tested in the company were combined. Sometimes innovation is achieved in other ways - Shatner reveals in his book, that Dr. McCoy's famous medical scanners were actually designed salines made in Sweden.
Chase Brandon, who acts as an intermediary between the CIA and Hollywood in regards to productions concerning the organization, last year briefed the team of the American television series "Alias" on the work processes in the organization and on unclassified technologies. According to him, "Once they had basic information about our equipment and capabilities, it gave them, as writers, the possibility to continue creating things themselves."
However, the real test of the reliability of the special props falls on the shoulders of the production team and the actors. According to Chris Cole, who is responsible for props in the series, "Alias talks at length with the writers to understand the use of each prop. "Then I start my research", he says, "I wander the net, look at books and even design myself or define a perception of what we want to achieve". Design magazines such as "ID" and "Now" "Design Culture" and technology magazines such as ""T3" provide inspiration for the program. "Sometimes products have completely different uses than what we intend for them, but we like the shape and design," he says.
