Eric suggested we leverage this tragic BP oil spill to get the word out about fusion. Are there any volunteers out there who can put something like this together. It just requires some simple captions, a few images, and music.
30 second Focus Fusion video:
No voice over—captions superimposed on video with music
What is our energy future?
This?
Video of live oil spill feed, (capture some before they prettify it any more) ominous repetitive music, in time with burbling oil, bum-bum bum- bum bum bum
Caption: environmental disaster?
Video of some iconic footage from Gulf war/Iraq
Caption: wars for oil?
Or This?
Cheap, clean unlimited energy from
FUSION, the power that drives the universe
Video—collage of panned stills: galaxies, quasars, video of solar flares
zooming inwards, up tempo music—the Focus Fusion theme
FOCUS FUSION
Torulf video—excerpts, sped up, collage of electrodes, best photos of core of experiment (as in present animation, but faster)
FUSION in THIS Decade
Aneutronic fusion—NO Radioactive waste
Final flourish, peace symbol Nuclear Power without nuclear weapons
Then WWW.FOCUSFUSION.ORG
END
Possible problems—permissions for videos, although I suspect BP won’t be suing anyone for infringement anytime soon. Music—original.
Try to focus on the positive rather than the negative. Make the problem clear, but don’t fall into the trap of finger-pointing, express concern rather than anger. Personally i don’t like the space-narrative in there. Better keep it down to earth. Would expect this to work better for your intended audience here.
How about showing a contrast instead, something nice that would appeal to people, rally them to your cause. Like, after the depressing footage of birds covered in oil, cut to a desert turning into a lush green environment using FF desalination plants. Could have a bird flying around there as a backreference
Maybe use excerpts from the latest oval office address concerning the oil spill, and Pres. Obama’s call to make a push for clean energy?
I agree, Emmetb. We could also add pix of improved sanitation improving health. http://fiverr.com has plenty of folks who will do all sorts of short gigs like this for $5 a gig.
As yet, you do not have a product.
You are pitching a dream, a great big beautiful dream.
It is an inherently positive theme.
Sell the Dream and Sell the Dreamer:
Innovation often yields surprises,
but seldom are these innovations transformative.
Fire
The wheel
Electricity
and now,
the most important innovation in human history.
Harnessing a quasar in a bottle.
Aneutronic fusion.
Through the persistence, dedication and talents of a single man this vision is within reach.
Eric Lerner, ignoring the opinions of others in the field of plasma physics, has extended
that branch of science into new realms.
It is upon the shoulders of such giants that society may soon stand. ——————————————————
Could inject some humor:
Fire:
Scene from “Quest for Fire” where the main character witnesses fire being made, by hand, for the first time. The actor did a splendid job of expressing overwhelming awe.
The wheel:
A cart with stone wheels gets loose, rolls down hill, right through the village huts and a villager comments “Oh sure Thad, the wheel, another great idea”.
Electricity:
Scene from Frankenstein where the switch has been thrown, huge bolts of electricity are flying all around and the scientist is yelling “it’s alive, it’s alive.”
Harnessing a quasar in a bottle:
Astronaut during EVA opens Mason jar, reaches out and scoops up a quasar.
Eric Lerner:
A photo of Eric with a huge demented looking smile.
Ignoring the opinions of others:
Eric at the podium pointing at a diagram of DPF when the audience (a bunch of sciencey looking guys in lab coats) start throwing wadded up pieces of paper and yelling “you’re crazy, you’re nuts.”
Innovation often yields surprises,
but seldom are these innovations transformative.
Fire
The wheel
Electricity
and now,
the most important innovation in human history.
Harnessing a quasar in a bottle.
Aneutronic fusion.
Through the persistence, dedication and talents of a single man this vision is within reach.
Eric Lerner, ignoring the opinions of others in the field of plasma physics, has extended
that branch of science into new realms.
It is upon the shoulders of such giants that society may soon stand.
It’s a copy writing exercise no matter which form or media it’s aimed at. And it’s going to be online forever if we do it in such a way as to embarrass ourselves in the longer sweeps of history- say a year or ten, when the spill’s memory in the public’s collective memory is about the same as the Exxon Valdez incident. That’s why I oppose direct attack when we’re developing the clear solution to problems that seem unsolvable at the moment.
To paraphrase, “Let he who is willing to live without at least plastics and asphalt lead the offensive”
Friends of the earth is a large green activist organization. As it seems FFS is seeking to market its green potential with this proposed video, why not try to partner this one with these guys? They have been known to do this: http://www.foei.org/en/who-we-are/member-directory/alliances
Here in Europe they are most well known for their Big Ask campaign, a petition for EU citizens to ask for tighter CO2 emmission laws. Thom Yorke, from Radiohead, is one of their most well known champions: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c08F727f4Ig&NR=1
And it’s going to be online forever if we do it in such a way as to embarrass ourselves in the longer sweeps of history- say a year or ten, when the spill’s memory in the public’s collective memory is about the same as the Exxon Valdez incident.
Leaving aside the wisdom of trying to ride the coattails of this monumental disaster without even achieving a waste-free net power device first, there is a serious misunderstanding of the scale of events in the Gulf implied in your phrasing.
A slighting reference to “Exxon Valdez”? No. There are businesses which are still impacted by that spill every day… even after all these years.
And this flood of oil into the Gulf is already much worse than Exxon Valdez and is guaranteed to get worse each day every day for months on end.
If you can attempt to equate this cataclysm to the Exxon Valdez then you do not understand what is happening.
