ISTOCKPHOTO.COM, SILVERV
Set to the deep-voiced narration of Academy Award winner Jeremy Irons, The Majestic Plastic Bag follows the route of a discarded plastic bag from a grocery store parking lot to its resting place in the trash-filled waters of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Although it may not seem the most enthralling subject for a story, the filmmakers turn the bag’s migration into a wildlife documentary adventure complete with suspense, danger—a vicious Teacup Yorkie, a garbage-collecting Park Service employee—and an orchestral score. Colin Bates, cofounder of ScienceFilm.org, who trains scientists how to effectively communicate their work through video, uses this four-minute “mockumentary” as a prime example of how, with the right tools and story line, any story can be made interesting.
“Particularly with government research, because ...
