Kickstarter

The Big Idea is a fun, experimental web series that takes a theme and explores scientific and philosophical variations on that theme using a variety of different medias -- animations, interviews, recreations, experiments, etc. Think a science-only Sesame Street for an older crowd. With your help, the first season of The Big Idea will be a six-episode series, exploring the topics of: Extinction, Growth, Angles, Waves, Nourishment, and Genesis. 

Each episode uses many different ways to expand on its theme. In Extinction we begin with the true story of a botanist who discovered a strange plant in Chicago in 1912, only to have it go extinct four years later; later, we end with a song about the folly and fleeting status of human beings in the scale of geologic time. In Waves, we learn about things like lasers, tides, and sound. Nourishment spends time with dieticians and gastronomic chefs; while growth experiments with making rock candy and interviews a gardener. Genesis explores more traditional origin myths like Pandora's Box but also discusses what is going on in the hadron collider using a stop-motion animation.

But The Big Idea isn't just about the series itself; surrounding the six full episodes is lots more original video content -- behind-the-scenes looks, tidbits that didn't make the cut, and extended scenes. Not only this, but the twitter and Facebook page offer up links daily to more science information and fun facts.

This web series wouldn't be possible without a lot of awesome, talented people who are doing this because of a genuine love of the craft. It is because of them that we are not asking for ten times this amount. Let us at least buy them lunch and give them gas money.

Your donation will go towards various needs on the project -- mostly, the aforementioned gas and food money, as well as a small payment to the camera operator, equipment costs, and paying for your lovely rewards.