As for the secondary role of oil in lubricants, solvents, plastics, asphalt, pharmaceuticals etc etc…. that does not amount to so very much compared to the oligarch’s insistence that we burn coal and oil to power our civilization.
Without needing to throw away (burn) those insane amounts of oil the petroleum needs of the world would contract greatly and, in the U.S. at least, even what domestic production we have now would need to contract in turn.
Without needing to throw away (burn) those insane amounts of oil.
I too hate to see this most precious resource wasted by burning or spilling but I agree most strongly with those who say
- “keep the message positive.”
You / we really do not need to jump on anyone else’s band wagon with what we hope is just around the corner.
As for Green Peace - they are not well known supporters of the nuclear option. If you can get them on board you will have done well - although I personally would be most uncomfortable with adopting some of their methods, which have included taking up railway lines in order to stop nuclear trains running.(In France). Having been in a train that came off the rails I would not wish it on anyone.
As for Green Peace - they are not well known supporters of the nuclear option. If you can get them on board you will have done well
They seem to indoctrinate their people to regard with distaste anything that has a nucleus. Many are even leery of microwaves. I predict a long education for this group.
This discussion was started on a different page and has been left for this forum. I volunteered to assist with this project because I have 20 years experience in media projects from beginning to end. Planning is everything, but so is the exactitude of the message. You have hit upon a very good concept here, even if you were only joking about it. The idea of an “infomercial” can be extended as a subtle advertising and learning tool. To think about your approach to this tool, use the four “A’s” of advertising, Attention, Awareness, Attitude and Action, incorporate them into each video message and the overall campaign. Right now, focus your audience’s Attention the environment and the need to raise capital for Lawrenceville Plasma Physics (LPP) for conducting proof-of-concept experiments to show the feasibility of plasma fusion. If they find it interesting fine, if not then it is on to the Awareness campaign, which you should be producing concurrently.
Your message is trying to cut across multiple types of audiences. They may agree with you on the environmental problem, but have a complete misunderstanding of your ultimate goal. Don’t lose them in technological babble. Selling is “KISS” and marketing is gaining life long customers who have an emotional attachment to your product.
My mentor was the lady who wrote the NordicTrack infomercials. I wrote the video on “How to Get Started”. It reduced returns on the 30 day policy by at least 50%. Education on the product brings wisdom and provides great service. Service is why we are here.
Eric’s first draft is certainly KISS. What do you want: oil spills and wars or fusion without nuclear waste?
Of course, the immediate objection of people to the video would be “of course we’d love clean fusion energy, but it’s impossible.”
As msmith points out, it’s still proof of concept.
But I don’t think we’re selling a dream or a dreamer. We’re selling a strategy: Engage in and fund proof of concept research. Pursue fusion. It’s worth it.
A math approach: Show how we take shortcuts to save money (e.g., testimony about engineers & officials at BP rushing to complete the well, e.g., the email from the BP engineer who wrote “who cares, it’s done, end of story, it will probably be fine.” 4 days later, the well explodes, 11 workers are dead, and it’s the worst environmental disaster in US history.)
So, the score is:
Savings from shortcut: 10 million;
cost to company $17- $60 billion and rising…
cost to environment - incalculable…
Lives lost…(human, creature, ecosystem)
vs.
Cost of aneutronic research: $1 million for DPF…to several hundred billion if the DPF doesn’t work and we have to go through the other fusion approaches out there (it’s OK to show uncertainty here, the hope of the immediate project is more valid if it’s the low end of the range. Gets people to realize that there may actually be a quick solution, at the same time not feel they are being oversold - so it helps build stamina for a longer quest. Hope and stamina, with a possibility of quick gratification.)
Benefit: Solving this unacceptable oil-based energy problem once and for ALL. Aren’t we all sick enough of it yet?
Don’t wait for 8 more presidential administrations. Humanity needs to rally behind the quest for fusion now.
Pandora opens the box and all these terrible things come out. War, oil spills, pestilence, plague. And then she shuts it before the most useful thing comes out - shiny hope.
I would say we don’t want people to shut the door to funding for fusion projects, because that’s the hope of humanity in the face of all the billowing, relentless, oil based havoc.
Colbert and Stewart keep joking about the response to the spill being “release the kraken!” It should be “release the fusion”
They seem to indoctrinate their people to regard with distaste anything that has a nucleus. Many are even leery of microwaves. I predict a long education for this group.
They largely have had a fear of fission nuclear, which is justified. I may not agree with tactics some environmental groups have used, but overall they have for years been trying to call peoples attention to issues concerning the planet’s health, which I respect. They can help spread the word about new technologies that are real solutions to our energy problems and shouldn’t be excluded. These people have helped launch energy alternatives into the mainstream through their advocacy. From what I’m seeing on the web, some of these folks are open to clean nuclear energy research already.
Another angle I’d suggest would be this: In another eight administrations, the world’s population is expected to grow 50% (by 2050). We need serious solutions to our energy demands that we take for granted today and for overcoming poverty both now and with future generations. Focus Fusion can produce power on a scale to meet these needs, without stressing natural resources the way other alternatives can.
Focus Fusion Society 
And it’s going to be online forever if we do it in such a way as to embarrass ourselves in the longer sweeps of history- say a year or ten, when the spill’s memory in the public’s collective memory is about the same as the Exxon Valdez incident. That’s why I oppose direct attack when we’re developing the clear solution to problems that seem unsolvable at the moment.
