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bioGraphic series Lens of Time wins prestigious Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival award

Using high-speed and time-lapse videography, the series takes an in-depth look at surprising natural phenomena.

San Francisco (October 4, 2017)—Lens of Time, an original video series produced by Spine Films for the online magazine bioGraphic, was awarded Best Limited Series—Short at this year’s Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival. Held biennially, the esteemed festival is dedicated to promoting public awareness and stewardship of wildlife and appreciation for the wonders of science through the innovative use of media. This year’s competition received more than 900 entries and almost 600 films overall, making it the festival’s biggest year yet.

Using high-speed and time-lapse videography, the Lens of Time series takes an in-depth look at surprising natural phenomena and cutting-edge scientific research, all seen from the perspective of the scientists who use the techniques in their work. From time-lapse macrophotography that reveals how slime molds use brainless “intelligence” to make complex decisions to the ways that high-speed videography is allowing scientists to learn about the clumsy flight of the bumblebee, each episode dives deep to explore the wonders of the natural world like never before.

Lens of Time is produced by Bay Area-based production company Spine Films for bioGraphic, an online magazine from the California Academy of Sciences that highlights beautiful and surprising stories from around the world about nature and sustainability. Since its launch in April 2016, bioGraphic has published nine episodes in the Lens of Time series. These short-form videos, which range in length from 5 to 8 minutes, have been widely distributed through content partnerships with Atlas Obscura, Forbes, New York Magazine, Popular Mechanics, Popular Science, Scientific American, and many others.

In response to strong interest from teachers across the country, the education staff at the Academy has developed activity ideas and discussion questions to accompany the Lens of Time videos, making it easy for teachers to incorporate this high-impact media into their curriculum. The videos and accompanying educational resources have also been shared with teachers on a variety of free, online resource platforms for educators nationwide, including PBS Learning Media and Gooru.

All Lens of Time episodes are freely available for editorial and educational distribution. Interested partners can view and embed links to each episode directly from bioGraphic’s YouTube playlist.