Active Arts, Culture & Design Climate, Earth & Environment

Collaborations in Hollywood

In plain English

AI plain-English summary

Hollywood screenwriters are being asked to swap dystopian collapse for hopeful, science-driven futures. The project aims to understand why so many on-screen futures are bleak and how to make constructive, scientifically grounded stories that still sell tickets. Why this matters: Science advocacy in Hollywood often fails because it ignores how the industry actually works—profit-driven, audience-focused, and allergic to lectures. The gap is not a lack of scientific accuracy but a lack of commercially viable, hopeful narratives that filmmakers want to tell. This project listens to what Hollywood needs and finds ways to weave science into stories that already appeal to mass audiences. Potential impact: If successful, the research could shift how millions of people imagine the future. Films and TV shows shape public expectations about climate change, technology, and medicine. More hopeful, science-informed stories could influence everything from consumer behaviour to policy support—not through direct messaging, but by making better futures feel plausible and desirable. The project also builds a lasting network between scientists and creative professionals, changing how science is integrated into entertainment beyond this grant.

View original technical description
The future is often presented on screen as a dystopian crisis for which poor solutions exist. Our goal is to inspire the Hollywood creative community to imagine and depict more hopeful, constructive visions of a world improved by science, generating stories and characters that both engage and inform downstream audiences. Our approach begins with listening. While science advocacy in Hollywood has grown in recent years, it often lacks a nuanced understanding of how to craft stories that are not only scientifically grounded but also commercially viable in a mass-market environment. In an industry largely motivated by profit rather than altruism, we seek to better understand the kinds of narratives that Hollywood wants to tell that appeal to broad audiences while finding ways to elevate the science in appropriate ways. To do this, we will engage a curated group of high-level industry professionals to gather insights into how science can be reframed in classic Hollywood terms. These findings will directly inform a year-long series of events designed to amplify key messages and foster new collaborations. Finally, we will track our progress through ongoing evaluations, and transparent reporting—ensuring accountability and continuous learning throughout the duration of the grant.

View the original record at the funder ↗

Researchers

Richard Loverd (EPMC Awardee)

Related Research

Grants with similar aims, by meaning.

Climate and Health Audience Insight Programme: Climate and Health Insight and Narrative in Entertainment
Wellcome Trust Engagement Fellowship
Climate Stories
Unsettling scientific stories: expertise, narrative and future histories
Sound Science

Original classification

Discretionary Award

Plain English summaries and category classifications on this site are generated by AI and may not perfectly reflect the original research.